At 15:30 -0600 19/9/10, Cy Shuster wrote: >I ran across an 85-note birdcage upright today, "W. Bogg Manchester" >engraved on the fallboard, with brass sconces, s/n 12,000. Pierce >says they were established 1899; the UK Piano Page says 1878, ending >in 1899. The pins are loose in the open-face pinblock. I made an >inspection appointment to disassemble, vacuum, and assess what could >be done. Hammers are very slow to return. The mahogany veneer is >tight and the ivories are perfect. Out of respect for its age, I >would be conservative with pitch in first tuning, perhaps 435? I'm not familiar with Bogg and don't know if the piano was made by them or by another maker for them to put their name on, but if it has ivory rather than celluloid keys it might not be too bad. As I mentioned in a recent thread, some makers used tapered pins at this period and you'll be in luck if they did, because you'll just need to tap them in a little. Unlikely but possible. I see no point in tuning any piano below pitch unless you have established by a few simple calculations that the design tension is too high, and you're far more likely to discover this on a Schiedmayer or a Blüthner or some other grand make than on a commercial English piano. JD
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