Bluebook Of Pianos HOW OLD IS YOUR PIANO? - FIND THE AGE & SERIAL NUMBER OF YOUR PIANO Some piano manufacturers place serial numbers in various places.
The age of your piano is determined by the. Pianos also have numbers other than serial numbers, such is the case with part or patent numbers. Some pianos do not have serial numbers when they are manufactured as 'House Brands' for large retailers.
1907-4600 1908-5400 1909-6300 1910-7200 1911-8000 1912-9100 1913-21300 Jesse French Numbers 1904-1-1-1-1-1-108000. (Baldwin Uprights and Verticals, Classic, Ellington, Franke, Howard before 1959, Kremlin, Manuelo, Modello, Monarch, St. Regis, Sargent, Schroeder, Valley Gem and Winton). All Baldwin Upright or Vertical Pianos - Does not include Hamilton Studios or Baldwin Grand Pianos. 1895-2000 1917-1-2-5- 9-14-9000 1918-1-2-5-10-15-1-2-6-10-15-1-2-6-10-15-1-3-6-11-15-1-3-6-11-15-1-3-7-11-15-1-3-7-12-15-1-3-7-12-15-1-3-7-12-15-1-3-7-13-15-2-4-8-13-15-2-4-8-13-15-2-4-8-13-15-2-4-8-14-15-2-4-9-14-15-2-5-9-14-15-2-5-9-14-1577266.
AEOLIAN - AMERICAN Est. 1903 - New York, N.Y. The manufacturing facilities at East Rochester was comprised of a series of separate and individual factories planned so that manufacturing of the various instruments was carried on in an entirely individual and distinct manner, and by separate organizations, each under direction of men who had been associated with each respective make for many years, thus preserving, unimpaired, the individual and distinctive qualities of each piano. Combined they made a great and powerful contribution to the art of music, for each of the great instruments they produced will continue providing magnificent music for generations to come.
Name brands built in East Rochester include Chickering & Sons, J & C Fischer, Wm. Knabe, Mason & Hamlin, and George Steck. Tremaine was a business genius who brought about the commercial exploitation of the piano player on a big scale. Tremaine's father had built a successful small business making and cranked table-top-sized mechanical organs, a very popular item in homes in the late 1800's.
He founded the 'Aeolian Organ and Music Company' around 1888; the firm achieved considerable success with larger instruments and organs. His son took over in 1899 and immediately set about to apply his own business acumen to the company's affairs.
With the newly perfected 'Pianola,' he launched an aggressive advertising campaign which was entirely new to the stodgy piano business. With four page color advertisements (almost unheard of in that day) published in the popular magazines, he literally stunned the piano industry with the message that here, indeed, was the answer to everyone's prayer for music in the home! Tremaine and Pianola built an enormous business empire over the next thirty years. It wasn't long after the turn of the century that it was deemed desirable to 'miniaturize' the clumsy Pianola and other similar, instruments so that they could be built directly inside the pianos. Within a few short years, the push up'players disappeared from the scene. By this time everyone got into the act, and every piano maker so manufactured a player of some sort.
This name is known the world over in connection with musical instruments, It is applied to some of the various products of the Aeolian Company of New York which instruments of renown included the Duo Art Pianola, Weber Pianola, Steck Pianola, Wheelock Pianola, Stuyvesant Pianola, Steinway Duo Art Pianola, Stroud Pianola the Aeolian Orchestrelle and the Aeolian Pipe Organ; it also controlled the Meludee Music Co., Inc., and the Universal Music Co. 1903-1900 1904-3000 1905-5400 1906-9000 1907-98000 AEOLIAN-AMERICAN DIVISION OF AEOLIAN CORP. Piano lines controlled and manufactured by this Division listed alphabetically include Chickering & Sons, Wm. Knabe & Co., Mason & Hamlin and Weber. The manufacturing facilities at East Rochester consist of over 250,000 sq. Of space situated on over eight acres of land occupied and devoted exclusively to the manufacture of only pianos since 1906. Aeolian was one of America's largest producers of grand pianos.
