I purchased this very piano from Mr Roberts, and am pleased to say that the quality of the restoration is quite superb, not just in terms of appearance, but also in tone and touch. I would like to add that the team at Roberts Pianos were extremely helpful through selection, purchase, voicing, and aftercare, and I would not hesitate to recommend them.
Beautiful work. About twenty years ago, I had the privelidge of owning a beautifully reconditioned american Steinway D. It had a new set of abel hammers; these cut up quite rapidly, as I was practising a great deal at the time. The technician who maintained the instrument was reluctant to install replacement abels, as he thought the renners were of better quality, so I consented to having renners. The character of the instrument was totally changed, for the worse I thought. The renner was, at that time, the standard hammer for the new york steinways; the felt was soft, and needed quite heavy doping to achieve brilliancy of sound; the renner was hard, and needed a good deal of needling. This piano was a nightmare to tune, as there was a lot of falseness, but it had a huge sound, and, with suitable hammer work, could have sounded very much like one of Horowitz’s instruments. I greatly regret having sold it, but, as the technician said “it’s like the forth bridge!” I am greatly enjoying watching your videos.
Hello there why couldn't you Try Remaking A Daddy Grand Piano by putting on 88 Tuning Forks like what you did on an Upright Piano, Please do the Same Thing on a Daddy Grand Piano For Most of us UA-camrs, It will be a much Better Idea For us so we can Try and See and Hear It Roberts Pianos Thank You.
Another excellent job. The piano that I covet is your 1902 Model III. I am not keen on the sound of modern pianos, even premium ones. My theory is the the pressure of piano competitions affected the scale design during the 20th C to keep up with the louder-faster school that was prevalent and of course having a piano used at at premium competitions was effective advertising. Enough of that! My teacher (46 years ago) had an edwardian Bechstein restored and it was superb. It also had a Horowitz like action set up, shallow and light. I couldn't take advantage of it but her husband (an aerodynamicist at the RAE) most certainly could. She had a new Welmar to teach on and that too was rather good. I have a question about the welding. Is the frame cast iron or cast steel? Cast iron certainly used to be almost impossible to weld effectively due to free graphite but maybe metallurgists have solved that. Of course, it helps that it is a strut (i.e. in compression). If it is CI, do you use a specialist welder and if so, what is the process?
Thank you for your useful comments and the question about the frame welding. I have to confess I don't know the answer but will try to find out. We use two different specialist welders who are both experienced with stitch welding and the work has always been of high quality and never given problems. Frame cracks that we've seen are only on model A and B Bechsteins around 1902 to 1915. best wishes, Marcus
(a) just what was done to repair (or just hide) the plate crack? (b) Were the wippens on rocker arms, and did they get upgraded to capstans underneath?
Thank you for your important question. The crack was stitch welded, which is the usual technique used in the piano trade. The whippens were the modern capstan type as I think on all model A Bechsteins of this period. It's mainly the older model B and V that have the rocker arms. Marcus
i havce never heard of a frame cracking, is it repaired in house or outsourced, is it heated then welded or is there some other process to deal with the crack?
The model A Bechstein frame often cracks; you'll find plenty of illustrations of it on the internet. The trade in the UK usually stitches and welds it. From our experience the crack has never caused any issues but is purely cosmetic. Marcus
Hello Eduard, Thank you for your enquiry. For a quote to restore or recondition your piano please write to info@robertspianos.com. best wishes, Marcus Roberts
I've asked Marcus to get back to you on this one Aemilia, as I don't know for sure. my guess it's to do with frame tension, perhaps the size of the case or shape makes for a frame that bears too much tension at the crack pressure point. Or something to do with the angle of the strings leading to a frame design that appeared to hold the tension at construction, but of course 20-30 years later was too much sustained pressure. But I'll let my father get back to you on that one. Best, Evan
I purchased this very piano from Mr Roberts, and am pleased to say that the quality of the restoration is quite superb, not just in terms of appearance, but also in tone and touch. I would like to add that the team at Roberts Pianos were extremely helpful through selection, purchase, voicing, and aftercare, and I would not hesitate to recommend them.
Thank you Rob for your kind words!
Hi Sam, well stated, this is why differentiate in the wording 'reconditioned' vs 'fully restored'. All the best, Evan Roberts
It is great to see so much love and care go into giving these pianos a second life!
