1920 Bechstein
David Dalle
was refurbished last year, most parts are original, but new hammers,
strings, pinblock etc. It is not an easy trip to see it, so I would
really appreciate any opinions or suggestions, and assuming it's in
great condition, what price range?
Thanks,
David
Larry
>Hello, I have a chance to see (out of town) a 1920 6'1" Bechstein. It
>was refurbished last year, most parts are original, but new hammers,
>strings, pinblock etc.
>assuming it's in
>great condition, what price range?
That will depend on the quality of the rebuild. Without seeing it, no one can
tell you. Some rebuilds are so bad it would have been better to leave the piano
alone, some are as good as the original factory work, and literally anywhere in
between.
There is a lot more junk rebuilding going on than there is quality work. There
are your odds. I would want to check the reputation of the one who did the work
as much as I'd want to see the piano. Even then, before I plunked down my cash,
I'd go see what I could buy new for about the same amount. There is nothing
special about an old piano over a new one if the old one is a crappy piano.
Larry Fletcher
Brothermark
class then you can expect to pay between £12,000 - £16,000
Alex Maas
> what larry says is correct but if the rebuild is very thorough and first
> class then you can expect to pay between £12,000 - £16,000
That really depends on the area. In some places, such as Southern
California, there is little market for certain brands of rebuilt
exotic pianos, no matter how great they may seem elsewhere.
Steinway is the name people go for here, good or bad. And that fools
a lot of people. See Ebay sometime also for how many times the word
'Steinway' is included in a piano that is not a Steinway.
Tom Shaw
Strads:-).
TS
"Alex Maas" <a.m...@att.net> wrote in message
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H. Emmerson Meyers
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Andy Evans
steel frame'. Clearly this affects the value. Is this an exaggeration? Can
anybody confirm or deny. I have a Bechstein 6ft 8 ins myself.
=== Andy Evans ===
Visit our Website:- http://www.artsandmedia.com
Audio, music and health pages and interesting links.
Larry
>I was told by a dealer that '9 out of 10 Bechsteins have hairline cracks in
>the
>steel frame'. Clearly this affects the value. Is this an exaggeration? Can
>anybody confirm or deny. I have a Bechstein 6ft 8 ins myself.
There were a few problems with plates around the turn of the century, but to
say 9 out of 10 of them had a problem would be a gross overstatement. Most
didn't, and the time period was quite small.
Larry Fletcher
Tom Shaw
TS
"Thomas F. Unke" <th...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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> larryin...@aol.composer (Larry) writes:
>
> >
> > There were a few problems with plates around the turn of the century,
but to
> > say 9 out of 10 of them had a problem would be a gross overstatement.
Most
> > didn't, and the time period was quite small.
>
>
Andy Evans
used in concert by Paderewski. Does this do anything to its value, or does one
simply expect good pianos to be played by good pianists?
Edvard
>> From: aeatarts...@aol.comnohawker (Andy Evans)
>
>> I was told by a dealer that '9 out of 10 Bechsteins have hairline cracks in
>> the
>> steel frame'. Clearly this affects the value. Is this an exaggeration? Can
>> anybody confirm or deny. I have a Bechstein 6ft 8 ins myself.
>
It is a very well known problem and many articles have appeared about
dealing with this in the piano technician's journal and on the pianotech
list. The reasons behind this phenomena, which occured at the time when
Bechstein's production and sales were at their peak, are thought to be a
poor design, poor material used for the plate, not allowing the plate to
cool properly between casting and installation and the expansion of the
pinblock due to humidity. I'm not sure that this is a big deal unless you
are restringing the piano. If your piano's plate hasn't cracked yet, it may
not ever. I've heard many stories of builders restringing Bechsteins from
the "crack" era that were intact, but "bowed" up when the plate bolts were
removed (ie. they were not flat). They were reinstalled, that is bolted back
down, just like in the factory 80 to 100 years ago and are still in one
piece. Incindentaly, I have a pianist freind who has a Bechstein from the
1960's with a hairline crack in the plate near the tuning pins. One tech
suggested installing a new plate. She dropped her and had another renowned
concert tech tune and look at it. He said "just leave it alone." So
experienced tuners and techs know about it and Bechsteins (used and new) are
still very sought after instruments and many rebuilders will go to lengths
to make repairs to a crack. As for the value, there may be other factors
that are more important. If the plate is cracked and the piano won't stay in
tune, then that is a problem. If the plate is cracked and the instrument
tunes, plays and sounds wonderful, then the value would not be affected as
much. My guess is that someone who says 9 out of 10 Bechstein's have a
cracked plate would probably tell you that a hairline crack is harmless or
even a "feature", that is if he had a Bechstein with a cracked plate for
sale.
Regards,
Edvard
H. Emmerson Meyers
and Weber in concert. He was never a Bechstein artist. If you have any
evidence to the contrary I would be eager to hear about it.
"Andy Evans" <aeatarts...@aol.comnohawker> wrote in message
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Andy Evans
and Weber in concert. He was never a Bechstein artist. If you have any
evidence to the contrary I would be eager to hear about it.>>
Apparently he used it for one concert in Cardiff, South Wales. Maybe he didn't
like the house piano and asked for another? I'm told my piano belonged to Sir
Hamilton Harty. I don't know where he lived, though.
H. Emmerson Meyers
supplied with a Steinway, unless, of course, this was before his contract
with Steinway. How old is this piano??
"Andy Evans" <aeatarts...@aol.comnohawker> wrote in message
Andy Evans
you. Andy
H. Emmerson Meyers
size/vintage??? Were the American pianos better???
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