Instruments made by Aeolian American Division enjoyed an unquestioned reputation throughout the world AEOLIAN - AMERICAN CORPORATION - Founded 1932 Aeolian - American was the consolidation of the American Piano Company, Aeolian Piano Company formerly Winter & Company, and Weber Piano Company. Factories were located at East Rochester N.Y., Worchester Ma. And Memphis, Tenn. Aeolian probably produced more instruments than any other company in the U.S. Founded as Heller & Co. In 1899, later incorporated as Winter & Co. In 1903, the firm became affiliated with Sears Roebuck and Co.
In 1941 William G. Heller, Henry R. Heller and associates acquired the Sears interest and devoted the production to defense work during World War II. Faith in the industry and the conviction that the piano industry needed someone to keep the venerable manufacturers in operation, Aeolian has acquired companies which would not otherwise have survived. During 1960 the work force included only excellent craftsmen under the direction of people who had been associated with these fine makes for many years, thus preserving unimpaired the Individual and distinctive quality of each piano. The affiliation of the various houses that formed this large and powerful contributing force to the art of music, insures for each a wider scope for musical activity in that each of its units was of the highest quality in its grade, which had an extraordinary economy of production. This company's purchasing power contributed immeasurably to the integrity and value of instruments that were made in the various Divisions.
Aeolian Corporation, which in 1982 owned over 40 registered brand names, the product of merger and acquisitions over the years combining 16 domestic piano producers and the largest Canadian producer. Recognition was given by the trade to the various Aeolian lines is the best evidence that Aeolian Corporation pianos manufactured in Memphis and East Rochester, fulfilled every requirement in grands, studios, spinets, consoles and players in a variety of scales and finishes, as well as case designs. Aeolian produced not only the concert and beginners piano, but also for the artist and leisure time musician. Although production ceased in 1982 and 1985 there are countless thousands of Aeolian -American pianos still in use throughout America, in private homes, schools, churches and rental fleets. They were not always the most expensive, and some of their designs were, while aesthetically correct they weren't always perfect, but they did and still do provide students with the perfect entry level piano ever made at a price that most families could afford. A B Chase Gabler Musette Aeolian Haines & Co. Normandie Armstrong Haines Bros.
Pease Bent, George P. Haines Pianette Bradbury Hallet & Davis Pianola Brewster Hardman Poole D.S. Buchanan Heller & Company Primatone Cable Holmer & Sons Restonic Cable, Fayette S. Rudolph Carola Huntington Schneider, Chickering Ivers & Pond Schiller Conover - Cable Kingsbury George Steck Cook, J.B.
Knabe Sterling Crown Kranich & Bach Sting Duo - Art Laffargue Stratford Elbridge Lindeman Stroud Ellsworth Marshall & Wendell Stuyvesant Emerson Mason & Hamlin Vose & Sons Euphona Mehlin & Sons R. Waude, J & C. Fischer Melodigrand Weber Foster - Armstrong Mendelssohn Wheelock Franklin Henry F.
Miller Wellington See individual names for numbers not listed. Aeolian distinguished itself as a piano maker, not merely an assembler. Aeolian plants produced pianos that were quality assured, one of the reasons that over the years many of the largest school systems in the United States have selected their pianos exclusively. In addition, broadcasting stations, colleges, music schools, universities, operas, and symphonies have countless Aeolian pianos in constant service, this was during the time that American Institutions purchased pianos on limited budgets, not as commercial endorsements or University and College Piano Sale locations. IVERS & POND and AEOLIAN NUMBERS. 1885-3000 1918-1-7000 1919-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-Discontinued POOLE & AEOLIAN NUMBERS. Pianos bearing this well known and an honorable name is the product of The Baldwin Piano and in the best sense of the word, instruments of the highest degree of excellence.
The system or chain of scientific improvements of the Baldwin piano based on the law of acoustics, and known as the Baldwin acoustic system, which permitted the greatest conservation of tone, secures an artistic result of the highest quality, and has resulted in gaining for. It enjoys a leading position among the world's artistic musical instruments. Baldwin is now owned by the Gibson Guitar Company.
Historically: The Baldwin piano has an individuality of the highest character. When it was exhibited at the International Exposition at Paris in 1900 it was honored with an award (The Grand Prix) which has never been bestowed on any, other American piano, and the highest honor ever received by any, piano made In America. The Baldwin pianos are made in most modem and perfectly equipped factories under ideal manufacturing conditions. At the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis, Mo., 1904, the Baldwin piano was again awarded the Grand Prize and still another Grand Prize was awarded the Baldwin pianos and Manualos at the Anglo-American Exposition, London, 1914. The 'New York Tribune,' in commenting on the comprehensive display of the Baldwin Company at Paris, and the success of this piano and this house, said that they made a record that would never he forgot in the history of uprights, grands and reproducing pianos, the grands including the various sizes from concert grands to small grands for parlors. In Rome, 1923, the Baldwin piano was awarded the Papal Medal and the House of Baldwin appointed 'Purveyors to the Holy See.'
