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MMD > Archives > November 2005 > 2005.11.13 > 09Prev  Next


Rebuilding Squire & Longson Cremona Player Piano
By Julian Dyer

This will have some bought-in player mechanism, quite probably an
ordinary one such as Standard.  There will be no specific tubing
diagram.  As with almost all players, no specific tubing diagram
needed, just get Reblitz's book, "Player Piano Rebuilding & Servicing,"
and it'll be obvious how it fits together.  The make matters rather
more when it comes to rebuilding rather than retubing!

There are some pianos about that are titled "Angelus Squire" on both
the fall and cast into the frame, which -- seeing that I've never
looked inside one -- one can only assume had Angelus actions.  Very few
makes cast the player mechanism name into the frame!  It doesn't sound
as if this particular instrument is one such.

Further to Robbie's comments about the fate of the company: The rather
bitty details in David Wainwright's "The piano makers" inform us that
Squire & Longson's Camberwell factory made pianos for many other
brands, including the prestigious Welmar, which were Bluthner designs,
as well as for dealers such as Barnes, Cranes, Rushworth & Dreaper.
One of their employees was Alfred Knight, who went on to be a leading
light in the UK piano business.  In other words, a good make if not
a famous one.

A family tree of UK makes in a recent "International Piano" magazine
adds that Squire & Longson were brought by Kemble in 1933 and hence
became part of the Yamaha UK portfolio, and the name was used into the
1970s.  None of which has anything to do with this player, of course.

Julian Dyer


(Message sent Mon 14 Nov 2005, 02:30:11 GMT, from time zone GMT.)

Key Words in Subject:  Cremona, Longson, Piano, Player, Rebuilding, Squire

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