<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4522.1800" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=2>I got a 7' Hardman grand from an estate sale.  = The tuner who was rebuilding it died.  It had no strings, was refinished = etc., but poorly.  I have it on consignment and haven't yet sold it.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Here are some of the things I've heard about hardman:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>The book "Pianos and their makers"  speaks = highly of Hardmans around the turn of the century .</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>It was at one time the official piano of the = metropolitan opera.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>It was advertised as the most expensive piano in the = world.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>FDR had one in the white house.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>I can't verify those statement, but I think it = compares as almost as good as the S&S "B".</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Too bad I can't get a decent price for it like you = can for a B.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Carl Meyer</FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=dnereson@dimensional.com = href="mailto:dnereson@dimensional.com">Dave Nereson</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, December 16, = 2000 2:47 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Hardman pianos</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>    (For- What- It's- Worth Dept.):</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>    I tune a 1916 Hardman 5'2" = grand which I think used to be great-sounding but now, for various reasons, is just "OK".  But I have a 1904 Hardman, Peck upright in my living room = which has more guts in the bass and better sustain than many a small = grand.  The case is also beautiful with an inlaid Greek key pattern across the = top and around the keybed and inlaid wood "torches" with mother-of-pearl = handles and flames on the front panel.  It also has a cast iron frame under = the keybed, making it quite heavy.  </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>    The action is a Wessell, = Nickel, & Gross, with wippens that have lost motion compensators for the = soft pedal.  W, N, & G really made some nice actions in their = heyday, but I've seen some from later decades that were a disgrace to the = once-famous name.  Maybe this was after Aeolian bought the Hardman name -- = did they also control the W, N,  & G name? According to a book I read = about pianos -- I forget which one -- actions made by Wessell, Nickel, & = Gross (three former Steinway employees who went into the action = manufacturing biz), became quite well known.  But of course the general public didn't = always remember the exact names and some salesmen of the time would try to = sell a piano by touting its "wood, nickel, & brass" action.  No kidding.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>    Hardman, Peck also made mini-uprights with different names on the fallboard</FONT>.  Mine = says 'Hensel', with Hardman, Peck & Co. underneath.  It's a cute = 42" upright, not console, with 73 keys, and sounds as good as most spinets = or drop-action consoles I've tuned.  Great gig piano -- I can = roll it up a ramp into my truck all by my lonesome.       --Dave Nereson</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> ----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=kam544@flash.net href="mailto:kam544@flash.net">kam544@flash.net</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">pianotech@ptg.org</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, December 12, = 2000 9:50 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: A terrible = piano</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV>>...I would have sworn<BR>>I was tuning a 75 = year old Hardman upright...<BR>>Patrick Greene<BR><BR>Hey, watch how you = throw that name around there, pardner...  :)<BR><BR>I picked up a = 1909 Hardman grand (about 5' 8") about a week ago that looked<BR>like the = pits for all practical purposes, has multiple cracks in = the<BR>soundboard, definite bearing problems in places, action regulation = highly<BR>irregular, pedal lyre loose as a goose, action shifts to the left, = chipped<BR>keytops, tuning pin solution stains abound, about every reason on earth = to<BR>trash the thing, or do a complete rebuild ... but with a name like Hardman?<BR><BR>For the fun of it, I installed some used Tokiwa = shanks and Abel hammers<BR>that were removed from a Steinway D.  Did some = rough regulation ... very<BR>rough ... and man, does it put out like no = piano I've ever met ... just<BR>unbelievable.<BR><BR>It defies all known piano technology I've learned.  Just blows me away the<BR>magic = sensation it gives when I play it.  I'm going to do as little as<BR>possible = to not lose that mystique.<BR><BR>So watch how you throw that name around = there, pardner...  :)<BR><BR>Keith McGavern<BR>Registered Piano Technician<BR>Oklahoma Chapter 731<BR>Piano Technicians Guild<BR>USA<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>