Rebuilt c.2000 Yamaha CFIIIs (9'0") grand piano
Rebuilt Kawai GS50 (6'8") grand piano
OVERS 173 (5'8") small grand piano
OVERS 200 (6'8") conservatory grand piano
OVERS 225 (7'5") semi-concert grand piano
OVERS 280 (9'2") full concert grand piano
OVERS rebuilt Yamaha CFIIIs (9'0") grand piano
This c.2000 Yamaha CFIIIs was privately owned by a piano enthusiast and, following an extensive rebuild, is being offered for sale by Overs Pianos on behalf of the owner. This piano presents a rare opportunity to purchase an Overs rebuilt 9 foot concert grand which is not only built to standards which are the equivalent of a brand new piano, but incorporate design innovations developed by Ron Overs.
The soundboard has rib extensions of Sitka Spruce fitted to the existing soundboard ribs. This allows for the soundbaord panel stiffness to be increased. This procedure has been used by Overs Pianos for many years, and is a suitable modification when a piano has a still-servicable soundboard, but could do with an increase in panel stiffness (it may have been built with inadequate stiffness, may have deteriorated since new, or a combination of the two).
The soundboard has been mass-loaded to achieve a desired balance between tonal power and sustain.
Abel hammers, manufactured using Abel Premium cold pressed felt, and which were bored to custom-fit the piano.
The original front duplex bars were removed and a custom counterbearing bar set, which was hardened and EN plate, fitted to the plate. This allows for a noticeable improvement in the upper treble tonal clarity. The front duplex systems on many grand pianos are far too long, which allows for the counterbearing length (also known as the front duplex length) to interfere with the tonal clarity of the treble.
The bass string scale was revised with the bass scale developed by Ron Overs in the early 1990s for the Steinway model D. The Yamaha CF and Steinway model D share the same bass string scale design, along with an almost identical treble string scale design. Once the bass scale was measured and found to be the same as the model D, a decision was made to include the Overs model D bass scale in this rebuild.
Cosmetically, this piano was stripped down, and many parts were polyester repaired and the entire case buffed and polished.
The castors were refinished.
The action and dampers of this piano have been fully repaired and set up to standards which exceed that of a typical new instrument. It would particularly suit a new-piano institutional buyer. It was used in concert at Sydney Conservatorium for a two piano concert. It was used alongside one of Sydney Conservatorium's newest model D, and was chosen by the pianists as piano no. 1. It could be tried at the Conservatorium alongside the Steinway by appointment.
A separate web page with extra images of this piano, with accompanying text, can be found at;
Yamaha CFIIIs images with text
IMAGE OF OVERS rebuilt YAMAHA CFIIIs
These include;
c. 2000 Yamaha CFIIIs
Price A$149,000 (incl. GST) For Australia
FOB export price A$135,400.
Ph. +61 2 9736 2332 or
email Overs Pianos for further information
OVERS rebuilt KAWAI GS50 grand piano
Overs Pianos recently completed rebuilding this 6'8" (200 cm) grand piano and is offering the piano for sale with a ten-year conditional warranty. This is not just another 'partly-rebuilt used piano' to the original factory specifications. It was rebuilt to as-new condition incorporating several innovations, which were developed by Ron Overs for inclusion in the Australian made Overs grand pianos, and also in this rebuilt Kawai GS50. These include special string terminations (EN plated and hardened agraffes and reshaped and hardened capo' and front duplex bars), an adjusted soundboard mass/stiffness balance to improve the sustain/power relationship, Abel hammers which were bored to custom-fit the piano, revised action geometry (to improve the touch), recapped bridges with in-house-manufactured multi-laminated bridge capping, redesigned bass with a new Overs bass scale (for a 'darker' bass and longer-piano tonal characteristics), completely reset down bearing (a 15 hour job in the Overs workshop prior to re-stringing) and a complete cosmetic refinish to both the casework and the iron plate. For those who remember Brock Commodores, this piano could similarly be called an Overs Kawai. The Australian made Overs 6'8" grand (OVERS mod. 200) is currently priced at over A$75,000 incl. GST, so at A$35,000 incl. GST (for Australian buyers) this rebuilt grand represents exceptionally good value (For international buyers the price would be A$31,818 FOB - international buyers are exempted from GST).
