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Hi All,

I'm not a regular on piano forums, but spend a bit of time on cabinetry forums and am used to 'first posts' being a cry for help. For this post, I therefore apologise, but have spent a fair bit of time trying to get details unsuccessfully. I've also tried a specific search here through the archives

I went through piano lessons for a number of years in Australia. My wife has decided to learn piano, having never played before. We have found and bought an old Trayser piano, serial Number 133221. (We live near Sydney, Aust.)

Tone and touch on the piano were quiet good for an upright and light/even enough for a beginner to learn on. (Should add that I've lost the upper end of my hearing due to occupational noise exposure.) The piano has the standard two pedals plus a night-time/practise pedal.

I'm a cabinetmaker by trade. Looking at the casing, I'd estimate that the manufacture date is the late 20's from style and finish/manufacture.

The piano's been re-felted/internals repaired in the last 20 years so that it works quite well (the dampers slap onto the strings slightly, especially the lower register, but only when you *really* want to listen for the slap.) The felts only have minor wear/grooving.

On the inside of the keyboard lid/front fall flap (I don't know it's technical name, sorry) is also a reference to Carnegie, applied in gilt lettering at the factory. I can't supply photos as it's not arriving for another week or so.

This post is not a request for an estimated price, as we've bought the thing.

I was wondering if:

(1) Someone could please confirm my estimate of manufacture date by cross-checking a resource if there's one available.

(2) Anybody could advise if the reference to 'Carnegie' (I'm assuming Carnegie Hall, but I'm often wrong,) means anything as far as build quality or anything else to look out for.

(3) Anyone could advise the general reputation of the Trayser pianos - are they reputable/above average quality usually, or did we pick a well-tuned one through fluke?

I've tried google unsuccessfully for a few hours to try to get this info, and, aside from a paid subscription to the Pierce Piano Atlas that I declined, all that I found was that Starr Piano Company had an Australian agency and that the Trayser branding was one of theirs, with the date/ownership changes in the company being cut and pasted across a number of websites.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide,

Best regards,

eddie

edit: Info that may be of use to historians and you never get something for nothing in return, even free information.

My great grandfather, EE Barker, was WH Paling's leading hand gilder/painter around 1900, and did a lot of ornate work on the pianos that were imported and sold out of Melbourne, including probably the Sydney Powerhouse Museum's showpiece Lipp grand.

My mother said that they were a manufacturer, but local sites/info shows them as an importer/distributor. I'm not sure which is correct.

#133221 according the the Pierce Piano Atlas was built in 1916.

The company was established in 1849 by George L. Trayser in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. In 1869 they opened a factory in Ripley, Ohio. In 1872 the Starr brothers James and Benjamin gought in and moved the factory to Richmond, Ind. In 1878 Milo Chase bought in and changed the name to Chase Piano Co. By 1884 the Starr brother gained control and the name was changed to Starr Piano Co. One can only assume that pianos continued to be built utilizing the Trayser marque at least through the year yours was built.

Under the Starr leadership they continued to build pianos through 1949.

Tayser, Chase, and or Starr were not high level pianos in the pantheon of American piano building. In that era there were hundreds of piano manufacturers in the U.S., mostly in the Ease and Midwest.

It is/was common for manufacturers to tout awards or endorsements inside the cabinet and on the plate.

This piano is not rare and not terribly valuable. It has little or no antique or collectible value. At 93 years of age it is a generation beyond it engineered useful musical instrument life expectancy.

Hi Marty,

Thank you very much for the info - sorry that I didn't get back sooner as it's been frantic here. Sat morning here and I have finally just gotten my head above water enough to have an hour or so spare.

Your answer's perfect, I'm not interested in value as it was bought as a beginner piano - the touch has somehow stayed reasonably soft and the thing's been re-felted/worked over so it should see the family out. I was interested in how they were viewed as far as build/tonal quality at the time, which you've answered well.

I'd agree with the comment on being beyond life expectancy - the bottom curved panel that supports the fall flap is held in by one dowel - I've got a minor repair to do (my trade is cabinetmaking, so dowel replacement is easy.

THanks so much for your reply.

Cheers,

eddie