Broadwood 1793

The Buckingham Palace Broadwood

John Broadwood & Sons are of course holders of the Royal Warrant, and this piano was chosen as part of the exhibition held at Buckingham Palace in 2013 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the late Queen Elizabeth II.  In 2016 it was one of the instruments used for concerts at the Broadwood  Festival at Lythe, Whitby, and it has been cared for and regularly tuned since then.  

This lovely instrument  is exactly the same as my own treasured Broadwood, the piano that is featured in the opening picture on this website.  

Plain, simple, and elegant - the beautiful calligraphy on the fiddle-back sycamore nameboard.

It is good to see that the original shade has survived.  These are often referred to as 'dust covers', but that is not what they are for.  Their function is acoustic, and they have a significant effect on the sound, muffling any action-noise (especially from the player's position) and making the tone generally smoother.

Here we see the beautiful and efficient brass under-dampers.

It was beautifully restored by David Hunt in 1988, retaining the original wrestpins, bridges, soundboard, and leather hammer-coverings.  The hitchpins, which can be prone to fracture, were authentically replaced.  David's full restoration report is in the toolbox at the left of the keyboard, along with a tuning-hammer and some spare strings. The pitch has been maintained at c. 415. 

This lovely piano is now SOLD

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