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They are very fine pianos. My own has a beautifully ornamental plate. The bichord section is odd - I think at higher tension and with thinner core wire than would be used in a modern scaling. MIne, from the early 1930s, is 84 notes.

I've seen these wires on the actions of two old Bechsteins. There is no evidence that either of them ever had anything attached to the wires. (They are not, incidentally, the Langer action with the Jack Assist Spring with loop through the jack, found in some Bechsteins). John Delacour suggested to m...

Offenberg is not listed in Supplement No 2 of the Musicians Piano Atlas, which does catch things up with Chinese manufacturers etc. Made-up names are appearing on Chinese pianos faster than the books can keep up with! (Supp. No 2 was 2007 and six years is quite a long time in terms of Chinese piano ...

Good point Colin, thank you. I was just tickled by the conceot of "actual value"!

To be considered is, how much money does it take to overcome sentiment?

Unfortunately no-one will offer extra money just because a piano has sentimental value to someone else. And unfortunately secondhand pianos generally fetch lower prices now that some years ago.

I need to know its actual value There's really no such thing as 'actual value' for pianos. Pianos have no absolute value. They are not like gold or other precious metals, which have a given price worldwide on a given day. The value of a secondhand piano is only what someone is willing to pay for it...

Chris, I don't think your piano humidifier bar is a good idea. You won't ever need more humidity, and I don't think that bar will be effective at reducing the humidity (though I am open to correction on this, Barrie).

they do tend to take it from the soundboad first Barrie That's interesting, Barrie, I didn't know that. I imagine that felt parts would be even quicker to both absorb and to give up their moisture content? My first experience with using a domestic dehumidifier was in 1986, when they were relatively...

I'm a huge believer in the general value of domestic dehumidifiers, especially where I live in the west of Scotland. They cost little to run, and slightly warm the air they output after drying it. It is most satifying to empty the collection tank, knowing that the water you are pouring down the drai...

I have this Youtube video on a page of my website, along with some other unusual pianos; "pianoddities". I have also put an extract of the same piece - Kitten on the Keys by Zez Confrey - being played on a normal piano by Alan Feinberg, who seems to manage just fine with normal keys, going...

I've fitted one of those celeste rail kits in the past, and it worked very well. There may be acoustical steps that could be taken in the room to give some sound insulation. There are acoustic underlays for carpets, and sound-absorbing acoustic foam panels for walls.

Best way to refinish a 1950s Kemble Minx might be with a flamethrower......

Why can't it any longer be tuned? Is it because the tuning pins are loose? If so, has the CA glue (superglue) treatment been suggested and/or tried? There is nothing to lose by it, and possibly a great deal to gain. This technique, discovered in the USA, has been in use for a decade now and has prov...