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Restored for Resale

6'2" Wm. Knabe & Co. Grand #36379

Heavy, dark walnut veneer cabinet. Built about 1893. Improved by Ray's Piano Service in 2006. We purchased this piano "as is" from a fellow technician who had it in his living room but needed to sell it before moving. The piano was previously restrung by another piano technician, and the soundboard shows evidence of earlier repairs, so the main structural repairs had been completed before we picked it up. This piano has a rich, deep tone, characteristic of the large Victorian age American grand pianos. A great reasonably-priced grand piano for a practice studio or music room!

IMPROVEMENTS PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED:

Restrung, Refinished--Previously destrung, soundboard repaired and refinished, including new soundboard decal, restrung with larger-size pins and new strings. Previously refinished with beautiful dark walnut satin finish.

IMPROVEMENTS COMPLETED BY RAY'S PIANO SERVICE

Recondition--Install new damper wires, recondition action (replace defective parts), repair tenor bridge, tighten action screws, replace defective action parts.

Regulate—all adjustments to ensure that piano plays like new (keyheight & levelling, hammer alignment & blow distance, letoff, drop, keydip, damper levers & wires, sostenuto), tune to A-440. Refinish section of lid. Install new music rest support. New padded concert bench included with sale.

SCHEDULE:

Improvements completed January 2006

Sold, delivered to Sedro Woolley, WA March 31, 2007

1893 Wm. Knabe Grand 6'2"

1893 Wm. Knabe Grand:
Additional Pictures
taken in our shop:

1 – Front view with new adjustable bench. Bench legs match piano legs, although the color is slightly different.

2 – The bass side of the piano is extra long to accommodate very long strings and a large soundboard, giving a deep, rich tone, especially in the low bass.

3 – Close-up of new bench.

4 – Top view of tenor and soprano section--notice the agraffes throughout the treble, ensuring correct string spacing.

5 – Inside view of the damper action. To recondition the action, the we removed the hammers and repaired defective wippens.

6 –  When we received this piano, the dampers were not installed. We cleaned the interior and the damper wires, reconditioned the damper action, and re-installed the dampers.

7 – This piano has a uniquely designed sostenuto mechanism, which works very efficiently.

8 – We temporarily removed some of the tenor strings and reglued the "middle bridge" in place. Before this repair, the strings in this area of the piano had a loud buzzing tonal quality. The improvement resulted in a more consistent tone from top to bottom.

9 – The wippens and back checks are in excellent condition, showing good care over the years. Centers, springs, felt and leather parts all show minimal wear.

10 – A unique feature of this piano are the special "sticks" connecting the adjustable rockers located on the keys to the wippens. We repaired a few of these "sticks" by re-installing center pins that had moved out of place.

11 – We installed a new music rest support hinge and felt stops, resulting in a very sturdy, stable music desk.

12 – To improve its appearance (because of some lacquer cracks), we refinished the smaller front section of the lid, using filler, stain, and lacquer. It's now a beautiful vintage grand with extraordinary musical tone and touch!