My project for this summer was working on a Bechstein C Grand Piano (7"6"). This piano was built in Berlin in 1913. The piano was in good shape for being 107 years old, having been shipped to American, and finally ending up in a used piano store in New York where the current owner purchased the piano. The piano was then transported to Alberta, Virginia.
One of the challenges of tuning this piano was that the strings were old and kept breaking, especially in the bass. I replaced 3 bass strings and 1 treble string. Getting the strings to go through parts that were old and gunky (see pictures) kept me busy. The piano has been tuned and the new strings are on, ready for the owner to enjoy playing again.
A bit of history on Bechstein pianos. Bechstein was founded in 1853 by Carl Bechstein in Berlin. Bechstein is considered to be one of the best brands of pianos. Their consistency in quality and ability to continue being in business after having had factories bombed during WWI and WWII, marks them as being persistent in producing pianos for concert and everyday enjoyment. Bechstein also produces pianos now under the brand names of Hoffmann and Zimmermann.