IMAGE OF OVERS rebuilt KAWAI GS50
Overs Pianos rebuilt Kawai GS50
POA. Ph. 61 2 9736 2332 or
email Overs Pianos for further information
OVERS model 173 studio grand piano
This piano is currently at the 2D plan and side-elevation drawing stage.
Only the case outline and the soundboard cut-off location can be shown
at this time, since we shortly will be taking out a patent application
on certain aspects of the internal design. For the information of
technicians, this design doesn't have, or need, a treble cut-off
because the case has been designed to provide support for the desired
soundboard area, without fitting a treble cut-off to further reduce the
upper-treble area. Based on our analysis of this new scale, the
associated soundboard area and active rib lengths, we are expecting
this piano to be tonally the equivalent of a typical contemporary 200 -
211 cm (6'8") grand piano. The overall-scale tension deviation is 10%
less than that of a conventional concert grand, ie. a Steinway concert
piano and the numerous clones of this piano which are being produced at
this time (less tension deviation will result in better tuning
stability). The new scale of this model 173 grand will almost certainly
result in a piano which only requires annual tunings, even in high use
institutional environments. And while this piano will be a very fine
instrument for home use when a longer-piano tone is desired but space
is limited, it will equally fulfill the requirements of University and
college teaching studios. The reduced service requirements of the Overs
action, combined with the piano's even tonal characteristics and
outstanding tuning stability will make it a highly desirable instrument
and a leader in its class - a claim which will not simply be market
spin.
This piano will be developed after the Overs 131 cm upright piano. The 131 upright prortotype is under construction.
The Overs 173 - under development
POA. Ph. 61 2 9736 2332 or
email Overs Pianos for further information
OVERS 200 GRAND PIANO
The first of these 200 cm grand pianos was commissioned by St Andrews Residential College at Sydney University. The launch concert took place on March 30, 2008. Gerard Willems performed Beethoven's Tempest Sonata as the opening work, which was followed by several other choral and instrumental items of a high standard from various of the College students and staff. The string scale and soundboard design for this piano follows a similar design approach to that which was used for the scale and soundboard of the Overs 225 model. The treble bridge scale has geometrically increasing speaking lengths, which results in a more even graduation of tension from note to note, which helps to improve tuning stability. The soundboard design includes the Overs I-rib and a large full size bass-corner multi-laminated soundboard cutoff. The darker moulding strip [made from Antarctic Beech] which is visible on the soundboard between the treble bridge and bass corner, indicates where the cutoff is located underneath the soundboard. The cutoff is fixed to a main back beam as well as the soundboard panel, which provides a much more secure soundboard perimeter than the more common style of cutoff, where it is attached only to the soundboard panel (and very often is made only from Spruce). Image below shows piano no. 7 being loaded for delivery to St Andrews College.
IMAGE OF OVERS 200 No. 7
Loading the Overs 200 no. 7 for delivery
POA. Ph. 61 2 9736 2332 or
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OVERS 225 GRAND PIANO
These performance pianos have gained a reputation as one of the finest contemporary 7 foot class instruments available at any price. Piano No. 003 was exhibited at the 2001 US national PTG convention in Reno Nevada to critical acclaim. This piano was used for several recording projects and various concerts during 2002 - 2003. Commercial CDs recorded include Mike Nock's Changing Seasons, Scott Davie's Rachmaninoff Lilacs You are invited to compare directly the Overs 225 with instruments of any size including concert pianos from other leading manufacturers, in a Sydney concert venue or performance space. Several innovations in Overs grand pianos are unique, and Ron Overs is committed to moving the performance of the acoustic piano to new levels of excellence.
Orders are now invited for OVERS 225 piano no. 8.
IMAGES OF OVERS MODEL 225
Rear view image of no. 003
Full overhead image of no. 003
POA. Ph. 61 2 9736 2332 or
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Overs 225 no. 6 in Boston, USA, buyer's residence
This image is 126K and will take approximately 20 secs to load with a 56K modem. The detail of the workmanship and layout accuracy is clearly visible. Notice that the string angle spacing exhibits a uniformity which is not so common, even amongst high class manufacturers. For many years now, carefully executed work has been a hallmark of the instruments coming from the Overs workshop.
This image is 252K and will take approximately 60 secs to load with a 56K modem.
POA. Ph. 61 2 9736 2332 or email Overs Pianos for further information