J C Fischer - New York

[Robin Hufford]

Newton,
     I think the instruments of a goodly  number of manufacturers of  these
high-quality uprights which were produced in North America, decades ago, are
pianos which greatly exceed subsequent production,  both in quality of
materials, construction  and design.  They also, with all of their age and
wear related faults, produce a sound which to my ear,  which is much better
than any new similar upright or, in particular, any Asian piano.  Kudos to
your "fabuously fabricated Fischer and it, and others, certainly are worthy
of preservation and rebuilding.  Eventually, I would guess, the market must
take not of their quality and price them accordingly.
Regards, Robin Hufford
Newton Hunt wrote:

> Last night I saw an interesting piano, a 1910 Fischer maybe about 58"
> tall, maybe 5'.
>
> I got a desperate call from this lady who says the previous tuner ruined
> her piano because not the keys rattled and the tone was muffled on some
> notes and it didn't sound that way before.  Since she lives one block
> and one house away I went over to take a look see.
>
> I spent some time talking to her, filing three hammers, adjusting the
> pedals for silence, tweaking this and that.
>
> Some interesting features:
>   Lost motion compensater
>   Bass hammers cut both side, top and bottom
>   Solid metal pedal levers that use adjustable pivot ends
>   28 bass
>   No bass cut off bar
>   Treble bridge hooked back up :(
>   Brass rail for the butt pins :(
>
> What a fabulously fabricated Fischer.  They tried to make a wonderful
> piano and they succeeded marvelously.
>
> Next week I will file the hammers (what's left of them), tighten all the
> screws, and adjust the lost motion and touch up the tuning.
>
> What it really needs:
>   Hammers,
>   Damper felts
>   Regulation
>   Keytops (replace old replacements)
>   New bass strings (with new scale)
>   Maybe new pins (restringing)
>   Refinishing
>
> None of which she can afford.
>
> Sometimes you run across one of those old monsters that are worth
> preserving and delightful to work upon.  Such is the case here.
>
> Have a fantastic weekend everyone!
>
>                 Newton
>
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