Martin, If there are no structural issues with this piano, I would not hesitate to raise it to A=440 after restringing. Weber was a high-quality piano manufacturer at this time (for a short while they even competed with Steinway and the others for the concert stage) and there is ample evidence that in the late 19th century in the US pitches quite a bit higher than 440 - as high as 447 - were in use (as were lower pitches ca. 435), so pianos had to have been built to withstand those tensions. Happy new year, Israel Stein At 10:17 AM 1/1/2008, you wrote: >List: > >I raised the pitch this afternoon on this 1884 New York Weber upright to >A-435 and still 3 strings broke.(It still has its original strings). I >spliced them back on. The lady bought it at an auction for her 8 year old >son to practice on. I advised her and her husband to not let their son >practice on this piano. It could ruin his sense of pitch. The piano has >only a partial plate coming up only to the bottom of the pin block. >Question: if it were restrung what is the feasibility that it could be >tuned to A-440? The pin block has some large bolts going in at the top >but they don't go all the way through to the back side. The overall >design resembles a German birdcage but it is not that. It is overstrung >with underdampers like modern pianos. But the action comes out like a >birdcage piano. Any thoughts and opinions appreciated. > >Martin Wisenbaker, RPT >Houston, Texas
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC