birdcage pianos

[Roger Jolly]

Hi Brian.
            Unfortunately, most of ours are English bird cages, There was
an antique fad in the late 60's and early 70's, these pianos were imported
by the container load.
The vast majority were shot before they got here, and with our dry climate
they just cracked up, pun intended.
The joke was, in England at the time, people paid to have them removed from
their homes.  Here they fetched premium dollar, and the customer often paid
for delivery.
Most that are still functioning?????? are tuned a semi tone, to a tone, flat.
On my visits back to the UK, I often hear some very sweet sounding, and at
pitch, bird cage pianos.
After the turn of the century, Canada had a very good and healthy piano
manufacturing industry so importation of pianos was fairly rare. Untill the
Japanese invasion.
Just some trivia.
Regards Roger




At 05:37 PM 26/05/00 +0200, you wrote:
>Hi Roger,
>Perhaps in your neck of the woods, but down here in the jungles the majority
>of the pianos I see are european, such as today was working on a 1910
>Hoffmann & Kuhne, candle sticks, 2 pedals etc. but a very nice overstrung
>underdamper!
>
>
>Brian Lawson
>PTG Assc, MPT.
>Johannesburg, South Africa
>
>
>
>> Hi Patricia,
>>                 Less than   88 notes, 85 is a good bet in combination with
>> candle stick holders, only two pedals will increase the odds. I can't
>> recall ever seeing a bird cage action with 3 pedals.
>> Any, or all, of the above should raise your suspicions
>> Roger
>>
>>
>>
>> At 03:16 PM 25/05/00 -0700, you wrote:
>> >List
>> >
>> >I'm on the look out for English piano I usually ask if it is English , I
>> >didnt know that some German pianos were birdcage pianos too ,seeing I
>> >ussually have to travel much of the time over 50 miles one way  and would
>> >not like to get there and find out its a birdcage, What are some of the
>ways
>> >I can be sure if it is?  Thank you Patricia  Associate Mem.
>> >
>> Roger Jolly
>> Saskatoon, Canada.
>> 306-665-0213
>> Fax 652-0505
> 
Roger Jolly
Saskatoon, Canada.
306-665-0213
Fax 652-0505