<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; = charset=us-ascii"> <TITLE>Message</TITLE> <STYLE type=text/css></STYLE> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1106" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV><SPAN class=610364315-10052004><FONT = face=Arial>Phil,</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=610364315-10052004><FONT face=Arial>Your = observation about the case being suitable for travel makes perfect sense.  Since there = were only a handful of these made, they still needed to travel quite a bit to meet = the demands of Paderewki's his concert tour.  </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=610364315-10052004><FONT = face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=610364315-10052004><FONT face=Arial>I'm not = surprised that most of the ones I've heart about have been in poor to disastrous shape.  They would present unique challenges to a = rebuilder, like the four-string agraffes, just to mention one.  = </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=610364315-10052004><FONT = face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=610364315-10052004><FONT face=Arial>Taylor = MacKinnon, in Portland, tunes one that has been made into a piano bar and we all know = the sad life of a piano in that role.  </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=610364315-10052004><FONT = face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV><SPAN class=610364315-10052004><FONT = face=Arial>jeannie</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV> <P><FONT size=2>Jeannie Grassi, RPT<BR>Registered Piano = Technician<BR>Island Piano Service<BR><A href="mailto:jcgrassi@earthlink.net">mailto:jcgrassi@earthlink.net</A><= /FONT> </P> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV></DIV> <DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr = align=left><FONT face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B>On = Behalf Of </B>Phillip Ford<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, May 09, 2004 5:52 = PM<BR><B>To:</B> Pianotech<BR><B>Subject:</B> RE: Weber with 4 string unisons<BR><BR></FONT></DIV> <DIV>Interesting.  There's another one of these on the West = Coast, as it's on its side in my shop in San Francisco, although I was told that = it had been in a church in Michigan for much of its life.  The piano is = a basket case (literally - it came to me in boxes - maybe it's a 'box = case').  I think it was already worn out, but then the church burned down, which = didn't do anything to improve the condition of the piano, needless to = say.  Funny you should mention Paderewski, as the story I was told was that = this was 'Paderewski's piano', whatever that means.  I'm not sure how you = would go about proving such a thing.  I suppose it's like having a piece = of the true cross.  I gave some credence to the story since it had four = string unisons in the top two sections, which I had assumed was unique, but = now I see is not.  Another feature of this piano - it's obviously set up = for travelling.  The frame is cut away in a particular fashion and = there are metal brackets nested in it to which the legs and lyre are attached = when the piano is on its side.  Another reason I gave at least a little = credence to the Paderewski story.  One of those rebuilding projects for = when I have some spare time (which means it will probably be inherited by = another technician).  I'd love to see this one in good shape.  I'm = sure it will be no problem ordering some new 4 string agraffes from one of the = supply houses.  Maybe some day....</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT><BR></DIV> <DIV>Phil Ford</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT><BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"> <BLOCKQUOTE cite="" type="cite"> <BLOCKQUOTE><FONT face=Arial = size=-1></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE>= </BODY></HTML>