The Baldwin piano is recognized as a universal favorite between the leading operatic artists and virtuosos of the pianoforte. The Baldwin Manualo is a unification of the most artistic piano with the most scientific players' construction; in other words, it combines the highest artistic attainment in piano production with the most gratifying ability of performance. Built by BALDWIN (Baldwin Uprights and Verticals, Classic, Ellington, Franke, Howard before 1959, Kremlin, Manuelo, Modello, Monarch, St. Regis, Sargent, Schroeder, Valley Gem and Winton). All Baldwin Upright or Vertical Pianos - Does not include Hamilton Studios or Baldwin Grand Pianos.
Welcome to Estey Piano Piano Appraisal: The Value of Your Piano The Value of Your Piano This Virtual Appraisal will give you a rough idea of what your piano might be worth. Included are general values based upon formulas used in my 35 years of experience buying, selling, tuning and restoring pianos. A large part of my job has been to assess the condition of a piano and what it will need before I go on the service call. The Formula for older pianos When I calculate value on an older piano, I am really estimating condition and cost of repair, coupled with brand names and models. $$ How much the piano could sell for in mint condition -$$ The cost of getting it into mint condition $$ The estimated wholesale value (if you sell to a dealer) x Two or Three $$ The estimated retail value (if you sell to an end user) Young Pianos What is a “young” piano? Think of a piano like a person.
A 30 year old should be in great shape, all things being equal. If you have a piano that is 30 or younger, you can usually get a good idea of what it may be worth by doing an on line search for other pianos for sale similar to your own. Age of your piano The age speaks volumes, and many times determines the overall quality level. To find the age of your piano, you will need the name and serial number.
Service Records If you have had the piano serviced on a regular basis, find those tuning receipts as proof the piano has been well maintained. This will also give the prospective buyer a professional contact to verify the condition of your piano. The original purchase price, if available, will help determine its present value as well, giving you a starting point in the formula.
Restored Pianos A receipt for the work performed is vital to determining the value. It tells us who did the work, what was done, how well it was done, and how long we can expect it to last.
Exceptions to Condition Name Brand: You may own a very good name piano, such as Steinway. Even in the worst condition, most Steinway Grand pianos can sell for $5,000 to $15,000 or more.
Other names of valuable pianos would include: Mason and Hamlin, Boosendorfer, Bechstein, Baldwin, Blunther, Sauter, to name only a few. A quick web search will reveal if your piano's name alone carries value. Ornate or Unusual Case Design: If your piano is very ornate with carvings and inlays, or a very unusual case design, this can make the piano more valuable no matter what the name of the piano is. This example is common Winter Spinet piano, but the ornate carvings and inlays on the case give it more value than an ordinary case. If you think your piano falls into one of these categories, you may need our personal assistance.
Serialz
Lets find out what kind of piano you have. An upright piano (shown left) has vertical strings and soundboard. Can be 3–5+ feet tall. A grand piano (shown right) has horizontal strings and soundboard and has 3,4, or 6 legs. Estey Piano is also your source for Piano Sales, New Pianos, Used Pianos, Piano Restoration, Piano Rebuilding, Piano Refinishing, Piano Repair and more. Need a tuner? We are your nationwide source for piano tuning.
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Related Content. It’s a Wurlitzer theater organ. In the early 20th century, thousands of these gigantic pipe organs were installed in movie theaters throughout the United States, Canada, England and Australia to accompany silent movies. This one worked its wonders in the Fox Theatre in Appleton, Wisconsin.
The Smithsonian’s instrument is a rare, completely original Wurlitzer donated by the estate of Lowell Ayars, a New Jersey music teacher, in 1993. Ayars kept it in museum-quality condition during the 30-some years it was played in his home. When Ayars died in 1992, he willed it to his friend Brantley Duddy, and Duddy contacted the Smithsonian, which gratefully accepted it for the musical instrument collection of the National Museum of American History. For now, it sits in storage, its burnished white-and-gold console protected by a sheet of plastic. But there are plans to restore it to glory. The Ayars organ, a Model 190 (serial number 2070), was built by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company of North Tonawanda, New York, in 1929 for the Fox Theatre.
