Weber with 4 string unisons

[Jeannie Grassi]

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Phil,
Your observation about the case being suitable for travel makes perfect
sense.  Since there were only a handful of these made, they still needed
to travel quite a bit to meet the demands of Paderewki's his concert
tour.  
 
I'm not surprised that most of the ones I've heart about have been in
poor to disastrous shape.  They would present unique challenges to a
rebuilder, like the four-string agraffes, just to mention one.  
 
Taylor MacKinnon, in Portland, tunes one that has been made into a piano
bar and we all know the sad life of a piano in that role.  
 
jeannie
 

Jeannie Grassi, RPT
Registered Piano Technician
Island Piano Service
mailto:jcgrassi@earthlink.net 

-----Original Message-----
From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On
Behalf Of Phillip Ford
Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 5:52 PM
To: Pianotech
Subject: RE: Weber with 4 string unisons


Interesting.  There's another one of these on the West Coast, as it's on
its side in my shop in San Francisco, although I was told that it had
been in a church in Michigan for much of its life.  The piano is a
basket case (literally - it came to me in boxes - maybe it's a 'box
case').  I think it was already worn out, but then the church burned
down, which didn't do anything to improve the condition of the piano,
needless to say.  Funny you should mention Paderewski, as the story I
was told was that this was 'Paderewski's piano', whatever that means.
I'm not sure how you would go about proving such a thing.  I suppose
it's like having a piece of the true cross.  I gave some credence to the
story since it had four string unisons in the top two sections, which I
had assumed was unique, but now I see is not.  Another feature of this
piano - it's obviously set up for travelling.  The frame is cut away in
a particular fashion and there are metal brackets nested in it to which
the legs and lyre are attached when the piano is on its side.  Another
reason I gave at least a little credence to the Paderewski story.  One
of those rebuilding projects for when I have some spare time (which
means it will probably be inherited by another technician).  I'd love to
see this one in good shape.  I'm sure it will be no problem ordering
some new 4 string agraffes from one of the supply houses.  Maybe some
day....


Phil Ford







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