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The Eshelby family has been
involved in the piano trade continuously since 1886, spanning five
generations. Two family members became managing directors of Steinway
and Sons Pianos at their London branch.
After working at
Steinway's in Hamburg, Germany, for fifteen years E.A. Eshelby
transferred to South Africa in 1939. Shortly after his arrival he
founded Eshelby Pianos which has continued ever since. J.G.
Eshelby, his son, has continued the business with his son, Deon.
They have acquired a reputation for business integrity and first class
traditional craftsmanship, They now operate from their workshop
and showroom at Winsome Valley, which is in the Oori Nature
Reserve on the Crocodile Ramble tourist route. On the tourist map,
The Crocodile Ramble, issued by the Gauteng Tourism authority,
they are reference number R07.
Deon now handles most of the day to day business of repairing,
restoring, tuning, buying, selling, and delivering their pianos, whilst
Jimmy helps him whenever it is necessary.
His mother, Helga, does all the normal office work of running a
business, which includes everything from sending out the monthly hire
invoices, banking, answering the continuously ringing phone, and dealing
with all the other hundred-and-one activities necessary to keep the
business on track and their customers happy.
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All repair and restoration
work is done at Winsome Valley, the home of Eshelby Pianos, by
Deon, with help, when necessary, from his
father, Jimmy. Both are expert craftsmen, and take a great deal of pride
in their work.
They distinguish between repairs and restoration,
since repair work is quite different to accurate
restoration. Antique guides and collectors constantly stress the
importance of good restoration, which should be a combination of minimal
work, the use of correct and contemporary types of material, and a need
to remain as close to the original as possible in correcting any
problem.
Any repair work should be undertaken in such a manner
that it can be undone in the future, should this step be necessary.
The aim of restoration is to maintain the correct criteria required, and
to prevent deterioration. It should not be done to falsify age or
quality, or to hide defects.
Due to the nature of piano restoration, parts such as hammerheads, felts
and so on, inevitably have to be replaced due to wear, but replacement
parts as close to the originals should be used. These replacement parts
should be of the highest possible quality so that the original overall
quality of an instrument is not compromised, and to maintain the correct
sound and touch characteristics of the instrument.
Piano makers take
pride in producing a certain sound, which is probably why its first
purchaser chose that particular make. Given this, the consensus among
restorers is that work need not be made invisible to hide the fact
that repairs or restoration was necessary, but rather to maintain the
original character.
Occasionally, due to a lack of understanding, or
because an unscrupulous dealer wants to inflate costs, pianos are
unnecessarily over-restored – something which cannot be remedied later.
You need to remember
that the instrument in your possession will eventually be passed on
to your heir, consequently it is a duty to both value and correctly
maintain it, just as one would any other exceptional item of
furniture or artwork.
This, of course, has the added benefit of the
piano keeping a good monetary value. If no one cares, the day will
eventually come when there will not be a good original example in
existence.
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