Old Steinways

[A440A@aol.com]

Phil writes:

<< All this talk about old Steinways (pre-1875) are coming in very handy 

right now since I have a 7' 1865 in my shop as I type. 

What I find so fascinating about these instruments, or any instrument 

made before the Industrial Revolution is the fact that they were made 

before the Industrial Revolution. I'm sure we could all learn quite a 

bit by going back in time for a time for a look-see into how they did it. >>

Greetings, 
   Ah yes, we can learn a lot. Specifically, how not to make a piano.  That 
is what the Steinways did between 1853 and around 1880.  There are a lot of 
things in these pianos that the makers realized needed to be changed.  
   One of the most important things I have learned about these pianos is how 
weak the block and stretcher assembly is.  I had the factory rebuild a type 3 
piano from about 1870.  Even after they had done all the work to spec. , the 
stretcher still bowed up terribly when the piano was under tension.  It isn't 
very stable, tuning wise, either!  
    Dale Irwin writes of maybe addressing this with a Falconwood stretcher, 
but I would suggest finding some way of getting some steel in there. Maybe a 
heavy piece of angle iron that could be let into the stretch/block before it is 
installed?  Somehow, more resistance needs to be found to the rotational force 
upon the pinblock when all the strings are pulling.  
     I don't think it always true that the older the better.  I believe that 
the first pianos coming out of Steinway were designs in progress, and the 
really great pianos happened after they had finished their learning curve. 
Regards,



Ed Foote RPT 
http://www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/index.html
www.uk-piano.org/edfoote/well_tempered_piano.html