This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment =20 Greetings all -- =20 I had my first birdcage yesterday. I think I lucked out. Yeah, difficult = to work on, but considering it is probably over 100 years old the thing = looked practically new. A Carl H. Hintz, made in Germany. I could not find a = serial number but a medallion on the fall board says 1900. See below for links = to the photos I took. =20 The woman who owns this piano inherited if from her mom about 30 years = ago. She says that her family purchased it from it's previous owner when she = was six. My guess is that translates to about 50 years ago. The current = owner has played it but claims she has never had it tuned or any other work performed on it since she took ownership 30 years ago. Had I not already seen this piano before agreeing to work on it I might have had second thoughts about the job. But the thing is gorgeous and I wanted to add birdcage experience to my accomplishments.=20 =20 The piano is clean and in incredibly good shape. It's obvious that = sometime just prior to my customer receiving the piano some major work was done = on it. New strings, pins, bridges, hammers, felts etc. Since it has been = played for 30 years the hammers need reshaping but all the rest of the felt is almost like new.=20 =20 Aside from sharing the photos of this piano I also have a couple of questions. The only thing apparently NOT replaced or repaired on this = piano was the pinblock. Which actually sort of makes sense. And while it is unquestionably on the loose side it will actually, just barely, hold a tuning. For how long...?=20 =20 Even a good piano, after 30 years, is not going to sound even remotely = good. This one definitely sounded dreadful. A4 was at 409. I was advised by a couple of techs NOT to attempt a pitch raise but to just bring it into = tune wherever it already was. They said that the piano was never designed to = be tuned to 440 and chances are the soundboard and/or plate could sustain damage if I tried to bring it up to that. I brought it up to 415 only because that was as low as I could get PRCT to go. And it held. And she = was happy. =20 Question 1: Given the overall great condition of the rest of the piano, = is it a candidate for a thin CA glue treatment to the pins to improve = tuning stability? Question 2: Should the answer to question 1 be yes, what pitch should = this piano realistically be tuned to? =20 The owner is willing to put "some" money into making it play better = because even in tune the worn hammers make it sound pretty funky. Is it worth = it? In fact, what do you people think this piano is worth? =20 The following photos are for reference to my above questions, and your enjoyment. =20 This is a front view of the piano, with everything in place. I noticed = that the left and right panels had the screw holes filled where the = candelabras used to be. Had I not looked really closely I never would have noticed.=20 http://tinyurl.com/82gst =20 This is a close up of the center of the front panel. The flowers are engraved into the wood.=20 http://tinyurl.com/b99ac =20 The fallboard had two medallions on either side of a nameplate casting. = Here is the left medallion. http://tinyurl.com/dxvgn =20 Here is the nameplate casting. http://tinyurl.com/8rbra =20 And here is the right medallion, showing the date of 1900. http://tinyurl.com/ccou5 =20 This is a straight on view of the action. The brass is shiny. The damper wires shine. The screws, strings and pins are undamaged and show no = signs of rust. The wood is so clean that I find it hard to believe that it is original, and the felt is like new. Even the bridle straps are in good condition. http://tinyurl.com/7k7sl =20 This is the bass bridge. Obviously new. Not a scratch or crack anywhere. http://tinyurl.com/8nnfe =20 This is the treble bridge. Again, obviously new. Not a scratch or crack anywhere. I'm surprised, though, at the older look of the pins. http://tinyurl.com/8xmmv =20 This is the plate and pinblock and all that stuff. Look how clean = everything is. http://tinyurl.com/dr5jj =20 And finally, the soundboard. Is this new, or has just been expertly restored? http://tinyurl.com/djssr =20 =20 I'm looking forward to your comments and suggestions. =20 =20 -- Geoff Sykes -- Assoc. Los Angeles =20 ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/f8/4e/19/42/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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