At 11:45 pm +0100 2/4/07, David Boyce wrote: >...In the afternoon I tuned an old Erard grand, No. 81076 (c1901). >It's of very backward-looking, but pretty, French design. A bronze >(or brass?) capo d'astro bar with blued steel screws, in style of an >old English pocket watch. Straight strung, with bronze covered >strings. Plate not an integral casting but with bars and bolts. A >quite idiosyncratic action, and underdampers. > >I was musing over the contrast with the S&S B that I tune in the >local theatre, No. 82076. This is actually a few years older than >the Erard, but to all intents and purposes a completely modern piano. David, I think you'll find the Erard is far older than that. There are two lots of serial numbers, one for the Paris factory and one for the London. Michel's/Pierce's "Atlas" is hopelessly inaccurate as regards Erard. At a guess the piano is probably from 1850-55 but I know a colleague who could date it accurately if you should need it. JD
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