After the theater became a department store in 1959, the organ briefly went into storage until Ayars bought it and installed it in his New Jersey home. As theater organs go, this one is modest in size, its pipes fitting into a space about 15 feet wide and 13 feet deep. It sports two keyboards (called manuals), 584 individual pipes organized into eight ranks, and four tuned percussion instruments as well as special effects. The largest original Wurlitzer still in operation—with more than 4,000 pipes in 58 ranks, ranging from 32 feet in length to the size of a pencil—is also the most famous: the Radio City Music Hall Wurlitzer in New York City, which was installed in 1932.
Between 1911 and 1943, the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company built more than 2,000 theater organs, most of them about the size of the Ayars, for smaller, neighborhood theaters. The first silent films had been accompanied by a pit orchestra or, for the more frugally minded impresario, a lone piano. When the theater organ came along, with its ability to imitate an orchestra and create special sound effects, every movie house owner had to have one. At its peak in 1926, the company was shipping a Wurlitzer a day, mass-producing one of the most technologically advanced machines of its time.
The theater organ is related to the classic church pipe organ, whose basic design has been around for more than 2,000 years. Air blown through pipes, each tuned to create a different musical tone, creates the sound. Blowers located under the ranks, or sets of pipes, force air into them when valves are opened as the organist plays the keys and stops (tabs the organist flips up or down to activate different ranks of pipes).
In a church organ, this rather simple mechanism can produce only a certain number of sounds. To the dismay of lovers of the traditional organ, British inventor and telephone engineer Robert Hope-Jones electrified it and created a switching system to allow any combination of pipes and effects to be played at once. His instruments could produce numerous inventive sound effects, including train and boat whistles, car horns and bird whistles, and some could even simulate pistol shots, ringing phones, the sound of surf, horses’ hooves, smashing pottery, thunder and rain. The new organs either incorporated or at least imitated other musical instruments—from piano and violin to trumpet, drums, cymbals, even bells and chimes.
Hope-Jones dubbed it the Unit Orchestra: with it an organist could imitate an entire dance band or orchestra. In 1910, after his company foundered, Hope-Jones was bought out by the Wurlitzer Company, which, with elegant-looking products and aggressive advertising, dominated the theater organ market.
Even today, many people remember the slogan: 'Gee Dad, it’s a Wurlitzer.' Wurlitzer’s time in the limelight was brief. The sound of Al Jolson’s voice in The Jazz Singer of 1927 spelled doom for the theater organ. Soon Hollywood was putting sound in every movie it produced. By the mid-1930s, most theater owners had replaced their organs with speaker systems. Of the more than 5,000 organs manufactured in the early 1900s, only a few hundred remain in public venues; a few others, like the Ayars organ, were rescued by private collectors. Only a handful are in their original theater installations.
Richmond, Virginia, has three theaters with original organs, the Chicago Theatre still has its Wurlitzer, and some of the truly grand movie palaces have original organ installations, including the Fox Theatres in Atlanta, St. Louis and Detroit and the Orpheum in Los Angeles. Forty years ago, Carsten Henningson, owner of Ye Olde Pizza Joynt in Hayward, California, and a devoted organ enthusiast, decided a Wurlitzer might help boost business. It did just that, and the phenomenon spread throughout the state and beyond as dozens of moribund theater organs found new lives in restaurants. At one such venue—the Bella Roma Pizza restaurant in Martinez, California—on a recent Sunday night, organist Kevin King put a Wurlitzer through its paces, bouncing in his seat as his hands played different keyboards, occasionally pausing to flip stops, while his feet plied the pedals.
'You’re playing all the orchestra sounds plus some real instruments,' he says. Musical historians and theater organ buffs would like to see the Smithsonian’s Wurlitzer played publicly once again. Exhibits specialist and theater organist Brian Jensen helped bring the organ to the Institution. 'Ours does not have all the bells and whistles of the larger organs found in big cities,' says Jensen, 'but it represents what was in 90 percent of the theaters across the country, in neighborhoods and smaller towns. Like the Star-Spangled Banner, it’s a recognized symbol of American culture.'