Chickering Anniversary Grand

[Robin Hufford]

Hello Del,
     I think the 133, at least the one I have - built around 1921 or so,
darn, nearly an "Anniversary Grand" has 8 or, perhaps more.  I was just
looking at this last month, but don't remember exactly at the moment.  I
do remember, however, some of the unusual ribbing arrangements,
including the crossing of the grain of the board at about 65 degrees.
This piano is not the same as the early 133.
     It  is a tremendous piano, particularly in the bass, and differs
substantially from  the earlier 133 which had a plate like that of the
121 which is open on the right side curve, much like that of your Walter
Grand,  and a built up rim.  The 133 I have has a continuous bent rim,
with the normal kind of plate on the right side.  The long bridge does
not, as far as I know, lap over the inner rim as it stops well short of
the rim, just past the last string.  However, as I pointed out in a
description of this piano last year, the bridge is floated through a
considerable part of its length.
     If there is any problem with this piano I think most would say it
is in the last octave and a half or so in the treble where the halving
time is short.  This, I believe, is a function of the very substantially
shortened speaking lengths which run to the extreme of taking  C-88 to
c. 40 mm.  Nevertheless, I like the piano even like this, but I would
still be curious to hear the sound of an altered one in which the
speaking lengths have been increased to more conventional values where
C88 would wind up being in the low 50's range.  .
Regards, Robin Hufford

Delwin D Fandrich wrote:

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