Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum winter-musette piano

There are so many piano names out there...is a winter-musette familiar to anyone? Is it a spinet when the music stnad is higher than the back of the piano? This one is in good condition and has a wonderful visual style to it. It's over 60 years old, made in NY and has a practice pedal...I didn't realize they made those pedals that long ago.
thank-you fo your help....trying to help some friends put a price on the piano.

rada

MUsette (not exactly but musette refers to the accordion here)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xlo7eb_duo-accordeon-et-piano-midi_music

(midi pneumatic + midi accordion)

that one is fun also :


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpk1n2_gpto-10-suite_music

Winter's plant in E. Rochester became the only plant for Aeolian American eventually. The Winter brand itself was one of their lower-quality instruments.

Thank-you semipro tech.....how does one factor the style of the piano...which is louis IV?....it terms of possible value....

rada

I don't believe the Winter was ever made in East Rochester. The very early Winters were made in New York City and later in Memphis, TN. I believe the Memphis plant was still in operation along with Aeolians complex in East Rochester,NY in to the 1980s.
East Rochester was producing Mason & Hamlin, Knabe, Chickering, George Steck, and I believe Fischer and Weber.

Jeremy Gloo

Except in rare cases, the style of the piano has little or no influence on the value of a used piano.

I suspect that you would be lucky to get as much as $500 for your piano.

thank-you for your insight....
rada

A Baldwin Acrosonic spinet or a Wurlitzer Spinet would be a better choice if you want a playable piano.

The Winter piano, as described, may also be one of the early attempts at a plastic action. I recently looked at a similiar piano, and found that the flanges were all a plastic construction, and the jacks, and the damper levers. Many notes did not play, and the action would have to be completely replaced. Very expensive! Unfortunately; this experiment in plastics did not work out. The plastic, which is off-white, sort of yellow, becomes brittle with age and fails.

Newer composite actions, like the kawai version, are very reliable; but 50's -60's actions with plastic parts should be avoided.

The cabinet is lovely, no doubt. But, I would not buy a Winter piano from this time period. Both Baldwin and Wurlitzer made far better pianos in that time frame.

Keep looking!
Smiling,
I am,
Yr. humble and ob't svt.,

Although, I'd stay away from the Wurlitzer, too!

I would stay away from any spinet or spinet-sized piano.

Can you embellish a bit more semipro? Why stay away from a spinet size...[ for myself...you couldn't give it to me] but for a beginner...well? The cabinetry doesn't look so massive. Would you perhaps recommend a new digital to the standard spinet? I guess I mean in terms of sound and action....not to mention mobility.
rada

The small size of these pianos means that there is a lot of stress on the parts, and they do not last as long. Short bass strings did not sound real good to begin with, and spinets are at least 25 years old now for the most part, so they are sounding even worse now. Spinets are very difficult to work on if anything goes wrong.

If you get into the studio size, around 45 inches tall, the pianos last a lot longer. You can find them near the price of smaller pianos if you shop carefully.