<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <html><head><style type="text/css"></style><title>Re: Bluthner Tuning</title></head><body> <div> Terry and all,</div> <div><br></div> <blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1">I just booked a first-time tuning for a Bluthner grand (first time for me to tune it). It is said to be about 55 years old. Is this piano likely to have the 4th string aliquot system up in the high treble? If so, is there any special tuning techniques for it? I've never tuned one of these. Just pluck it and tune it beatless with the other three strings of each note?</font></blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite> </blockquote> <blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial" size="-1">Terry Farrell</font></blockquote> <div><br></div> <div><br></div> <div>I have tuned numerous aliquot Blüthners (Australia was the second biggest export market for German pianos, after the UK, from 1880 to 1914). They also made models without the aliquots for the domestic market. I use a felt wedge, placing it between the centre and right unisons, with it leaning over to the right so that it also wedges off the aliquot length. As you suggest, plucking the aliquots is the go, in order of proceedings after the unisons are sorted (the aliquots are mostly false - I'm not a big fan of these).</div> <div><br></div> <div>You'll find Blüthners to be very interesting pianos from a design perspective. The earlier versions had a large and curved bass side corner cut-off (the most common models are the 5'6" and the 6'2"). The sound board was compression crowned and clearly under-engineered for durability. The rib heights are rather shallower in relation to their width. These boards almost always collapse right along the line of the long bridge. The bridge layout and scaling isn't up there with contemporary thinking, but there is a range of other worthwhile design ideas in these instruments.</div> <div><br></div> <div>In recent years we had a very early Blüthner (from around 1860) come in for transit damage repairs. The workmanship was very ordinary on this example. This was to me most surprising since they were being very-well made by around 1885.</div> <div><br></div> <div>When I was a student at high school (during the early 70's), the local returned-soldiers club in the town (now city) of Griffith had a Blüthner concert grand from around 1880. This fascinating instrument had an 85 note compass with an overall length of 10'4.75". The sound board was like a venetian blind, with daylight showing through cracks everywhere. During the rebuilding phase of my career, I harboured a desire to acquire the Blüthner some day and rebuild it. But alas, the club had a major fire and the piano was incinerated.</div> <div><br></div> <div>Take your trouble light Terry. You'll find Blüthners very interesting, with a dark tone that is quite unique. For the less experienced fork bashers, these instruments provide a challenge when setting the temperament. The fullness of tone can lead you to make the fifths and fourths too pure.</div> <div><br></div> <div>Ron O.</div> <x-sigsep><pre>-- </pre></x-sigsep> <div><font face="Times New Roman" size="+1" color="#0000FF"><b>OVERS PIANOS - SYDNEY</b></font></div> <div><font color="#000000"><i>   </i></font><font color="#0000FF"><i>Grand Piano Manufacturers</i></font><font color="#000000"><br> _______________________</font></div> <div><font size="-2" color="#000000"><br> </font><font color="#000000">Web http://overspianos.com.au</font></div> <div><font color="#000000">mailto:ron@overspianos.com.au<br> _______________________</font></div> </body> </html>