Broadwood grand

John Delacour JD@Pianomaker.co.uk
Thu, 2 May 2002 21:04:08 +0100


At 10:06 pm -0500 1/5/02, Wayne Yockey, RPT wrote:

| It turns out that this Broadwood is an ex-player so I'm not so sure how good the
| touch might be.  I don't think that my customer is interested in that particular
| broadwood any more, but if she came across another one (non-player) she might
| be  interested in that.

At that period Broadwood fitted a Paris-made Herrburger-Schwander action with the special repetition spring, as used by Bechstein.  The player demanded a particularly fast action and the Herrburger upright action is about the best upright action ever made.  

Your client should be very wary.  Broadwood uprights from about 1900 - 1914 were excellent, particularly those with the green back (string plate painted dark green instead of gold).  Besides the overstrungs they also build a very sweet-sounding small straight strung upright with a Herrburger underdamper action.

However, the closer you get to our days, the worse the Broadwoods get.  I personally would never touch any Broadwood upright after 1914.

JD





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