Mehlin and Sons
COVELMAN
Hi all -
Does anyone know anything about an piano I have. All I know is that the
plate says Mehlin and Sons and there is a sticker on the inside that says
Pratt Read Corp.
Thanks!
Leonard Hannah
Assuming an original manufacture, the piano would have been made by
Paul G. Mehlin; but the company became affiliated with Winter and
later with Aeolian, home of some of the worst pianos ever built in the
United States. Pratt-Read manufactured piano action. A serial number
from the plate could pin down exact age.
Larry
Les Smith
: Does anyone know anything about an piano I have. All I know is that the
: plate says Mehlin and Sons and there is a sticker on the inside that says
: Pratt Read Corp.
: Thanks!
The firm of Paul G. Mehlin and Son goes back a long way, having been founded
in 1889. The German-born Mehlin was an innovative piano maker, best remember-
ed as a strong proponent of the equal tension scale, and the inventor of the
"inverted grand" upright piano which utilized a plate virtually identical in
shape to that used in their grand pianos, although the upright version used
a standard pressure bar construction rather than individual agraffes as were
found on the grands. Paul also invented an adjustable touch mechanism for
his grand pianos which was accessible under the keybed and could be used to
alter the "touch-weight" of the keys. His pianos were very well-regarded by
his peers. As the years went by, however, the quality of the instruments de-
clined and today Mehlin grand pianos are chiefly remembered as having one
of the most poorly designed music desks ever invented. Put a couple of mod-
erately heavy music books on one and watch it collapse as you begin to play!
Your is obviously a more recent Mehlin instrument. Pratt-Read was a well-
known maker of actions and keys for a wide variety of pianos. The sticker
inside your piano indicated that it's action was made by Pratt-Read and not
by Mehlin themself. Pratt-Read was eventually bought out by Baldwin and
exists today as an entity called Pratt-Win. They build and supply actions
to a number of makers, at least one name of which would be a BIG surprise
to most people! Mehlin eventually became a part of the Aeolian Corp. which
died a much anticipated and long-overdue death in the mid-1980's. By that
time the quality of the instruments had declined so markedly that no one
mourned their passing.
Les Smith
less...@buffnet.net
DZappa
In article <4vgpta$i...@buffnet2.buffnet.net>, less...@buffnet.net (Les
Smith) writes:
> Pratt-Read was eventually bought out by Baldwin and
>exists today as an entity called Pratt-Win. They build and supply actions
>to a number of makers, at least one name of which would be a BIG surprise
>to most people!
Les: Don't keep me in suspenders!!! WHOIZZIT?????? Chuck W?
dave