Randolph Herr wrote:

> If you are familiar with pianos, you know that occasionally you
> run across these things.
>
> Perhaps there is nothing wrong in theory with this design, but in
> practice it is the most despised piano in the trade, even more than
> square grands!  Some square grands do not deserve the reputation that
> people have assigned them, but birdcages do deserve their reputation.

Yes, many techs revile these pianos.  Granted, some of them, however,
were the Kimball or Betsy Ross spinet of their day -- something cheap
for piano dealers to sell.

I must take the side of the poor abused birdcage action upright piano.
I have restored several of them.  Some of them are not of top quality,
but many of them were as well built as any other piano in their day.
They are all over 100 years old; some of them are far older.

If you are looking for one to have rebuilt, look for a German-built one
or one that has a cast iron plate or plates.  At that point in the
evolution of the piano some did not have plates but a hitch pin plate
bolted to iron struts and perhaps a beam under the pin block.

I have not found well-built birdcage uprights to be of poor quality
woods or metals.  Often you must disassemble the whole back, pin block
and case as the 150-year-old glue has come loose or can't be trusted.
Usually the pin block must be replaced.

A restoration of one of these instruments begins at $10,000.00 and goes
up if more than average damage may be present.  Come to St. Louis and
I will take you to the local historic house museum that had me restore
their Berlin-built birdcage.  It plays as well as any restored piano
from 1850 has ever played.

As I have said before, square grands, mostly, are also very good pianos
when they have been restored right.  The same applies to birdcage
uprights.

D. L. Bullock    Piano World   St. Louis