Pianotech

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

Re: Silver plate

Reply to Group Reply to Sender

Sep 11, 2023 1:06 AM William Shull

I'm gonna try this again with editing: Chris,   ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported. We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below: Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade legs and plain desk before acquisition. I wonder how a careful restorative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is actually quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Original Message:
Sent: 9/11/2023 1:07:00 AM
From: William Shull
Subject: RE: Silver plate

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Original Message:
Sent: 9/10/2023 5:34:00 PM
From: Chris Chernobieff
Subject: RE: Silver plate

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

------------------------------
Chernobieff Piano Restorations
All the elements are known, and yet no combination there of creates life. Yet we are here.
865-986-7720 (text only please)

Original Message:
Sent: 09-10-2023 17:24
From: Peter Grey
Subject: Silver plate

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

------------------------------
Peter Grey
Stratham NH
(603) 686-2395
pianodoctor57@gmail.com

Original Message:
Sent: 09-10-2023 13:48
From: Benjamin Sanchez
Subject: Silver plate

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

------------------------------
Benjamin Sanchez, RPT
Piano Technician / Artisan
(256) 947-9999
www.professional-piano-services.com

Original Message:
Sent: 09-09-2023 21:02
From: Tim Foster
Subject: Silver plate

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

------------------------------
Tim Foster RPT
New Oxford PA
(470) 231-6074
------------------------------

Re: Silver plate

Reply to Group Reply to Sender

Sep 11, 2023 1:06 AM William Shull

I'm gonna try this again with editing: Chris,   ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported. We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below: Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade legs and plain desk before acquisition. I wonder how a careful restorative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is actually quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

Bill, thanks for the info! I'll get you some photos next time I see it (it's not at my house). Reusing the strings is an intriguing idea, but I am very hesitant to do this since breaking just one of them will be a very noticeable difference and I'm afraid it will be harder to resell.

Re: Silver plate

Reply to Group Reply to Sender

Sep 11, 2023 1:06 AM William Shull

I'm gonna try this again with editing: Chris,   ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported. We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below: Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade legs and plain desk before acquisition. I wonder how a careful restorative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is actually quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

Preserve it as much as possible. A broken string or two will not matter and remember technicians do not break strings. Strings break. Just proceed with caution. I once tuned a full upright Schomacker player with gold strings. I had to remove part of the player to tune it. When I picked it up to put it back together it gave way due to some rotted rubber and leathers. I was able to get some parts from Louis Gentile in Boston and by some miracle reassembled it, turned it on and it worked. I may even have some pictures around to see if all strings where gold.

Note to Bill Schull : thanks for posting the pictures and back story

Note to Tim: don't you dare paint the plate  Silver plates are found on the 50,000 or so aluminum plate Winter pianos made post WWII boldly stamped with ALCOA

Bill, thanks for the info! I'll get you some photos next time I see it (it's not at my house). Reusing the strings is an intriguing idea, but I am very hesitant to do this since breaking just one of them will be a very noticeable difference and I'm afraid it will be harder to resell.

Re: Silver plate

Reply to Group Reply to Sender

Sep 11, 2023 1:06 AM William Shull

I'm gonna try this again with editing: Chris,   ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported. We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below: Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade legs and plain desk before acquisition. I wonder how a careful restorative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is actually quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

I am planning on replacing the pinblock.

James, I'm not sure if I'm following your precaution, this is definitely not a Winter piano, so I'm not sure what the harm in putting a fresh coat on the plate would do since the plate will be coming out anyway.

Thanks for clarifying.

Preserve it as much as possible. A broken string or two will not matter and remember technicians do not break strings. Strings break. Just proceed with caution. I once tuned a full upright Schomacker player with gold strings. I had to remove part of the player to tune it. When I picked it up to put it back together it gave way due to some rotted rubber and leathers. I was able to get some parts from Louis Gentile in Boston and by some miracle reassembled it, turned it on and it worked. I may even have some pictures around to see if all strings where gold.

Note to Bill Schull : thanks for posting the pictures and back story

Note to Tim: don't you dare paint the plate  Silver plates are found on the 50,000 or so aluminum plate Winter pianos made post WWII boldly stamped with ALCOA

Bill, thanks for the info! I'll get you some photos next time I see it (it's not at my house). Reusing the strings is an intriguing idea, but I am very hesitant to do this since breaking just one of them will be a very noticeable difference and I'm afraid it will be harder to resell.

Re: Silver plate

Reply to Group Reply to Sender

Sep 11, 2023 1:06 AM William Shull

I'm gonna try this again with editing: Chris,   ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported. We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below: Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade legs and plain desk before acquisition. I wonder how a careful restorative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is actually quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

I recently tuned a Steinway grand, 6' or less, I don't remember, that had a platinum or "silver" plate. It is a fairly new instrument.  Does Steinway currently offer a plate of that color?

Joy

Elwood

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

I recently tuned a Steinway grand, 6' or less, I don't remember, that had a platinum or "silver" plate. It is a fairly new instrument.  Does Steinway currently offer a plate of that color?

Joy

Elwood

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

Bill,

I forgot to photograph the lyre today, but here is a photo of the legs.

I recently tuned a Steinway grand, 6' or less, I don't remember, that had a platinum or "silver" plate. It is a fairly new instrument.  Does Steinway currently offer a plate of that color?

Joy

Elwood

Chris,  

ALL the strings are gold plated, as Tim reported.

We have one in our Period Piano Collection, see below:

Schomacker 6' Grand periodpiano.org

Tim, I'd love pictures of your cabinet including desk,  legs and lyre.  Ours was given spade good legs and plain desk before acquisition.

I wonder how a careful reparative conservation would turn out, reusing the strings.  Ours is to ally quite good in original shape.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Also, the gold plating of the bass strings was a key feature of the brand. You can find older magazines with articles about it and the company. The gold most likely did two things 1. protect from rust, 2. The extra weight allows the possibility of a smaller diameter thus a bigger tone theoretically.

I would tend to agree with Benjamin on this. 

Peter Grey Piano Doctor 

The piano store I work at recently got a sliver-colored plate on a brand new piano. (Sorry I don't remember the brand at the moment.) The salesman told me he was excited about it because every piano they get with a silver-colored plate sells for more. His words, not mine. That it's a rarity probably increases the value, not decreases it. It adds to the story of the piano. If I were in your shoes I would probably leave it silver. 

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!

I couldn't resist and got another free piano today. A fellow tech baited me saying it was going to the dump if I didn't take it. I took the bait. 😂 It's 1909 Schomacher 6' grand. It was refinished at some point by someone who did an outstanding job. The tech threw in new hammers, shanks and flanges which definitely sweetened the deal. Some interesting features. It has a Steinway action (possibly model A, sostenuto monkey and all) which fits perfectly as far as we could tell. It still has the original "gold strings." Ones thing that particularly surprised me was the silver plate. I initially thought it was repainted, but there is no evidence for this and plenty to the contrary. Notice the silver cast iron beams underneath (I've never seen this before), another indicator this was the original color. I assume it looked pretty neat when new with a silver plate and gold plated strings. But I won't be trying to find gold plated strings when I rebuild. The question I'm tossing around is whether to refinish the plate in gold or silver. Is there a market for silver or is that a rebuilding marketing disaster? 

Thanks!