August Forster 7’8” 1927 Steinway quality - Model C

[classicarts]

Anyone know of this piano?  I have found a completely restored one on Ebay.  Any comments would be appreciative. thanks.  I just called the owner, he said that the sound board had little couple of cracks but he have repaired them. 

[iumonito]

Now we are talking.  A well maintained AF is, IMO, much better than its Steinway equivalent in size (I have not played an AF full grand, so beware).

This was Puccini's and Prokofiev's favorite piano, I am told.  A piano that can satisfy such divergent approaches to music has to have something going for it, don't you think?

Watch out for Czech-made AF's.  it is a different piano from the ones made in Lubau.

[classicarts]

Now we are talking.  A well maintained AF is, IMO, much better than its Steinway equivalent in size (I have not played an AF full grand, so beware).

This was Puccini's and Prokofiev's favorite piano, I am told.  A piano that can satisfy such divergent approaches to music has to have something going for it, don't you think?

Watch out for Czech-made AF's.  it is a different piano from the ones made in Lubau.

this is the link.  https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7377865366  check it out and tell me what you think of it.

[gfiore]

 The legs are not original,  and it's a two pedal model. So, unless you don't mind not having a sostenuto pedal, check it out.

[iumonito]

I wouldn't bid without playing it and having it checked by my tech.  It sounds to good to be true, but maybe it is just an amazing deal.

1)  The price seems unambitious, which makes me suspicious;
2)  It is true that in general the '20s are the golden era of piano building.  I have never played an AF this old though.  AF does not appear to make this size, at least now.  Their seven-footer is 215, whereas this is 235 (which is several centimeters longer than a Steinway C).  Of course, it is possible that AF used to make this size and discontinued it.
Naturally, if the piano is a rebuild, the main thing you are keeping from the old piano is the scale.  The quality of the rebuild varies greatly depending on who does it and whether there were budget constraints.
3)  The photos look beautiful.  Confirm that they are recent pictures of the actual instrument.
4)  The same seller is getting rid of a full Baldwin for about its right offer price (25K).  The seller has very little track record, though, so I would be wary.  20K is a lot of money to be dolled out to someone you don't know and are not sure how to track back in case of a problem.

If the piano is really in playing condition and the soundboard needs no repair or replacement, I would say this is a great buy.

Curry, do you know anything about this scale?

[classicarts]

I wouldn't bid without playing it and having it checked by my tech.  It sounds to good to be true, but maybe it is just an amazing deal.

1)  The price seems unambitious, which makes me suspicious;
2)  It is true that in general the '20s are the golden era of piano building.  I have never played an AF this old though.  AF does not appear to make this size, at least now.  Their seven-footer is 215, whereas this is 235 (which is several centimeters longer than a Steinway C).  Of course, it is possible that AF used to make this size and discontinued it.
Naturally, if the piano is a rebuild, the main thing you are keeping from the old piano is the scale.  The quality of the rebuild varies greatly depending on who does it and whether there were budget constraints.
3)  The photos look beautiful.  Confirm that they are recent pictures of the actual instrument.
4)  The same seller is getting rid of a full Baldwin for about its right offer price (25K).  The seller has very little track record, though, so I would be wary.  20K is a lot of money to be dolled out to someone you don't know and are not sure how to track back in case of a problem.

If the piano is really in playing condition and the soundboard needs no repair or replacement, I would say this is a great buy.

Curry, do you know anything about this scale?

Which is a better piano ?  Fully restored 1920 Steinway C or a late model mid 90's original state Steinway B? 

[iumonito]

You are starting to bore me again.  You should be able to answer that question yourself.  The C is bigger, so scale-wise, chances are it is a better piano.  In light on Curry's previous post that this old C scale is different from the 227's I know, I have no way of knowing, but the 227 scale I have played is the best Steinway scale in terms of inharmonicity.  I find it much richer and pleasant to play than the Ds, which by and large are just not that interesting of a piano.

If the piano is rebuild, though, it all depends on the rebuilder.  I have no doubt, sight unseen, that a C from the 20's out of, for example, Keith's shop is much better than any B no matter how new.  I cannot say the same of some rebuilds I have seen in New York, which were uninspiring at best and quite uneven at worst.

[classicarts]

You are starting to bore me again.  You should be able to answer that question yourself.  The C is bigger, so scale-wise, chances are it is a better piano.  In light on Curry's previous post that this old C scale is different from the 227's I know, I have no way of knowing, but the 227 scale I have played is the best Steinway scale in terms of inharmonicity.  I find it much richer and pleasant to play than the Ds, which by and large are just not that interesting of a piano.

If the piano is rebuild, though, it all depends on the rebuilder.  I have no doubt, sight unseen, that a C from the 20's out of, for example, Keith's shop is much better than any B no matter how new.  I cannot say the same of some rebuilds I have seen in New York, which were uninspiring at best and quite uneven at worst.

Sometimes I do think 6'11'' grand piano is little too small to acquire a grand piano experience. 

[iumonito]

Well, now wait a second.  I am no Steinway lover, but a Steinway B is a real piano.  The improvement in "piano experience" you get going any bigger is truly marginal and size is not really the problem, but design.  Consider the Steingraeber 209, which is smaller than a B and yet so delightfully superior (I think - not sure - it is smaller, but marginally).

[dinosaurtales]

The Steingraeber 6'9" was an incredibly beautiful thing - keybed was totally even and beautiful to the touch and sound, all the way up the keyboard.  No "funny" top end, no unnevenness in sound - ahhhhhhhhhh!

I wish it had had just a little more oooomph in the bass - I think those extra few inches does that for a piano.

[classicarts]

The legs are not original,  and it's a two pedal model. So, unless you don't mind not having a sostenuto pedal, check it out.
[/quote

Do you agree with  iumonito statement.  Steinway C that has been completely rebuilt is better than any Model B no matter how new it is? 

[gfiore]

 The C is a great piano, a much more balanced scale than the B. It all depends how much work was done on this C.  Personally, I would rather buy a new Hamburg C than an older American C. The B is one of the worst Steinway scales, very unbalanced string tensions at the tenor break. Del Fandrich redesigns the scale in this area, he calls it his killer B scaling.

[iumonito]

What part of ...

If the piano is rebuild, though, it all depends on the rebuilder.  I have no doubt, sight unseen, that a C from the 20's out of, for example, Keith's shop is much better than any B no matter how new.  I cannot say the same of some rebuilds I have seen in New York, which were uninspiring at best and quite uneven at worst.

made you understand that I meant ...

Steinway C that has been completely rebuilt is better than any Model B no matter how new it is? 

I don't agree with that last statement.  It is not a matter of how new, but of how botched.

You have two strikes in my book.  Shape up your reading. 

happy new year,
IU

[chris_quinn]

Anyone know of this piano?  I have found a completely restored one on Ebay.  Any comments would be appreciative. thanks.  I just called the owner, he said that the sound board had little couple of cracks but he have repaired them. 

Sorry I'm getting to this late.  Someone on the AF yahoo group actually saw and played this piano and thought it was awesome.