Frederick Player Piano - any good??

[bea...@ix.netcom.com]

I'm going to be looking at a Frederick brand player - built sometime
in the 1920's.

Does anyone have any info on this brand? Is it a good piano?

thanks for any info you can send me.

Ken

[Mr Kim J Bunker]

> KenHi Ken, the Frederick piano was manufactured by Jocob Doll, Doll players
were built by H.C.Bay a glue togeather stack makeing it imposible to
restore properly It is very time consuming to restore this player.
--
Kim J Bunker
President
Orange Coast Piano
http://www.forpianos.com

Tel:714 836-7368
Fax:714 543-0835
Email:ocp...@pacbell.net

Rare Musical Instruments,Remanufactured Pianos
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[Les Smith]

bea...@ix.netcom.com wrote:

: I'm going to be looking at a Frederick brand player - built sometime
: in the 1920's.

: Does anyone have any info on this brand? Is it a good piano?

: thanks for any info you can send me.

: Ken

Hi, Ken!

Unfortunately, you didn't say whether this piano is in working con-
dition, or not. Is it all original? Or, has it been completely re-
built? And, either way, what is the asking price? So we really need
more information.

Nevertheless, I'll try to give you a little background information
that may help you.

Frederick upright players were made by the Jacob Doll Piano Co.,
out of New York. The player action will be one of two kinds: either
a Jacob Doll player action, or a Hardman (Autotone, or Playotone).
The distinction between the two is very important. One MAY be worth
considering. The other definitely is not. Here's why.

If the player action is a Jacob Doll, forget it. Most players have
what's called an automatic tracking mechanisn, which automatically
aligns the holes in the role with the holes in the brass tracker-bar.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! The Jacob Doll player action HAS NO SUCH DE-
VICE. Instead, is has a thumbscrew off to one side, which you must
constantly be adjusting by hand while you're pumping the roll. This
is a real inconvenience and quickly becmes a real pain in the you-
know what. Additionally. from a technical standpoint, the player has
an old-fashioned, so-called, double-valve system, which is a real
pain to rebuild and frequently a constant source of trouble. So if
this Frederick has a Jacob Doll player action, your best course of
action would be to forget it entirely.

The Hardman player action at least has an automatic tracking mech-
amism, HOWEVER there are really TWO types of Hardman player actions
and it's important to distinguish between the two. The earlier Hard-
man player actions. like the Jacob Doll, above, had the old-fashioned
double-valve system. This too, is difficult to rebuild, especially if
you are an amateur, and are considering trying to rebuild it yourself.
The later Hardman player actions had a more modern, so-called single
valve system, which is more efficient and easier to rebuild than the
earlier two-valve type. So if the piano you're considering has the
later-style, Hardman single valve system, it MAY be worth considering.
Much depend upon the condition of the rest of the instrument and the
asking price.

So, how do you decide what typw of player action this piano has? You
don't. You're going to have to take along with you someone who has a
lot of experience with player pianos so that you can make a positive
ID of the player action before committing any dollars. This ID is im-
portant, EVEN IF THEY'RE GIVING THE PIANO AWAY FOR FREE! If you don't
know anyone experienced in players, than you're going to have to pay
for the services of a professional rebuilder, so that he can check it
out for you. Whatever he charges will be money well-spent.

You're not finished, however, even once the player action has been
identified. The condition of the piano itself is VERY IMPORTANT. An
instrument that's 3/4 of a century old, if it's in original condition,
probably will cost quite a bit to put back into good playing condi-
tion. You need a technician who, therefore, is capable of checking out
not only the player mechanism for you, but also the piano itself. This
too, is VERY IMPORTANT. A piano that old may have problems so serious
that it is not restorable. If so, you want to know, before you commit
any dollars or time to rebuilding the player mechanism.

Still more. The condition of the case is also very important. If it
is not presentable and needs refinishing, it can be REALLY EXPENSIVE
to have it done by a pro. And it can be a reall time-consuming job
if you want to try to do it yourself.

Bottom-lining it: Have this instrument checked out by someone with
a lot of experience in rebuilding BOTH pianos and player actions--
even if they're giving the piano away for free. If the player and
piano mechanisms have to be completely restored, you could easily
spend more money on this piano than what it would be worth when it
was finished. And that's NOT even considering the additional cost if
it has to be refinished!

One last thing. The Frederick piano itself was an unremarkable in-
strument. In the piano world there a Chevrolets and Cadillacs. At
its very best, the Frederick was never more than a Chevrolet. So,
as you can see, you're simple question was really anything but sim-
ple! I hope you find this information useful.

Les Smith
less...@buffnet.net

[dlram...@gmail.com]

not sure if this is going to the correct place for this question

I have a W F Frederick built around 1930 original not a rebuilt 179519. Was looking to find it value

Thank you

Debra Ramsay

[J.B. Wood]

Hello, and you gotta provide more info than that, beginning with exactly
what kind of mechanical shape is it in? Sticking keys? Rusty strings?
Cracked soundboard? In my youth a lot of upright old player pianos sans
their paper roll playing mechanisms ended up in church Sunday school
rooms. There were lots of U.S. companies making players in the early
decades of the 20th c. Like the Ford Model T, they were intended to be
affordable by many. Even if your piano can still play paper rolls I
wouldn't expect it to be worth much. And most piano tuners don't
particularly like to tune them (and will charge you accordingly).
Sincerely,

--
J. B. Wood e-mail: arl_1...@hotmail.com

[Ivan Vegvary]

J.B.,
I'm 76 years old and used to hang out at a piano "re-salvage" shop as a kid in 1955. Player pianos would come in,guts were removed,doors, top and bottom were nailed shut, cabinet touch-up,minimal action repairs. Pianos were then sent out to local retailers. At that time there were piano stores everywhere (SanFrancisco).
Sole proprietor did about 3 per day. Bin with player mechanisms went to the dump once a week. So sad.