Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Seeking info & advice on Mathushek Piano

I know the original post was quite some time ago, but I ran across it while looking for information on Mathushek pianos. My 1934 Mathushek 5'7" grand looks utterly identical to yours! Mine was also badly darkened and alligatored, and I am in the process of refinishing it now. What was exciting was finding out what was under that awful varnish. One of the responders was right- it's ribbon mahogany, but it's a heavily figured ribbon mahogany! It's really stunning, and I doubt you can even get such beautiful veneer nowadays. The grain of the wood seems to move as you walk about the room or change lighting.
I know the family story behind mine, and it was a high quality, expensive instrument when originally purchased. It had been reposessed by the music store when one of the wealthiest families in town could not make the payments. (The Great Depression hit everyone hard). My family bought it in 1936.
Good luck with yours. I hope you find it as beautiful as mine is turning out to be! I'd be happy to exchange information and pictures if anyone's interested.

Yeah, I was waiting for the OP to post up their experiences and pics of it in it's new home!

I too got a mathushek baby grand 1893 earlier this year. It was given to us and my brother helped me move it. Ours needed a few key tops and just basic tweeking/tuning. The tuner remarked on how nice it was considering it's age. I play it almost every day and while a couple key actions need adjusting/repair, it still sounds beautiful and my family loves it.

I will post pics of mine this weekend.

I'm the OP...I am still lurking around PW absorbing wisdom and learning. Your piano has a wonderful story behind it and I would certainly love to see pictures of it, before and after refinishing. One of my friends is a professional wood finisher/refinisher and told me that the veneers that Mathushek used on this piano was possibly Brazilian mahogany, which would be very expensive today if you could find it.

For those who requested it, here is a picture of mine in it's new home:

looks great! You must be excited about having it home now (nice floor too!)
I'd be nervous about the radiator that close to the piano -- maybe it's not working?

Wow! If it plays OK, and looks that good, I'd say it was definitely worth what you paid ! Congratulations!

Ya, be careful, don't turn your radiator on. It does not go well with pianos, you may end up with problems, keep in mind. Also, don't put anything liquid on top of the piano (is that a jug of water and a pot plant - hope it's fake!). It could seriously damage and ruin your piano.

but... You got a good deal, and a good instrument for your kids to start playing on! Congratulations, and happy listening,

Best of luck,
Rotom

Hi, yes I am excited (or more like relieved) that it's finally home. The radiators are hot water (not steam) and, unfortunately, they are everywhere in my house. There's not a place for me to put the piano that *wouldn't* be next to one! The good thing is that the radiator to which the piano is adjacent is the smallest one in the place. Thanks for the comment on the floors...they are long-leaf pine and probably could stand to be refinished (much like the Mathushek!).

Hi, Rotom. Thanks for the kind comments! The movers told me the piano was worth the price of the move and then some. The radiators are pretty much all over the house and rather unavoidable...the piano is next to the smallest one in the house. They are hot water and not steam, so they don't get blistering hot. No worries! The flowers are indeed fake and I think what you're seeing is a candle to the right of the family photograph. I know the destruction that leaking potted plants can wreak! My little one (3 years old) is already learning how to depress the keys properly and learning the names of the different parts of the piano! She likes to "play" the harmonica and piano simultaneously as I "sing" along, lol.

Hi! I'm new to this forum-what brought me here was your post. I have a 1929 upright Mathushek--ribbon mahogany (probably Brazilian) as is yours. Your grand is a 1933 model, slightly newer than mine. But they do have identical finishes, original ebony and ivory. I was wondering if you might post another update, if anything drastic has happened with the piano. Also, in case you're interested, denatured alcohol is the cleaner of choice for the keyboard, and never let the liquid drip, pool, or stand. I use Old English dark scratch cover/polish on the wood parts of my piano, and it's looking pretty good for its age. I was on a strict budget when I purchased my piano, but I knew I wanted an old upright, and one that was kept along an inside wall, with no visible damage. I was after the sound you get from these. I lucked out. I'm the third owner, and these pianos DO hold a tune, but you'll want to keep it tuned frequently, I'm sure. Mine still sounds great with the exception of the Bb, which needs to be diagnosed. Also I have had offers for the ivory alone. The ebony is a thing of the past, and as such is valuable to me personally. I don't know that I'd ever be able to sell the piano, and it takes two skilled or four nonskilled movers to budge her, but the old girl means everything to me. Enjoy your piano, give it the love and respect it deserves. Then pass it to the next generation. It's a keeper, and it will last! --also, google Frederick Mathushek sometime. It's a fun bit of reading. One last thing--my pedals need cleaning. Do you happen to know what kind of metal they are, or the best way to clean them? HELP! And thanks for listening to this lengthy ramble.

My technician uses brasso for cleaning metal case parts on my piano, maybe it'll work for you. Welcome to Piano World, PianistWannabe!

Denatured alcohol can be a good cleaner, but it can wreak havoc on old piano finishes. If you are not experienced with using solvents around finishes, you should not use it.

To Rotom: Thank you for the tip! The pedals are years overdue for cleaning, but I was afraid to touch them!

And to BDB: Thank you for the warning!

Sometimes pianos of that vintage can be quite playable with only some minor repairs (that can range from a tuning and cleaning to some regulating to hammer shaping and voicing, but what ever, by minor I mean in the 100's of dollars rather than the 1000's of dollars.) I have a friend who got a free Kurtzman grand piano that sounds lovely and plays pretty good too. It's all original, and he's happy with it - so I guess that's what matters most. If you're happy with it, that's great. It looks great in your home and the "shabby chic" look has its own charm.

So airgrabber, I'm assuming you had a technician look at it? You've had it tuned?

Hello! This is my first time on this site so forgive me if Im not in the right forum! I am hoping that someone can help me. I am buying a furnished house in Pennsylvania. The house is coming with a Mathushek baby grand piano. I have zero piano experience and will be selling the piano the first chance I get. Is there any value to the piano or am I going to end up giving it away in a few months? The piano does play but I wouldnt know if it was in tune or not. The prior owner was a music teacher so Im sure it was maintained to some degree. Ive looked on some other sites and see that a lot of people just want to give their pianos away to get them out of the house. I would feel like a sucker if I gave away an expensive piano! I can try and find out some more info on the piano if you tell me where to look. Thanks!

Kelly

Here's a picture of mine, not the best lighting:

I would encourage you not to put pictures or plants or anything on top of your piano. It is a musical instrument. This is the way that so many pianos get marred up and a common way in which their value can be serious reduced.

This thread was last posted to 7 years ago - I suspect that the items on top are long gone after other comments way back then.

Scott:
Would you mind taking a couple of shots of the trap work levers underneath your Mathushek and then send them to my email: mevansrpls@sbcglobal.net. I have a little older Mathushek that is missing the sostenuto and una corda levers. I would like to see how these parts were made on yours to give me a clue as to how to remanufacture some for this 6’3” harp style grand that I have. Thanks in advance!

Michael Evans

Michael:

Scott hasn't posted on this thread or anywhere else on PW since 2011. I doubt he'll be reading your post. Who knows, however ....?

Regards