August Forster is a top-tier German piano that is quite rare in the United States and is in an elite league of pianos. Something that is typical of pianos from Europe is that they each have their distinct tonal characteristics. The 170 is hand built from the ground up like all August Forsters, and the piano’s sound easily fits into the sound category of semi-concert grand because of the quality of the single piece Siberian spruce soundboard and design excellence.

This piano has a wide tail which makes room for a larger soundboard than typically found in pianos of this size. This produces a broad tonal landscape that is warm and round. The piano maintains an overall sonic clarity that is typical of the best German pianos. The soundboard has excellent crown resulting in a sustained, singing treble. The sound is crisp and clear yet round and warm. The action has been regulated for fluid performance and ease of playing.

This piano is an excellent choice for someone looking for a German piano on the highest order with a massive sound, yet small enough to fit in a typical home.

I have provided a portfolio of photos of the instrument that fully covers the details of my August Forster at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1HaJMA4xsFLRM0GR1srzJbCHEIpihc4ew?usp=sharing

The piano has only had two owners, my grandmother, Dorothy Elliott Severs who purchased it in Holland in 1955, and myself (I received it as an inheritance). It has always been kept in a smoke free climate controlled home, and has been protected by a custom made protective cover and leg protectors (shown in the photographs) which comes with the piano.

The piano's Serial Number is 118215. It was constructed in 1953 in Lobau Saxony

The piano was rebuilt, and subsequently regulated and adjusted to factory specifications by Carl Radford in 2017 (773-761-5397) |carlradford440@gmail.com |www.radfordpiano.com) who was head of the Piano Technicians Guild and is considered a top technician in the Chicago area.

I have placed Carl's table of the before and after regulation key weights in the folder with the photos.

In The Piano Book by Larry Fine, the German-made August Förster piano receives the highest possible rating in the areas of performance, quality control, and confidence (Fine’s term for general durability). In his "High Quality Performance Pianos" category, Fine ranks the modern August Förster piano as just below such internationally respected instruments as C. Bechstein, Grotrian, and Bösendorfer. In addition, Fine praises the modern Förster piano for its "remarkable bass," and also comments on a particular "responsiveness" of the Renner action when observed in the Förster application.