Chickering 109c
Chickering 109c, c.1895, #80857. A 6’3″, 88-note Erard-action yacht-tail parlor grand.
The wide bass cheek block reveals a 6″ soundboard extension along the straight side of the
case, bringing the piano to 61″ wide — extra real estate that develops an exceptionally
warm bass and tenor for an instrument under 7′.
At a glance
| Model/scale | 109c |
| Type | Yacht-tail parlor grand |
| Year | c.1895 |
| Serial | 80857 |
| Length | 6’3″ |
| Width | 61″ |
| Notes | 88 |
| Action | Erard |
| Status | For Sale |
Restoration detail
All functional parts fully restored in 2021: new low-compression soundboard, bridge caps, and pin blocks; Paulello nickel-plated plain wire and Paulello core copper-wound strings, with soft-iron wraps in the high-bass transition. Ronsen Bacon felt hammers. Single-offset keys fully restored, shimmed, and spaced, with Tharan mineral keytops; original flared keys retained. WNG composite action parts (new — these were replaced rather than rebuilt because I hadn’t yet begun reproducing my own action parts, and the originals were unusually challenged). Chickering’s original leverage respected throughout.
Chickering 109c Audio Sample from Claude Debussy’s Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
Chickering 109c Audio Sample from Franz Schubert’s Op. 90
