Does anybody know ' BARRATT & ROBINSON' Piano.
Vivien
What is the comment and Quality ?
Michael John Holme
>
> Any one here the brand named ' BARRATT & ROBINSON' Piano.
> What is the comment and Quality ?
I've seen a few second hand ones (in the UK). I'll be abit vague and say
they're ok but nothing to get excited about. As far as I know they
haven't been made for quite sometime, but the British have been making
pianos for a long time and quality is generally good of all British
piano. This last statement is certainly true of new British piano in the
same way that it is true of, for example Japanese pianos. Having said
that the ones I've played were not in first class condition, perhaps I'd
rave more if I tried a minter.
Barry Heaton should tell you some more.
Mike
Mike
Craig S Greenhouse
--
Michael John Holme wrote in message <3795E0...@doc.mmu.ac.uk>...
>Vivien wrote:
>>
>> Any one here the brand named ' BARRATT & ROBINSON' Piano.
>> What is the comment and Quality ?
>
They're OK. Only today I saw a 3'7" B & R Grand which is now for sale you
can see a picture at
http://www.pianoshop.co.uk/cgi-bin-local/grdet.cgi?g000023
This is the second smallest grand I've seen
I saw one called a Bachman 3'6"
http://www.pianoshop.co.uk/cgi-bin-local/grdet.cgi?g000009
These pianos are bizzare !
>I've seen a few second hand ones (in the UK). I'll be abit vague and say
>they're ok but nothing to get excited about. As far as I know they
>haven't been made for quite sometime, but the British have been making
>pianos for a long time and quality is generally good of all British
>piano.
You obviously haven't seen some of the horrors I've had to tune then !
Around the turn of the century the piano was very fashioanble, everyone had
to have one and so to fulfil market demand there were lots of pianos churned
out which were of dubious quality. These were usually birdcage pianos
(straighstrung / overdamped)
There are many thousands of these pianos still around today and most of them
are completely knackered
You can hear the difference in tone between an overstrung and straighstrung
piano at
http://www.pianoshop.co.uk/info/audio.html
and see the difference at
http://www.pianoshop.co.uk/info/figures/gallery1.htm
Common makes of these low quality pianos were
Murdoch & Murdoch
Godfrey
Papps
Collard and Collard (some)
Wallace Ash
Army and Navy,
The list goes on. See my piano ratings page.
http://www.pianoshop.co.uk/info/ratings.html
>This last statement is certainly true of new British piano in the
>same way that it is true of, for example Japanese pianos. Having said
>that the ones I've played were not in first class condition, perhaps I'd
>rave more if I tried a minter.
Depends on the piano :-)
Cheers,
Craig Greenhouse
Craig S. Greenhouse BA (Hons) MPTA
Webmaster, The Virtual Pianoshop
http://www.pianoshop.co.uk
The UK's Premier Piano Website
M.H...@doc.mmu.ac.uk
> >I've seen a few second hand ones (in the UK). I'll be abit vague and
say
> >they're ok but nothing to get excited about. As far as I know they
> >haven't been made for quite sometime, but the British have been
making
> >pianos for a long time and quality is generally good of all British
> >piano.
>
> You obviously haven't seen some of the horrors I've had to tune then !
> Around the turn of the century the piano was very fashioanble,
everyone had
> to have one and so to fulfil market demand there were lots of pianos
churned
> out which were of dubious quality. These were usually birdcage pianos
> (straighstrung / overdamped)
> There are many thousands of these pianos still around today and most
of them
> are completely knackered
I know only too well, I've tuned dozens of them myself.
But if we don't go quite so far back, there are lots of good quality
makes like Challen, Marshall and Rose, Collard and Collard, Rogers, etc,
etc. In my recollection the Barratt and Robinson would stand reasonable
ground with these makes of pianos. Like I said, they're ok, the ones
I've tried have been like many other 40, 50 or 60 year old British
pianos, not bad. Having said that I've come across one or two beautiful
old Rogers, Challen and in particular a Stromenger though I'm not sure
that they were British though I have a feeling that even with that name
they might be.
>
> You can hear the difference in tone between an overstrung and
straighstrung
> piano at
> http://www.pianoshop.co.uk/info/audio.html
> and see the difference at
> http://www.pianoshop.co.uk/info/figures/gallery1.htm
>
> Common makes of these low quality pianos were
>
> Murdoch & Murdoch
> Godfrey
> Papps
> Collard and Collard (some)
Schools seemed to like buying these though. Personally I think they're
fairly good. Again ok, not a Steinway, good for practising on.
