Broadwood Grand - A435?

[Simon Husbands]

OASIS_E-Mail:
  John Baird <71023.2217@compuserve.com> wrote:-

>This morning I inspected an 1884 John Broadwood & Sons Drawing Room
>Grand.  This is the first time a piano technician has looked at it since
>it was shipped from London to the U.S. 20 years ago and stored in a
>warehouse (dry, but not climate controlled).  It's straight-strung, 85
>notes, rectangular tuning pins patented as "Pin-Piece Screw Pins" (tps
>threaded into metal & wood), 8' 2" in length.  It appears to be in 'good'
>condition, but it was on its side.
>
>Question 1:  To what pitch was it designed to be tuned?
>
>Question 2:  How to determine its value?  I briefly checked the Early
>Music and Instruments homepage, but it is currently being moved to
>another server, and I don't even know if this is the right place to look.
>Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>John Baird
>
>
>
According to my list of pitches through history, Broadwood used a 'medium' pitch
of A446 from 1849 thru 1880. Then, from 1880 they shifted up a notch to A455.3
in keeping with Erard, Steinway and Brinsmead pianos. This info was part of the
research given to me as part of my piano tech college course, so I must assume
it comes from a reputable source! I  can almost hear those strings snapping as
I type!
__

  =--------------------------------------------------------------------------=
      Your friend and mine, SIMON HUSBANDS    simon@husbands.demon.co.uk
  =--------------------------------------------------------------------------=