Grinnel Brothers Pianos

Subject: RE: Grinnel Brothers Pianos
From: GUEST,Sarah
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 05:04 PM

Thanks guys. The piano is free, actyually, and a 1910 model. Hopefully it will servr mr well, so I'm on my way to pick it up.

Subject: RE: Grinnel Brothers Pianos
From: Crowhugger
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 01:49 PM

Samick doesn't have a great reputation; sometimes just fine but quality of construction and materials isn't consistent. This is what I've been told by both a library book and my piano technician. If you're serious about a particular piano, whether Grinnel or Steinway, pay a trusted technician to come with you to look at it thoroughly. A tech can tell you if work has been done and roughly when, what it will need and roughly when and the current cost of maintenance or repairs. An $800 piano is no bargain if it needs a new pin block before it can be tuned properly, for example.

Our little library has two copies of a book that explains beautifully the art of buying a used piano. It even includes illustrated instructions how to take a common sense look inside before you decide if it's worth having the tech make an assessment.

Most important of all: if you want a piano, don't give up on finding the right one. It's there somewhen just waiting for you!

Best of luck on this big adventure.

Subject: RE: Grinnel Brothers Pianos
From: BigDaddy
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 01:31 AM

Hi Sarah, it depends on the model and year of manufacture. Grinnell Brothers was a Detroit-based company that manufactured pianos from 1902 until around 1960. They had a good reputation. The name has since been acquired by Samick who has pianos built abroad and puts the Grinnell name on them. I haven't any personal experience with this recent product. My late mother played for years, from the early twenties and into the nineties. Her piano of choice was the Baldwin Acrosonic. You might want to consult pianists, piano teachers and piano tuners. Just as a matter of interest to any history buffs, the Grinnell concern opened a number of music stores in the early sixties in the then-new shopping malls. These stores were a great resource for instruments, sheet music, records, etc. They always had private rooms where you could try out various instruments. These stores closed down in the late seventies. The original headquarters for Grinnell Brothers still stands on Woodward Avenue in Detroit. It's a truly grand piece of archiitecture based on the Chateau de Chenonceaux in France. Anyway, good luck with your piano shopping.

Subject: Grinnel Brothers Pianos
From: GUEST,Sarah
Date: 11 Aug 00 - 09:28 PM

Hey- has anyone heard of grinnel bros. pianos? We arethinking of getting one and want to know if it is worth it.