[pianotech] Wm. Knabe Manufacturing Date

[paul bruesch]

I serviced a Wm. Knabe this morning. ~66" grand, serial number 192946.
According to Pierce, that gives it a manufacturing date of 1979. The action
has a 1979 date stamped on it as well.

I seriously question the 1979 date though, because it doesn't look like that
new of an instrument. Cheek block screw holes are flaky, i.e. threads
beginning to strip, and actually, some other case part holes have been
moved, apparently due to stripped threads. Lyre, pedalbox, trapwork look (to
my relatively inexperienced eye) much older design than 1979.

The date on the action looks to me as though it's the date of a rebuild. All
new wippens/shanks/hammers. Pinblock is pretty obviously newer than the rest
of the piano (except action parts.) Action brackets and rails look original.


So why the 1979 serial number? Could it possibly be that a rebuilder "made
up" a 1979 serial number to represent it as new? Or could the factory
(assuming it was still around) have done the rebuild and re-numbered it?

My customer bought the piano in the early 1990's, and don't know the history
prior to that point.

Thoughts?
Paul Bruesch
Stillwater, MN
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