Betsy Ross pianos

[Ron Nossaman]

>Is there such a thing as a Betsy Ross piano?   

Lester alert! Yes there is, and I tuned one a mere three days ago.


>I have see that name used on
>this list many times and I've always assumed it was a eupenism for an
>extremely old piano. 

Nope, they're very real. 


>Question:  Anyone know any history of the piano?  Were they a decent piano
>in their day?  In general, are they worth restoring?
>
>Phil Ryan

No history, other than made by Lester in the days when plastic elbows and
flanges were new and improved over the old wooden parts. The idea was good,
 the plastic wasn't. They also may or may not have the "waterfall" keytops
where one sheet of celluloid (?) curves from the top to the front with no
overhang. I'm not so sure that the idea was all that good, but the keytops
are usually intact, so it may be a better idea than it seems. They were a
low end piano new, and tend not to age all that gracefully. If "restoring"
consists of replacing elbows and flanges and tuning it, it might be worth
it if the rest of the piano will meet you half way. Get a look at it before
you commit to anything.

Ron N