Info on 1890 Ivers and Ponds piano

[Brian Trout]

Hi Mary Beth,

Thank you for your inquiry.

I'm sorry to tell you I don't have much
information for you.

My main thrust is in the area of grand pianos and
most of my work is with them.

Also, I'm not much of a historian and don't
rebuild pianos, grand or upright, with
preservation of the old in mind.  If you send an
1890's vintage Steinway grand back to the
restoration department at Steinway & Sons in New
York, they will restore it by stripping off the
old finish and putting on a coat of new lacquer. 
On the inside, they will take out many of the old
parts, take out the strings and bridges and
soundboard and install new.  They'll make it new,
or as new as is practically possible, just as it
would have been when it was sold in 1890.  It
wasn't sold in 1890 with a 112 year old
soundboard and 112 year old varnish.

But enough of my ideas...

I suspect the best way to find a bench or a stool
that would match would be to find a dealer with a
bunch of the old upright pianos.  (There are
still a few around if you'll go looking for
them.)  Most probably won't have benches, but
some will.  And somewhere, with 50 years worth of
dust on it and cobwebs all over, will be a bench
or a stool that'll look pretty good with your
Ivers & Pond.

I know that wasn't particularly helpful.  I'm
sorry.  I do hope that someone out there that
read your post to the Pianotech list will have
what you need or know someone who does.

I can only think of one dealer I've worked for
that might have a stool that would look close,
and I did say "might".  I'll give you their name
and you can contact them if you wish.

Reifsnyder's, Inc.  
1020 Dillerville Rd.
Lancaster, PA  17603
(717)392-7658

They are a large piano store.  About 10 or 15
years ago, they would have had a warehouse full
of just what you wanted.  But there was a fire
that took most of what they had.  But... in 10 or
15 years, stuff starts to accumulate again.  And
if they have a nice bench (or more likely a
stool) with some decoratave carving on the legs,
I suspect it got tucked away somewhere.

I have a small Ivers & Pond grand piano that I'm
in the process of rebuilding now.  (It belongs to
me, so it keeps getting shoved aside for paying
customers...)  They made very nice pianos.  I'm
looking forward to seeing what I can do for the
one I have.

An old upright of the vintage you describe is on
my wish list sometime for the future.  I've
wanted to do a complete rebuild (and I do mean
complete) on one of these wonderful old pianos. 
My main deterent so far has been knowing that it
won't be worth what I'll put into it.  Such is
life...

Well, I've rattled on for quite a bit longer than
I intended.  I must end.

Sincerely, good luck in your hunt for the perfect
bench.  I feel quite sure it's out there
somewhere.

Best wishes,

Brian T.





=====
Brian Trout
Grand Restorations
3090 Gause Blvd., #202
Slidell, LA  70461
985-649-2700
GrandRestorations@yahoo.com

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