Thank you for sharing EN, we appreciate your kindness in taking the time to say this. Evan Roberts
Roberts Pianos
I always consider the sound from these pianos to be very lovely.
My 1860 Broadwood & Son has arrived and is in near perfect condition. So far 3 new strings and proper tuning will help evaluate other needs.
So beautiful - thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your encouragement! Marcus
What dedication to restore a piano to this level!
thank you Simon, Thank you for your kind comments!
Beautiful work. About twenty years ago, I had the privelidge of owning a beautifully reconditioned american Steinway D. It had a new set of abel hammers; these cut up quite rapidly, as I was practising a great deal at the time. The technician who maintained the instrument was reluctant to install replacement abels, as he thought the renners were of better quality, so I consented to having renners. The character of the instrument was totally changed, for the worse I thought. The renner was, at that time, the standard hammer for the new york steinways; the felt was soft, and needed quite heavy doping to achieve brilliancy of sound; the renner was hard, and needed a good deal of needling. This piano was a nightmare to tune, as there was a lot of falseness, but it had a huge sound, and, with suitable hammer work, could have sounded very much like one of Horowitz’s instruments. I greatly regret having sold it, but, as the technician said “it’s like the forth bridge!” I am greatly enjoying watching your videos.
Hello there why couldn't you Try Remaking A Daddy Grand Piano by putting on 88 Tuning Forks like what you did on an Upright Piano, Please do the Same Thing on a Daddy Grand Piano For Most of us UA-camrs, It will be a much Better Idea For us so we can Try and See and Hear It Roberts Pianos Thank You.
An old piano should have the old-fashioned finish. So, shellac. No polyester.
Another excellent job. The piano that I covet is your 1902 Model III. I am not keen on the sound of modern pianos, even premium ones. My theory is the the pressure of piano competitions affected the scale design during the 20th C to keep up with the louder-faster school that was prevalent and of course having a piano used at at premium competitions was effective advertising. Enough of that!
My teacher (46 years ago) had an edwardian Bechstein restored and it was superb. It also had a Horowitz like action set up, shallow and light. I couldn't take advantage of it but her husband (an aerodynamicist at the RAE) most certainly could. She had a new Welmar to teach on and that too was rather good.
I have a question about the welding. Is the frame cast iron or cast steel? Cast iron certainly used to be almost impossible to weld effectively due to free graphite but maybe metallurgists have solved that. Of course, it helps that it is a strut (i.e. in compression). If it is CI, do you use a specialist welder and if so, what is the process?
Thank you for your useful comments and the question about the frame welding. I have to confess I don't know the answer but will try to find out. We use two different specialist welders who are both experienced with stitch welding and the work has always been of high quality and never given problems. Frame cracks that we've seen are only on model A and B Bechsteins around 1902 to 1915. best wishes, Marcus
(a) just what was done to repair (or just hide) the plate crack? (b) Were the wippens on rocker arms, and did they get upgraded to capstans underneath?
Thank you for your important question. The crack was stitch welded, which is the usual technique used in the piano trade. The whippens were the modern capstan type as I think on all model A Bechsteins of this period. It's mainly the older model B and V that have the rocker arms. Marcus
i havce never heard of a frame cracking, is it repaired in house or outsourced, is it heated then welded or is there some other process to deal with the crack?
The model A Bechstein frame often cracks; you'll find plenty of illustrations of it on the internet. The trade in the UK usually stitches and welds it. From our experience the crack has never caused any issues but is purely cosmetic. Marcus
I had no idea my C. Bechstein Model A only has 85 keys after all these years. Clearly says something about my playing abilities LOL...
Yes, 85 keys are common on older pianos and it's no real problem as few pieces ust the top 3 notes. Marcus
just out of curiosity what would be the costs for such restoration ? I have a Bechstein 1910 in need of help..
Hello Eduard, Thank you for your enquiry. For a quote to restore or recondition your piano please write to info@robertspianos.com. best wishes, Marcus Roberts
Why are cracked frames a common issue with these pianos specifically?
I've asked Marcus to get back to you on this one Aemilia, as I don't know for sure. my guess it's to do with frame tension, perhaps the size of the case or shape makes for a frame that bears too much tension at the crack pressure point. Or something to do with the angle of the strings leading to a frame design that appeared to hold the tension at construction, but of course 20-30 years later was too much sustained pressure. But I'll let my father get back to you on that one. Best, Evan
I hate to see a polyester finish on a piano. It's so cheap looking to me.