<HTML><HEAD> <META charset=US-ASCII http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; cha= rset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #fffff= f"> <DIV> <DIV>Stephen,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I do a program entitled "The Early Steinway" which covers the Steinway = grand from 1859 to 1880.  This represents the final transitional period=  to the modern piano, and Steinway's journey provides a good example of= how a manufacturer successfully made the transition to what most peopl= e now think of as a piano.  I am also interested in any informatio= n that can be gleaned from a completely original Style 1 to 6 Steinway, espe= cially the results of an analysis of original treble string material. &= nbsp;  (I haven't yet discovered - if someone here has, please share - = what Steinway used for treble wire;  the lengths are too short for mode= rn wire, even at a higher pitch Steinway played with during this period.&nbs= p; I believe it is important in understanding the 1860's/1870's "sound world= " to have a Steinway grand from the period which has orginal strin= gs, so that a period instrument might be available for historical and period= performance study.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Ed's right to comment about structural issues;  the pinblocks have= a tendency to separate and/or warp, and the treble rim joint doesn't do so = well either.  But I know of more than one of these pianos which has bee= n remanufactured successfully and is holding up fine, including one I rebuil= t which is sustaining 3/4 degree of downbearing in the mid/high tr= eble area.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am trying to prepare this program for publication (if PTJ is interest= ed), but it is presently a Powerpoint presentation, and it's been slow = go, so far, lots of pictures, little text.   It's a real fun = subject, though, I wish I had more time to write tonight, but there are&nbsp= ;too many issues to raise right now (since I'm currently crash'preparing tom= orrow's CAUT classes at the CA State Conference in Sacramento).  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>A brief rundown of a few of the issues:  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Short treble stringing scale, should be rescaled or Pure Sound wire sho= uld be used (consult with the folks at Pure Sound)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Experimentation with pitch (Steinway was building some pianos at up to = A-457)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3/4 plate/pinblock problems, might be fine and you can plug and reuse p= inblock, but might also be a disaster and you should open up the case (it's = a "mortised" pinblock) and install a new pinblock;</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1st generation duplexing is extremely funky and should be abandoned;&nb= sp; </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>action geometry - key ratio may be upwards of 64%, and hammers are very= light;  even "lights" might be too heavy.   </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Of course, the typical problems of early modern Steinways you'll find h= ere, too, such as damper set screws that cannot be tightened.  But=  none of these actions will have verdigris (unless rebuilt with pa= rts from the verdigris period), which is why a very clean original example m= ight make an excellent, fully functioning near-museum restoration.  </D= IV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It is important to determine the "originality" of the instrument, since= you may want to preserve, if it's worth preserving.  That's a big subj= ect, others may want to take it up in this context.....</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I could send you the current version of my "Early Steinway Grand" = presentation if you would like.   And/or you could ask the folks a= t MARC if they'd invite me to give the class there in March (nothi= ng like a brazen effort to get invited to MARC, huh!)</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Sincerely,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Bill Shull</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>and also to In a message dated 2/10/2005 6:10:49 PM Pacific Standard Ti= me, shsnyder@sover.net writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue = 2px solid"> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear Friends,</FONT><FONT size=2></FONT><= /DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have a customer with a Steinway Style II = grand.  This was in production for a couple of years between 1872 and 1= 873 before the introduction of the Steinway B.  I hope some of you are = familiar with this piano.   This piano appears to be in original c= ondition , but is in need of restoration/ preservation.  I'm looking fo= r feedback on whether it would be best to restore the piano -new soundboard,= pinblock,bridge caps action parts.etc. or preserve the  the piano= using as many of the original components as possible?  I realize there= will be no clear cut answer, but given the historic/antique nature of the i= nstrument your thoughts will be appreciated.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Steve</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Stephen Snyder<BR>Registered Piano Technici= an<BR>342 Scotts Lake Road<BR>Salem, NY 12865<BR>518-854-3888</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT face=Arial>e-mail: </FONT><A title=mailto:shsn= yder@sover.net href="mailto:shsnyder@sover.net"><FONT face=Arial>shsnyde= r@sover.net</FONT></A></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>