I would like to know a price and/or history on a 1931 Francis Bacon baby grand piano.

I am a piano tuner/technician.

Are you the owner of the piano?

I hope that you return. I would like to help you! :) You might also find it interesting that I am now currently restoring a Francis Bacon upright piano for someone who lives a couple hundred miles away from me.

In the meantime, below is some history of Francis Bacon pianos.

What is quoted below, is from the following site:

The Ages and Historical Records of Pianos sold in America (http://www.bluebookofpianos.com/kron2.htm)


FRANCIS BACON

Francis Bacon pianos and player pianos were made by The Bacon Piano Co. W. P. Bacon, President. The history of this company, starting in 1789, is the history of the piano business in America. It received medals and diplomas for the excellence of its instruments wherever they have been exhibited, notably at the Philadelphia World's Fair in 1876, and at Chicago in 1908. This instrument enjoyed unusual favor with the trade and the musical public, and was regarded as one of the most versatile of all desirable instruments in the market. Francis Bacon pianos, player pianos, electric expression players, reproducing pianos (licensed under Welte-Mignon patents) and grands had a century and a quarter of experience and "know how" behind them and emphasize unusual value at moderate prices.
Concerning the price and/or value of the instrument, I would need to get some information from you.

I am leaving now to conduct a rehearsal. I will return here after 10:30 p.m. my time, tonight.

Yes, I do own this piano. You can email me at [email protected] for more info. Thank you for answering.

Krista:)

Why are you wanting to know the information about which you are asking, please?

I bought the piano from someone for $150 and had never heard of Francis Bacon pianos so I was curious to know the history and was thinking about insuring it if it was worth it.:)

Did you get my email to you?

No, I didn't.

Dear Krista,

Please check your Private Messages on this site, please. Just in case you don't know where they are, PM's are on your Profile page. Thank you!

I bought the piano from someone for $150 and had never heard of Francis Bacon pianos so I was curious to know the history and was thinking about insuring it if it was worth it.:)

I can tell you whether it's worth insuring. I just need to ask you some questions.

Ask away!

Okay! Thanks for the private message!

Is the piano in tune? And, has it been tuned on a regular basis?

I'm still here! :)

It isn't in tune now. The family I bought it from said it hadn't been tuned for about 2 years.

I am planning on having it tuned soon.

Okay, so I am assuming that it can be tuned. But, it is hard to really determine that without actually hearing it. Two years ago is not an ideal length of time between tunings, but it isn't all that long ago either.

Do you or someone else in your home play the piano? The reason that I'm asking is, if someone has played it since it was moved, do the pieces that are played on it sound reasonably good?

I am planning on having it tuned soon.

Good! :) :)

Yes, I play. The sound is great, all keys work. Just very out of tune.

Yes, I play. The sound is great, all keys work. Just very out of tune.

Good! I'm glad that you play!

Does it have all of the original parts that you can tell, as far as the strings and hammers?

The music I have played sounds really bad. Like I have the pedal held down, it all blends together.

Strings and hammers are all original. The keys are the only thing that had been replaced.

You mean the keytops, correct?

Yes.

I really have to go to bed now, it's 1:30 a.m. here. If you post more I will check again in the morning. Thanks again for all your help. Goodnight.

Your answer to the strings and hammers being all original tells me a lot. If those two items are still the original ones, then chances are that they need to be replaced. For pianos, the piano wires, (strings) generally start losing their tensile strength after about twenty-five years. Hence, its makes tuning harder and the tone can suffer. Hammers that are that old, even if the piano hasn't been played all that much, get hard and the tone can then be "tinny." Along with replacing the strings, since the pin block is also that old, it would need to be replaced along with the strings and tuning pins.

I'm not saying that you absolutely have to do these things. But, your comment about it being "very out of tune" makes me wonder about it's capabilities as far as holding pitch after being tuned. Two years ago really isn't all that long ago.

I have a 1906 Chickering Grand and an 1885 Everett Grand in my living room. Both pianos have most of the original strings as well as the hammers. These instruments need to be rebuilt. Even so, they do sound great right now, but will sound even better once I have replaced all of the strings and hammers. Their holding a tune is somewhat questionable, though.

By being very out of tune, do you mean that some notes sound so bad that they don't lend to make a piece sound like it should? Are some notes a lot more grossly out of tune compared to the others? (I know, a very subjective thing. I listen to people's pianos over the phone for free in order to give them an idea as to what the condition, as far as tuning, their piano is in. Saves them money, and saves me a trip!)

I really have to go to bed now, it's 1:30 a.m. here. If you post more I will check again in the morning. Thanks again for all your help. Goodnight.

Thanks for asking about your piano! I am glad to help you! :) I am usually online here a little bit in the middle of the day. And, am also on during late in the evening, after 10:00 p.m. Central Time.

The other things that need to be addressed concerning your piano would be the condition of the pin block. (I will describe to you later how to examine the pin block yourself.) Whether-or-not this instrument has a bench. How ornate, if at all, the wood might be. What the condition of the finish is and also the type of finish that is on the instrument. Discussion about cracks in the soundboard if there are any. (There are a lot of misconceptions about what cracks in the soundboard of a piano mean.) What size and model of Francis Bacon baby grand piano this is. And, where it has been placed in a home previously and also where it is placed in your home now.

It could be that this instrument might be worth insuring. But, then again, maybe not. Don't know yet...

I do look forward to you returning to the site! :)

I wonder if she is and hope that she is coming back? :confused:

Yes, I am still here. I work 12 hour nights and when I'm home try to get sleep. Hopefully we will catch each other on again.

Thank you for replying, Krista! If you would let me know some times when you will be on here, then I can try to make it a point to be on at the same time. My schedule is very flexible, except when I have a gig to play. I am going to be out of town all day, today (Sunday) to travel, and to play for a gig. But, really late Sunday night and after that, my schedule is not so set most of the time in the next three or four days. Please, just let me know. I do look forward to working with and helping you again! Thank you!

I can tell you whether or not it's worth insuring. I just need to ask you some questions.

I have a francis bacon plano and I was woundering aruond how much it would be worth
It says 1789 on the inside of it and its in midd shape if you have any info about this plano e mail me at [email protected] ty