Description
Grand Piano by John Broadwood and Son, London 1797. Completely restored to playing condition by conservator, Ken Eschete; Professional Associate, AIC.
5 1/2 octave range FF – c’’’’ Unicorda pedal with “true unicorda” stop of key block. Two damper pedals allow sustain on only treble or only bass dampers, but both pedals can be used at the same time.
This piano is in solid playing condition. The soundboard and bottom were removed for conservation treatment and the originals were reinstalled. The wrest plank has been consolidated with Epo-tek 301; historic tuning pins were made and the piano is strung with wire drawn by Stephen Burkett. The original action is in place, with a new leather on the hammer heads. The original damper heads had been replaced in a previous restoration, so new historic heads were made and fitted with cloth.
The case frame has been stabilized to prevent the treble cheek from distorting under string tension. There is a steel bar that runs diagonally under the bottom of the piano. One end is anchored to an added case frame beam in tail of the piano, and the other end is anchored with an adjustable bolt that passes through the treble side of the action cavity and into the treble corner of the pin block. The belly rail acts as a fulcrum for leverage that is constantly counteracting the string force. This makes the piano tuning very stable, and has the conservation advantage of being completely reversible.
The case has conserved, and presents an excellent high quality appearance, without looking new. The piano is equipped with a specially designed platform so it can easily be moved about on stage or in a museum.
