1937 Mason and Hamlin Model CC2 Concert Grand Piano for Sale
For your consideration we present this stunning #1150 circa 1937 Mason and Hamlin Model CC2 9’0″ concert grand piano.
In consultation with Bruce Clark of the Mason and Hamlin company about the case and action design, and from factory workers initials and dates that were inscribed on the underside of the action stack rails, we determined this piano’s age to be roughly 1936/1937. The #1510 was also written on the underside of one of the action rails. The piano was in residence at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA all of its life until our acquisition, and the University was founded, incidentally, in 1937.
Mr. Clark’s best guess as to how this piano came to be, was that the piano was in production for a quite few years, prior to, and during the transition to the Aeolian ownership, and was one of the last “original” Mason and Hamlin CC2’s produced, hence the 4 digit concert serial number. No Mason and Hamlin records exist to confirm concert grand numbering in this fashion.
A beast of a piano, the inner and outer rim together measure a whopping 4½ inches…this is over an inch and a quarter THICKER than a Steinway Model D rim! Six individual tension resonator bars are laid across the case of the instrument, as well as 7 wooden cross braces, which are so thick they start at the bottom of the rim and extend to within ¾” of the soundboard panel BETWEEN the ribs.
All joinery throughout the structure was tight and the rim free of any defects or delamination. No past water or other liquid damage was evident. The original soundboard was beyond its useable lifespan. The original Wessell, Nickel and Gross (WNG) action components were present (and worn out), but the piano was restrung in the distant past in very poor fashion.
The “core” instrument was outstanding, and our goal in undertaking this restoration was to optimize the playability and tone of the instrument, and return the piano to its original as-new glory. This would turn into a two year labor of love with no expense spared in bringing out the best look, sound and playability this amazing piano could offer.
The exterior color scheme was designed to highlight the extraordinary architecture of the cabinetry of the piano, with a main ebony rubbed satin finish, and high gloss red accents throughout for a truly special and one of a kind unique statement. A matching color artist bench compliments the amazing instrument. Brushed nickel hardware and decals complete the extraordinary appearance that is sure to be the focal point of any living space.
Rick Baldassin was tasked to create a new soundboard and bridge caps for us, to even out and optimize the string lengths throughout the long bridge, in order to maximize the piano’s string tension throughout the panel. Rick’s workmanship is second to none, and to further showcase his quality and abilities, we kept the bridge top in its natural wood condition (ala Bechstein), so as to see the custom bridge work and grain orientation throughout the scale. No hiding imperfections under black graphite!
A new Bolduc pinblock was installed and is glued to the stretcher and sides per factory standards. The cast iron plate was thoroughly filled and sanded, and new ebony black gloss paint applied. Custom black and red felt accents compliment the strung area, and red lettering accentuates the effect.
New red accent Mason and Hamlin decals are installed on the soundboard and inner rim on the bass side.
The Capo D’Astro bar was cleaned and profiled, and all new Yamaha CF concert grand agraffes were installed. The piano was restrung with all new German Roslau wire, and all new custom measured and optimized J.D. Grandt bass strings.
The piano had 8 mono chord bass strings, and 12 bichord bass strings, but interestingly enough, the plate and bridge had the space and tick marks from the factory for the addition of 7 trichord bass notes (ala Steinway Model D design). The plate was drilled, extra hitch pins installed, and the bridge drilled and notched for the addition of the 7 trichord notes, with the scale optimized for this design. The end result was a seamless transition from the tenor section into the bass section, and a volume and clarity increase.
A new Tokiwa Mason and Hamlin specific design damper tray was duplicated and installed, and a new Wessell, Nickel and Gross sostenuto bar was fabricated and installed for optimal sostenuto performance.
All new Tokiwa Mason and Hamlin wippens and shanks and flanges were installed as well as German Renner G5 blue hammers.
The original keyset has been completely refurbished with new key bushings, new Kawai Neotex keytops, new backchecks and wires, new key end felts, new Wessell, Nickel and Gross anodized capstans, all keypins polished and cleaned to new condition, and all new keyframe felts installed.
The legs and lyre were completely restored, and the special one of a kind leg locks were modified to insure stability and rigidity. All pedal trapwork is new and custom designed.
The instrument has been concert performance tuned, voiced and tone regulated to A-440. The tone and touch is exemplary and will compete with any new high end piano currently produced.
In addition to the high level restoration and refinishing of this world class piano, a Wayne Stahnke LX Live Performance High Resolution Player system (produced circa 2008) has been installed featuring all 88 note capability, and both sustain and soft shift proportional pedal solenoids.
As rare as the piano itself, the LX system was the predecessor to the amazing Steinway SPIRIO player piano system, and is no longer in production, but is sought after for the ultimate in playback capability.
Be sure to check out the video below to see and hear the LX system in action and even enjoy it as shopping music while you browse the gallery images and other pianos featured on this page.
We consider this piano our “Magnum Opus” with an attention to detail that we provide to all our clients. Some images of the restoration process are included in the final slides of the image gallery below.
Offered for Sale: $139,950
Inquire about and/or schedule an appointment to experience this piano:
Call (818) 769-5902 or email Franco_Skilan@hotmail.com