> Wallace Ash
> Army and Navy,
>
> The list goes on. See my piano ratings page.
> http://www.pianoshop.co.uk/info/ratings.html
>
> >This last statement is certainly true of new British piano in the
> >same way that it is true of, for example Japanese pianos. Having said
> >that the ones I've played were not in first class condition, perhaps
I'd
> >rave more if I tried a minter.
>
> Depends on the piano :-)
>
> Cheers,
>
> Craig Greenhouse
>
> Craig S. Greenhouse BA (Hons) MPTA
> Webmaster, The Virtual Pianoshop
> http://www.pianoshop.co.uk
> The UK's Premier Piano Website
>
>
BTW have you ever ! come across a good, old, secondhand Bechstein ?
These things just don't seem to exist. What say's you ? I would be
interested to know.
Cheers,
Mike
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Craig S Greenhouse
M.H...@doc.mmu.ac.uk wrote in message <7n76hc$rc8$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>
>> >I've seen a few second hand ones (in the UK). I'll be abit vague and
>say
>> >they're ok but nothing to get excited about.
<snip>
>I know only too well, I've tuned dozens of them myself.
>But if we don't go quite so far back, there are lots of good quality
>makes like Challen, Marshall and Rose, Collard and Collard, Rogers, etc,
>etc.
I used to like Rogers a lot but I came across a spate of them that had rusty
strings that would break if pulled up to pitch and fragile dried action
parts that would snap at the slightest provocation so I've gone off them a
bit now - other than that they're fairly good.
Some of the Challen and Marshall and Rose pianos I've seen have been fine
instruments. What do you think about John Broadwood uprights BTW ? - in my
experience 10 - 20 % of them (the larger over / under ones) are very good
indeed if well rebuilt - but mostly I'd call them mediocre. Also on the
subject of JB - those horrible bolted frames in the pre 1900 hundred grands
that they got some American scientist to invent - ARGGH ! -
>In my recollection the Barratt and Robinson would stand reasonable
>ground with these makes of pianos.
Yeah they're OK. As is the thing in Britain though there are a lot of
neglected pianos. I went to a home yesterday with three ! One scrapper,
one Chappell with potential and one Neumeyer - A TRIPLE OVERSTRUNG piano
(Upright)- bizarre !
Like I said, they're ok, the ones
>I've tried have been like many other 40, 50 or 60 year old British
>pianos, not bad. Having said that I've come across one or two beautiful
>old Rogers, Challen and in particular a Stromenger though I'm not sure
>that they were British though I have a feeling that even with that name
>they might be.
I think my favourite British piano is Chappell - very good indeed. Well
built, good tone, nice action.
For the benefit of you stateside Guys and Gals - We British having a land
shortage tend to live in much smaller houses than you so I'd say 95% to 98%
of our pianos are uprights - most people cant afford the room for a decent
grand :-(
<snip>
> Common makes of these low quality pianos were
>>
>> Murdoch & Murdoch
>> Godfrey
>> Papps
>> Collard and Collard (some)
>
>Schools seemed to like buying these though. Personally I think they're
>fairly good. Again ok, not a Steinway, good for practising on.
Actually I've not seen too many of these in schools. Most of the pianos I
see in schools are Knight, Danemann, Giles, Barratt and Robinsong (!) and
some Young Chang and various other assorted older makes.
<snip>
>>
>
>BTW have you ever ! come across a good, old, secondhand Bechstein ?
>These things just don't seem to exist. What say's you ? I would be
>interested to know.
I've come across many secondhand Bechsteins. Not many would I descibe as
*good* Some of the rebuilt ones were good but the ones left to rot obviously
need rebuilding. I have a 1893 model 4 upright in my workshop awaiting
rebuilding at the moment which I bought because I think when it is done it
will be good. I could hear the potential through the worn action and dying
bass strings
One thing I've noticed with old Bechsteins is that most of them have a weak
pinblock - the pins are on the loose side - does anyone else find this ? In
fact I saw a grand at auction the other day with the most awful splits in
the plank a definate replacement candidate
dw...@cix.compulink.co.uk
> But if we don't go quite so far back, there are lots of good quality
> makes like Challen, Marshall and Rose, Collard and Collard, Rogers, etc,
> etc. In my recollection the Barratt and Robinson would stand reasonable
> ground with these makes of pianos. Like I said, they're ok, the ones
> I've tried have been like many other 40, 50 or 60 year old British
> pianos, not bad. Having said that I've come across one or two beautiful
> old Rogers, Challen and in particular a Stromenger though I'm not sure
> that they were British though I have a feeling that even with that name
> they might be.
