I'm working on a 1923 Steinway that says "Miniature" on the plate, but is only 5',6-1/2", so I presume it's a "M", although there are no other designations on the plate other than a bunch of leters and numbers at the tail which I don't understand. Do you know what they mean ? --- Cy Shuster <cy@shusterpiano.com> wrote: > http://www.steinway.com/features/MainFeature_SteinwayO.shtml > > Steinway & Sons New York Re-Introduces The Steinway > Model O > > > In 1902, the Model O was first produced by the > Steinway & Sons New York > factory and introduced to the American consumer > market as the "Miniature" > Steinway grand piano. It was the Model O that was > the first Steinway grand > piano to feature the classic Steinway case design > known as Sketch 380 > Sheraton (squared off, spade-shaped legs) designed > by Eugene F. Ayuso, now > the standard case design for all Steinway grand > models. > > When the Model O grand was a brand new scale, it > reflected several major new > technical innovations with its unprecedented > incorporation of 26 notes in > the bass section. The plate design did not > incorporate adjustable rear > duplexes, but had instead solid duplex ribs cast in > the plate. Examination > of early Model O grands reveals that Henry Ziegler > who designed this model > conducted many experiments and made several > adjustments in features and > layout. In 1902 and again in 1904, New York factory > log book entries for > Model O grands say, "Model A shape" (i.e., square > tail instead of standard > Model O round tail). These few early experimental > Model O grands with square > tails might well be considered to be the earliest > predecessors of the Model > L grand. > > As mentioned, Henry Ziegler (1857-1930) designed and > invented the Model O. > He also designed and invented the Models M (1912) > and L (1923), both of > which are based on the original Model O design and > scale. The Model M (5'7") > is a slightly shorter version of the Model O. The > Model L is essentially the > same scale as the Model O but with a square tail, > rather than round. The > Model S (5'1"), which was introduced in 1936, is > also based on the Model O > design and scale. > > In 1906, the Model O bass bridge was changed from > straight to curved, and > the plate was reconfigured to accommodate adjustable > rear duplex scales. > > In 1914, the length of the Model O was increased > slightly by 1/2" from 5'10" > to 5'10-1/2". On November 7, 1924, the last of these > historic Model O grands > were produced in New York. > > Now in 2006, the Steinway & Sons New York factory > has announced that it will > return to the production of the original fully > developed version of the > Model O grand with its characteristic round tail, > curved bass bridge, and > rear duplex scales as perfected in his time by Henry > Ziegler-but with all of > the modern technical innovations that have followed: > Accelerated Action > (1931), Diaphragmatic soundboard (1936), Hexagrip > Wrestplank (1963), > Permafree II Action Bushings (1983), and NY Improved > Action (1992) to name a > few. > > The reintroduction of the Steinway Model O grand > piano is intended to > replace the similarly sized Steinway Model L grand. > The Model O will now be > produced in both the Steinway & Sons New York and > Hamburg factories. > > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
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