----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Brekne" <Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no> To: "Pianotech" <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 11:14 AM Subject: Early Julius Bluthner > Hi Folks > > > Just stumbled onto a pretty early Julius Bluthner grand. Straight strung, > three screwed in place struts for the two piece plate ensemble, havnt > checked the action out yet. Patents visiable from 1856. Big brass > letters on the fall board saying > > Patent > Julius Bluther > Leipzig > > Could not find a serial number anywhere, and it looks like nothings been > painted over. So where do I look ? Case is in wonderfull shape really.. > I'll get some pictures tommorrow. Action is frozen tight... so lots of > work there. Good deal of rust on the tuning pins and strings, much dirt > but structually looks pretty darned good really.. at least on my first > quick look through. A couple smaller cracks in the sound board. > Soundboard.. yes.... grain runs perpendicular to the long bridge... more > or less. Bass bridge may have pulled up a bit... didnt have a good light > so I will check it out much closer in the next couple days. > > Anyways... definantly fixable without too much trouble.... and it was > free. Thats right... an old lady just gave it to the conservatory to do > with as we please. > > Pics tommorrow,... but I sure would like some tips as to where to find a > serial number. > > Cheers > RicB > _______________________________________________ > pianotech list info: https://www.moypiano.com/resources/#archives > Sounds almost exactly like an 1856 seven-and-a-half-foot grand that I tune here in Denver. It was found in a basement in Vienna, then shipped to an antique dealer in San Francisco, then to Denver. Someone restrung and repinned it somewhere and thankfully didn't botch the job. I put new hammers on it which did it a world of good. This was 20 years ago. The then-owner of Denver Piano Rebuilders had a one-page handout on regulating the action, which I still have. I drew an action diagram to scale so I could show it to more experienced technicians to ask about the regulation (I was much greener then). Can't regulate let-off in the piano -- no way to get at the regulating screws. The serial number, I believe, was over in the left-hand corner somewhere in the area where the pinblock meets the soundboard. The number was #1925, and the owner called Bluethner long distance, and they said that put the date of manufacture in 1856. There was another number, VM 1045, but what it refers to, I don't know. The case is quite ornate, with much inlaid woodwork and fancy inlaid brass letters on the fallboard. I have several pictures, but neglected to take one including the serial number area. They're not digital photos, however -- I'd have to scan them. Anyway, it plays and sounds great, with a warm Old World chamber-music tone. --David Nereson, RPT
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