Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Restoration project coming up what are you're thoughts

Hi everyone and Happy New Year!!!!

I been waiting for this restoration to come, but i have never seen this kind of piano before, from the case, double overstrung and odd action, is gonna be interesting.

What is has to be done? New polyester finish, re-stringing, and action restoration.

It have been some how altered from strings to action so what I see on the piano is not a guide or the original setup.

I have to figure out the appropriate scale (scaling software or any company since this will be my fist re-scaling i need help)

Also i need a reference of the action to get the new felts the appropriate thickness for it. I don't even worry about calibration so far. lol

Why is the felt on the jack instead on the regulation button, wippens had a bouncing heel whit a support felt in between. What is missing on the shank just where the drop screw usually goes. Not even the hammers are from the same set.

I know!!! to many questions, but i want to know your thoughts

By the way not a chance to dispose or sawzall the piano (yet), or to install new action parts unless are the same as the original, only cleaning and re-felt, they want to keep it original as possible.

Those are the pictures please look at them please comment at the picture if possible




a
More pictures


any comment or advice is appreciate

Thanks a lot.

Looks like a Diagonal Grand Piano.

I once restored a piano like that, but it was made by Seiler before the WW2. It was called "Bell piano" because of the form.
Glock flügel in German.

Hello, good luck with the action, if the tone is interesting, a new action could be installed (if dimensions are usual)

Interesting, Idont understand that round marks in the leather.

the drop is regulated at the same time that let off ?

New polyester seem to be expensive for such instrument (unless you have access to some third party workshop that does the job for a low price)

Hi

i just notice that the action was made by Strauch Bros in New York, the name is stamped on the side of the key, i found an add on the MBSI journal Music Trade Review - Music Industry Magazine 1908, but i haven't found not a single picture or drawing of the action yet.

Round marks on the leather? you mean in the hammer shank below the center pin? thats what i try to figure out actually look´s like it had been cut off some material and was dowel inserted or something else i don´t know

I applying the black polyester myself, looks more time consuming and expensive, but I found it easer since you can apply a ticker layer and is sand ready within one hour, easy to build a thick finish also is faster since you have only 20 min to apply the mixture it gels so fast that keeps you moving no time for a break, the sanding is really nice, now the harder part is to polish it to a high gloss, without sanding scratches.

Pierce Piano Atlas lists a little information on Franz Meyer pianos. Established in 1888. Discontinued in 1912. Do you know the age? If not, post a serial number, as there are some listed in the Atlas.

Interesting action. Definitely something was cut away on the butts. Maybe a type of butt from some jack mechanic action that was modified or some type of early upright butt modified…..

Are you taking out the plate? Looks like damage to the underside of the pin block from driving pins too deep, as there is a blue pin sticking out the bottom on one of those photos.

The key stamp would be for the key set but I am not sure the action was made by the same place. Most of the time action makers make actions only and have the key sets made by a key maker. Maybe it was different in earlier times for Meyer.

Hi Dan.

The plate has to come out, this piano had previous work done on it, I don´t know how long ago the piano was miss fix in several areas, bass string have been poorly made also they use a insulated copper the one is use to wind electrical motors, I can´t say that all the strings have the right dimensions this is where i need assist on re-scaling the piano hope that someone here had done before, also the first plain wire strings are dead i assume a problem of the bridge maybe has come loose.

They would not have been using polyester finishes when this piano was new. You may want to consider using a finish that was in use at the time of manufacture, if you want to try to keep the piano as original as possible.

My thoughts would be to turn the job down. It would be far too expensive to do a major rebuilding. The outcome, musically and play-ability wise, would not warrant all that work and investment. If a client is willing to pay, he is throwing away his money; if you are rebuilding with hopes to sell the instrument, you will never re-coup your cost.
Interesting piano maybe, but very far gone. There are better candidates out there for one's time and labor.

It is certainly not a piano that I would tackle without a lot of experience. There are reasons why unusual piano configurations died out, and those reasons become evident when you try to work on them.