This seems to have turned into a Brit junk piano discussion. It all
depends on age. Challen for me has always been a reliable old boiler with
no tone worth talking about, Marshall & Rose a superb make until c1955,
taken over by Welmar c1961 so in safe hands, Collard-twice a once lovely
Victorian make which got socked by Steinway and went in for truly
appalling stencil uprights from 1900. Rogers are like Brinsmead -
sometimes superb by accident, but unlike Brinsmead mostly pretty good,
especially the grands. Barratt & Robinson I haven't met very often, but I
rank them with Hopkinson or Monington & Weston, or, I'm sorry to say,
Broadwood - reliable ordinary pianos that it is not actually fraud to
sell to people who do not notice anything wrong with them, but which I
would have to be paid to accept.
But I admit I have heard many, many Bechsteins and Bluthners, so I'm
spoilt. On Bechstein uprights, I'd say that prior to 1901 you need to ask
if the strings cross over. If they don't, it's one of their post-1888
iron-framed straight-strung ones and will be sadly weedy in tone, but
might be very suitable for a small room. The cross-strung ones start at
about 1898 and many up till the 1940s are truly superb. (For a long time
Bechstein said cross-stringing produced an unacceptable break in tonal
quality, but they broke under pressure from SS in the end.)
You do meet both sorts, advertised under "PIANO, Bechstein, needs
attention" in the local freebies. I usually alert the restorers I know.
===
| \
| \ dwi...@cix.compulink.co.uk
| [] D Dan Wilson (Friends of the Pianola Institute, London)
| / antispam: remove 2 if emailing
| /
===
M.H...@doc.mmu.ac.uk
"Craig S Greenhouse" <cra...@newnet.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
> M.H...@doc.mmu.ac.uk wrote in message
<7n76hc$rc8$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
> >
> >> >I've seen a few second hand ones (in the UK). I'll be abit vague
and
> >say
> >> >they're ok but nothing to get excited about.
>
> <snip>
>
> >I know only too well, I've tuned dozens of them myself.
> >makes like Challen, Marshall and Rose, Collard and Collard, Rogers,
etc,
> >etc.
>
rusty
> strings that would break if pulled up to pitch and fragile dried
action
> parts that would snap at the slightest provocation so I've gone off
them a
> bit now - other than that they're fairly good.
>
> Some of the Challen and Marshall and Rose pianos I've seen have been
fine
> instruments. What do you think about John Broadwood uprights BTW ? -
in my
My Father has a new one which I don't like as much as either my partners
Kawai or my Schimmel but I do like it. As for old ones I've never played
one I liked.
> experience 10 - 20 % of them (the larger over / under ones) are very
good
> indeed if well rebuilt - but mostly I'd call them mediocre. Also on
the
> subject of JB - those horrible bolted frames in the pre 1900 hundred
grands
> that they got some American scientist to invent - ARGGH ! -
>
> >In my recollection the Barratt and Robinson would stand reasonable
> >ground with these makes of pianos.
>
> Yeah they're OK. As is the thing in Britain though there are a lot of
> neglected pianos. I went to a home yesterday with three ! One
scrapper,
> one Chappell with potential and one Neumeyer - A TRIPLE OVERSTRUNG
piano
> (Upright)- bizarre !
Wow :o
>
> Like I said, they're ok, the ones
> >I've tried have been like many other 40, 50 or 60 year old British
> >pianos, not bad. Having said that I've come across one or two
beautiful
> >old Rogers, Challen and in particular a Stromenger though I'm not
sure
> >that they were British though I have a feeling that even with that
name
> >they might be.
>
> I think my favourite British piano is Chappell - very good indeed.
Well
> built, good tone, nice action.
Actually I mean't Chappell when I said Challen earlier, I often mix them
up, and that's probably help confuse everybody else too.
Are new/good Bechstein uprights really the exotic almost mythical things
I'm lead to believe they are, anybody ?
Craig S Greenhouse
<snip>
>Are new/good Bechstein uprights really the exotic almost mythical things
>I'm lead to believe they are, anybody ?
>
New ones are as good as Bluthner / August Foerster etc
Lovely action
Cheers,
Craig
>
>>
>> >
>> >Cheers,
>> >Mike
>> >
--
scab...@btinternet.com
> Any one here the brand named ' BARRATT & ROBINSON' Piano.
> What is the comment and Quality ?