[Houston Rick]

I am restoring a square piano made by William Rolfe. Based on your previous e-mail to someone else it looks like it was manufactured between 1780's and 1800. Is there anyway to trace who the piano was buildt for? Also it is missing quite a few strings. Should I save the originals I have? Is there an appropriate source for the missing strings?
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Rick Franke

[Bill Kibby]

I'll see if I can find an address for authentic strings. Naturally, you will need to keep the strings until they are replaced, so that the new ones can be made from them in the normal way. There is also the question of whether the tuning pins will hold. As for the date, could you tell me the complete, exact wording on the piano, and any numbers inside the top? No original archives are available for Rolfe, we can only reconstruct information from the pianos and paperwork of the period.
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I do not buy, sell or value pianos, but I sometimes rescue pre-1890 pianos in the UK.

For more details see my own website: http://www.pianogen.org

Piano History Centre

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Historical Information about British Pianos.