I second that Please Dale S. Erwin www.Erwinspiano.com Custom piano restoration Ronsen piano hammers-sales R & D and tech support Sitka soundboard panels 209-577-8397 209-985-0990 -----Original Message----- From: Delwin D Fandrich <del at fandrichpiano.com> To: pianotech at ptg.org Sent: Thu, Oct 7, 2010 3:29 pm Subject: Re: [pianotech] Unusual piano, maybe It would be interesting to see a few pictures of this piano. Any chance? ddf Delwin D Fandrich Piano Design & Fabrication 620 South Tower Avenue Centralia, Washington 98531 USA del at fandrichpiano.com ddfandrich at gmail.com Phone 360.736.7563 -----Original Message----- From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf Of Ron Nossaman Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 2:42 PM To: pianotech at ptg.org Subject: [pianotech] Unusual piano, maybe Hi Jack, I got a call about this thing this afternoon, followed by an email. Are you interested? I haven't seen it, but I'll go look if it might be a worthwhile addition to the museum. Ron N > Dear Ron, It was good talking with you this morning. Glad I decided > to call the number listed in the Piano Technicians Guild web site > after not hearing back from my prior email to that link for you. The > piano sitting in my sister's Wichita house is the prototype piano made > by my father Ralph Wolfe in the 1950's. Dad owned and operated the > Wolfe Music Company at 817 W. Douglas, then moved to 901 W. > Douglas, a store on N. Market just north of Douglas, and another store > near Oliver, I believe Town East? Though nearly blind, Dad was an > inventive man who designed a piano soundboard capable of producing the > sound of a baby grand inside a spinet piano framework. Dad worked > with a local metal smith and a woodworker to build his first piano. > Dad called his invention the "Supersonic Consogrand". He contracted > with the Stark Piano company in Chicago to mass produce pianos for > him. I believe Dad was the only source for buying these pianos. > During his lifetime Dad sold about 1000 of these special pianos. > Between my sisters and myself I believe we have the blueprints, a > steel template for the soundboard, some photos, newspaper ads, > contracts, and communications between patent offices and Stark. This > piano has been sitting inside my sister's house for the past 42 years. > During the last 12 years of her life, Arlene was wheelchair bound and > not able to care for her home. Her husband was in poor health too, > and for the last 5 years of his life neither of them could do much > beyond visit doctors, and handle their basic needs. Their house fell > into serious disrepair, as did the contents. > John died in January and Arlene died in July of this year. I am the > court appointed administrator of Arlene's estate. As such, it is my > duty to liquidate the assets of her estate. The piano has some serious > defects which might cost considerable amount to restore. Bob Bruner > came to the house last September to give me his opinion and estimate > for repair and restoration. At that time he suggessted between $600 - > $1,000, and without a guarantee. There are cracks in the wood behind > the soundboard, cracks in the bridges, rust on the tuning pins, and > the felt pads are brittle. The piano frame is dirty but otherwise in > pretty good shape considering the environment it's held these past > years. My two older sisters and I all have pianos of our own and don't > need a second one. Thus, we'd like to find a new home for this > special piano. In our conversation you mentioned a music museum in > Kansas City that might be the recipient of the piano. > If that is a good possibility I'm certain I could persuade my sisters > to consider that option. The house in which the piano now sits is to > be sold and torn down to make way for a parking lot for the school > across the street. That action should take place within the next > 30-60 days. So, there is a timing element to this offer. Please let > me know what you learn from your discussion with Jack Wyatt. I can be > reached via this email address or via my home phone: 503-297-1483. > I look forward to hearing from you. > > YT, Corlene Blue corleneblue at comcast.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <http://ptg.org/pipermail/pianotech.php/attachments/20101008/b5f5a5aa/attachment.htm>
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