Antique Rosewood English Collard Grand Piano 6FT 1878

This is an 1878 6ft "parlour" grand piano built by Collard & Collard (a company originally started by Muzio Clementi, the composer/performer contemporary of Mozart). This piano was restored in 2004 by Marinus Van Pratenburg of Peachland, BC. He specializes in this era of piano and did a wonderful job replacing the tuning pins (modern), the strings, restoring the action, repairing the sound board and manufacturing screens from rosewood for the sides of the music rest (where candles would have rested for illumination). The wood frame is very thick compared to modern grands and the cast iron frame is thinner. It is "straight strung" meaning that all strings are parallel to each other from bass to treble. The hammers and action have been restored and is authentic to the day with a shorter vertical travel of the key (about 7mm compared to 11mm on modern instruments). Being of the "English" school of piano manufacturing, the Collard has a warmer tone than the "Viennese" pianos of the same period, which were brighter. This instrument was manufactured in London, England, sold in Edinburgh, Scotland, moved to West Vancouver, British Columbia eighty years ago, and purchased by myself 8 yrs ago from an local antique dealer. The cabinet is in good unrestored condition, with some variation in wood tone by sun over the years in previous locations. The ivory keys are in immaculate shape and it comes with a matching swivel stool, although not the original.