Hi, Peter. What a great restoration project! I'm assuming, of course, that your Bechstein dates from the late 19th, to early 20th century. The num- ber on the plate will tell you for sure. As for rebuilding it, I would caution you about one thing. In addition to being a beautifully built instrument with outstanding tone quality, one of the majoe dif- ferences between turn-of-the-century Bechsteins and many of their com- petitors, like Bluthner, was the Bechsteins touch, or ease of play- ability. Many fine quality pianos built during that time, used keys that were too heavily weighted, combined with hammers that were too heavy, too. The goal was more tone, more projection, more sheer volume, but the price paid was actions that were too heavy and stiff, which placed undue stress upon the hands and fingers of the pianist. When restoring that Bechsteins action, I would seek above all things to preserve it's original touch. Critical to this will be your choice of replacement ham- mers. You want to choose the best hammer you can buy, whose weight most closely approximates that of the originals. Many otherwise fine restora- tions are ruined by choosing replacement hammers that are just too heavy. Late19th-early20th century Bechsteins were superb instruments, over the years greatly admired by artists such as Wagner, von Bulow and Brahams. Richard Gertz's father was a dealer in such instruments, and when Richard came here to the states and began designing his own instruments, under the name Mason and Hamlin, the Bechstein (and Blu- thner) influnce was readily apparent. Restoring a vintage Bechstein? Lucky you!!!!!! Warmest Regards, Les Smith lessmith@buffnet.net On Mon, 17 Mar 1997, Peter Kestens wrote: > PETER KESTENS > BELGIUM > KESTENS.P@Debcom.be > > List, > I've a vintage Bechstein grand (about 7 ft) and want to do a compleet > restauration; does anyone of you can tell me if I have to take special > precautions with such an old boy. > I've found two numbers: one on the plate and the other where the pedals are > attached. Which one stays for the exact age of this instrument? > >
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