neumeyer & co.

[antares]

I have just once seen and tuned this Brinsmead model.
It seemed very solid and this model was probably the best of Brinsmead ever,
because later on they produced horrible little uprights with a horrible
fabrication error : between the bass and the treble the tining pins were too
positioned too tight.!!

I did not know about those special Neumeijer developments but I have tuned
several great Kaps instruments.
However, they too had huge problems because the frames were always <<
broken.


friendly greetings
from

Antares,

Amsterdam, Holland

"where music is, no harm can be"

visit my website at :  http://www.concertpianoservice.nl/


> From: John Delacour <JD@Pianomaker.co.uk>
> Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 00:11:07 +0000
> To: pianotech@ptg.org
> Subject: Re: neumeyer & co.
> 
> At 7:33 PM +0100 5/2/02, antares wrote:
>> NEUMEYER. Gebr. Berlin, Germany, 1905
>> 
>> That's all it says in the Pierce Piano atlas.
>> 
>> Here in Europe Neumeyers are not really outstanding, you hardly see them
>> anymore.
>> In the past I have tuned quite a number of them and I can remember
>> that the tuning pins were a problem because the drilled holes in the
>> iron frame were a little narrow or maybe simply too small, causing
>> extra friction between frame and pins. Not a bad piano, not a great
>> piano. sort of middle of the road and probably not too expensive in
>> 'those' days.
> 
> Yes, I have never come across a really nice Neumeyer but it was a
> firm that tried some interesting things at different times in its
> history.  The later uprights (post 1900) can be quite acceptable and
> standard, but I've seen earlier Neumeyers with triple overstringing
> (four bridges at different levels) and small grands with no bracings
> and things like that.  I like to see these oddities that were finally
> killed off at the end of the century, like the beautifully made old
> Kaps with Helmholtz resonators in the extreme treble.
> 
> Talking of oddities, I finally tracked down an 1870s Brinsmead
> upright with the patent tuning system this week and today paid the
> lady the £100 it's worth to me.  The hammers are like new except for
> the dust, so it will be fun to work on.  The tuning "dollies" are
> parallel with the strings and slidable in a massive flange integral
> with the string plate.  A long hexagonal nut draws the dolly up and
> the string is hooked onto the bottom of it.  Everyone who has
> experience of this system says it's excellent, so I hope to confirm
> that when I've had a good look in a strong light.  It looks very
> solid and tidy, and this piano is pretty well in tune after ten years
> of neglect.
> 
> I'll take some pictures and make them available.
> 
> cf. <http://www.uk-piano.org/history/brin_f4.gif> -- though mine is
> quite a bit different.
> 
> JD
> 
>