1850's Pleyel Grand

[Richard Brekne]

Hi Stéphane

I havent dug into this one so very much yet.... so I dont have a lot of 
specifics to relate.  It is a two bridge affair tho.  The exact serial 
number is 17521 and it does have iron strings.  Pretty common for the 
period and a perfectly viable solution to my mind.
I'll get more pics as the later on.

Cheers
RicB

http://www.pianostemmer.no/images/Pleyel2.jpg


   Hi Ric.

   
   I have the same ! I have the same !

   Mine is 1853 (serial 19443), but for its time, it is old fashioned :
   it has still a one piece bridge and the old fashioned iron strings, while
   at that time, other Pleyels had the newer steel and two bridges.  
Again, I
   suppose there was no one day when old model was discontinued because of a
   new model, and I suppose there were stocks of iron and cases that had 
to be
   exploited.  How is yours ?  Two bridges ?

   On the action of mine, there is a printed logo of "Charlier,
   manufacture de pianos, Paris".  I believe 1850ies were a period of 
huge output for
   Pleyel (the last years of Camille, the son of Ignace), and they could 
have
   other  factories in Paris (there were hundreds at that time) make Pleyel
   pianos in addition to the Pleyel factory output.  Pleyel did 
continuously try many
   designs instead of sleeping on one good seller.  Mine has a very curious
   cantilevered bridge.  I kept the original board, full of minor cracks 
(flame
   suit on), and the original hammers (same), but I can swear you that the
   piano sounds very good, very musical.