Piano Makes

Jane Austen mentions a Broadwood piano in at least one of her novels. In her day, pianos were objects of status and the ability to play was proof of a refined education. These things no longer carry the same significance though of course, the dynamics of status are still with us. The objects desired today are smart phones, expensive cars and the latest technological gadgets! 

The Broadwood name is known only to pianists who probably were told long ago that Broadwoods were the best English-made piano. However, such a high opinion of Broadwood Pianos was not universally held - years ago, I remember an elderly tuner say, somewhat unflatteringly: "Ah yes, Broadwood Pianos! The bass is very broad, and the treble very wooden!"    

Quirky English names on elderly pianos can be amusing - especially as in the business world have to be catchy or striking in some way. How about the following: Thompson & Shackle; Jarrett & Gouge; Skerrett; or Dunmo, Ellis & Hill; Duck, Son & Pinker; Dale Forty; Green & Marsh; Wallis Harris; Witton & Witton.

This Macintosh piano has absolutely nothing to do with Apple Computers and I do not imagine that Apple Mac will ever dabble in making acoustic pianos. This is an inexpensive piano made in Edingburgh. Straight strung, over damped, rather tired now, but with a decent enough tone and quite tuneable.

Even when new, this sort of piano was never brilliant, but clearly, they were built well enough to last a very long time.

Uncomplicated and honest, pianos like these, never pretend to be more than what they are, they just continue doing what they were built for - making music! Thousands of makers put together pianos like this and proudly put their names on the fall-board. Sadly, most are now entirely forgotten. 

There was an old German maker called 'Lubitz' but you don't often see a Lubitz piano here in the UK. One might think a firm called 'Lubitz' made toilet spares!

© Steve Burden 

Piano World

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Is it Safe?

My old school had a Bechstein Grand in the hall. From time to time, the piano had to be moved from one end of the hall to the other. But there was a slight problem: the piano suffered from a couple of weak legs. A whole class of boys were stationed around the piano, and as a group, lifted it and carefully carried it across the hall. Health & Safety would have something to say about this now, but back in the 'dark ages', nobody bothered about such things!

Although I did not play the piano at the time, I was always fascinated by the piano and loved to look inside at the strings and at the dampers moving up and down as the piano was played. I little knew that one day I'd be sent to work on this very piano!

A few years after leaving the school, and as a newly qualified piano tuner, I was called in to sort out a problem with the piano legs. The school was concerned that from time to time, the piano had to be moved from one end of the hall to the other. For some reason, now was the time to sort it out! Life in the provinces always moves at a sensible pace - after all, what's the hurry?

So I walked into my old school, feeling quite the expert. Marched up to the very same piano I had heard being played just about every day of my school life, the very same piano I had actually helped to move across the hall a few times. Sure enough, the problem with the legs had not gone away: the piano was as unsafe as ever. 

Bechstein Grands of this age have legs that simply screw into the underside of the piano. The screw is part of the hardwood core of the leg and is about 6 cms. in diameter. I tightened up all three legs and the piano was as safe as it could ever be! The job was done in under 5 minutes!

I am sure the piano had been 'weak on the legs' for at least 6 years. Remarkable - miraculous that nobody, to my knowledge, had ever been injured by this unsafe piano!

Many years later, I was helping moving pianos around a warehouse. Piano warehouses often get so clogged up with pianos that invariably, the one you need to work on, is over in the far corner 'buried' behind 4 or 5 others. 

We came to move an old Broadwood Grand. There was a problem with one of the legs - but I didn't know it at the time! The pedals had not yet been fitted either - perhaps there was a problem with them as well! Of course, as luck would have it, when we tried to move the piano, the leg that gave out was the one nearest me. 

When piano legs break, there is no cartoon-like pause before the inevitable crash, no luxury of any thinking time. I looked down at the treble end of the piano, now resting heavily on the concrete floor and noticed - with relief, that my foot was about an inch from where the brute had hit the ground!

When pianos have to be moved, there is very good reason to be aware of Health & Safety!

The Piano World

© Steve Burden 

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