[pianotech] 1800's square.......

[Farrell]

Hello Leslie,

I am the proud (?) owner of an 1870s Emmerson square grand piano - maybe I can help you. It likely has the standard oval tuning pins that many of the American squares have/had. The standard oval tip that the piano supply houses sell will work. No idea what pitch the string scale was designed for - I usually just try to tune squares at A440 unless there is evidence of lots of rust or past string breakage.

What else ya wanna know?

Terry Farrell
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Leslie Bartlett 
  To: pianotech at ptg.org 
  Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 10:19 PM
  Subject: [pianotech] 1800's square.......


  Can anyone on the list help me with this........  The man is about 20 miles from me (not much in Houston), and I don't wish to drive that far out to see what kind of pins he might have. Would anyone have a clue, and also any clues as to where they would risk setting the pitch?
  thanks
  les bartlett
  \

  I believe the pins are oblong but I'm not really sure.  But it's made by Emerson, so if you are familiar with that brand then maybe you could find out how he designed most of his square grand pianos in the 1800s.  I'm not sure where you are located but you might have to make a trip out to my house to check it out.  I live in Cypress.  I've played this piano and its not terribly out of tune, but I'll let you be the judge.


  Subject: Re: Piano Tune


  Oh my! First you'd have to tell me whether the pins are square or oblong.  If oblong, I'd have to have the dimensions at the top of the long part and the width, so I could see if I could get a tool for it. THEN we'd have to find how flat the pitch is, and how low to leave it.  Probably wasn't designed for 440...   If you respond, I'll put this on the pianotech email list and see if anyone knows the pitch thing.  Though the action is primitive, each "jack" should have a little string connected to a little spring. Those string loops are very prone to breaking on something that old.

  Since you have a phone number labeled in French, do I need to bring a French lawyer??????????????

  Be glad to help if I can. I'd charge X to tune it, $Yif we decided to raise the pitch and have to do it twice.     

  tannerlaw2001 at aol.com wrote: 
    Hello,

    What would you charge to tune a 130 year old square grand piano?  This piano has all of its original parts.

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