Assessment of a Blüthner style VII 190cm grand piano c1898 + regulating the let off.

This piano has now been French polished. Please see:
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Blüthner 190cm grand pianos made between about 1885 and 1925 are consistently fine pianos and restore well.
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[@cliveparaschis]

So pleased you are restoring it. On my next big birthday I’ll put my money where my mouth is…

[@unequally-tempered]

I think you're right to be sceptical about buying in this instrument upon a speculatively commercial basis. Were I to be called in by a client to tune I'd reshape the hammers and revoice just to keep it alive but it wouldn't be my favourite in such a state. I attended to two instruments of this sort of vintage last year and both had soft hammers. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHKYlXaEjK1kpaM The owners loved them though. So hammers to be refelted, and a complete restring is necessary. One couldn't possibly continue with the bass strings as they are and restringing changes the instrument so much. 120 year old strings simply harden and become more inharmonic in any case. At least there's no moth but if doing the rest then new damper felts would be in order too. This is the sort of instrument which is worth whatever it costs to someone who loves it but taking it on on a speculative basis isn't a risk I'd take.

[@RobertsPianos]

Thank you David for this comment as always. We actually decided to restore this piano as it had such a good undelying tone. Marcus

[@unequally-tempered]

@@RobertsPianos Brilliant - I'm please to hear so. Vintage instruments have their qualities and it's only through restoring them that people will realise what they are capable of - and it's only then that people will appreciate that it's appropriate to spend the money on these instruments that their quality commands. Other brands that really deserve appreciation are the Victorian Broadwoods which are not at all appropriately appreciated. As what might be an extreme example kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGmcmnuXibJlnJY is an instrument of 1859 which I've revoiced and demonstrates even what truly antique instruments can do, but the instruments of the 1890s are vintage but very much of modern quality as piano technology hasn't developed much in the past 130 years and the soundboard, like violins, can improve if the instrument has been looked after.