Becker 7'6 Victorian grand on eBay $500 @ 21 hrs

[John Delacour]

At 1:24 pm -0400 17/6/07, Jon Page wrote:

>If it's a J. Becker, run from it. Bottom of the barrel Russian piano.

Jakob Becker of St. Petersburg (which this eBay Viennese piano is 
NOT) was good enough for Tchaikovsky and, according to Dolge, "his 
pianos, especially his concert grands, were excellent instruments, 
often used by leading virtuosos". I'd dearly love to get my hands on 
one.  The only one I've ever come across was one I restored about 20 
years ago and it was fabulous -- ivory down the side of the keys, 
screw-adjustable front bushings and chases, etc.  There was one very 
special one in the London auction last year, which did not make the 
reserve price and would have been out of my range anyway.

Your "bottom of the barrel" piano must be just a badge job.  So many 
once great names have been bought or registered by lousy makers, both 
in Europe and elsewhere, to put on the rubbish they make.  Luckily 
both the English firms that did this have now gone to the wall, as 
they deserve.

The eBay piano looks very interesting if horribly Viennese, and I bet 
the inside is as overdone as the outside.  Priceless!

JD