Piano price

About valuation of pianos, appraisals, what experts look for.

A piano expert has written a book listing names of 12000 piano manufacturers.
That's not the full quota. I have friends who built pianos.
They're not in the book. They weren't very good pianos exactly.
And there'd be some more like that still around, I imagine : )

I receive a great deal of email enquiry from those with old pianos either handed down from a relative or purchased cheaply at some antique shop.
Perhaps it was branded with some obscure name - and having searched the internet unsuccessfully, people turn to the Piano Advisory for information about price or a bit of history on the maker.
Sometimes we can help - and I'm always happy to do so, but there's a good chance that no detailed information survives.

One web site lists around 700 names of well known instrument makers but pretty much all you'll learn is the date the company got started.
Wondering about the other 11300 piano manufacturers?
Well... some weren't in business for long and just didn't keep production records. And of course, much info about many European makers will have been lost or destroyed as a result of a war or two.

As you can see, details about many pianos may be sketchy and for yours, there may simply be nothing at all.

But then, owners may simply be asking me whether they should consider theirs is "valuable" as an antique piano and if it's worth restoring?In such cases I am forced to reply that "from the description given, though it may be a quite reasonable instrument - I have no way of providing any reliable answer".

Even when piano "experts" are familiar with various makes and models, can you imagine the difficulty involved in evaluating "unsighted" any one of 12000 brand names of pianos?

Among these, many will have been subjected to adverse Atmospheric Conditions, Rough Handling, Neglect or Vermin attacks ( yes, even Mice find living conditions most pleasant within this musical environment - making their nests from the nice little felts they find in abundance not to mention all those excellent soft woody bits great to nibble on and keep our teeth sharp! )

So clearly, online pricing methods and opinions might be rather vague and with little bearing on a piano's true value.

Is it possible to appraise a piano without a personal inspection? (see footnote)

In general, there are few guidelines to aid in estimating values and even an experienced piano technician's assessment of a piano's worth might be based on certain personal preferences.
Owners often assume their pianos are worth a certain amount, perhaps having noticed similar models being offered by dealers, or pianos privately advertised at high prices.
But then, many of these owners are forced to accept trade prices in order to dispose of them and as is often the case with cars, boats, etc... "asking" price may be quite different to what the buyer pays for a used piano.

While your piano may be well constructed, well kept and working ok ... it's "quality" can't really be determined unless examined by a piano specialist; and that usually means someone actively involved in sales of older models in your local marketplace.

You could ask some piano merchants to call around and make you an offer : )
Most know it's a complete waste of their time and will politely decline.
So you're looking at paying an expert say $50 - $70(?) for his time and a written opinion on how much it's worth or how much you might get for it privately.

In evaluating a piano's worth we consider such things as:
1 The type of piano;   2 Its size;
3 The make or brand name;   4 Age of the piano;
5 General condition;   6 Its Playability;
7 Operation of the more than 4000 action components;
8 Tuning Pin tightness;   9 Condition of the Bridges;
10 Keyboard appearance;   11 Clunks, Squeaks and Rattles;
12 Soundboard integrity;   13 String condition;
14 Musical tonality; 15 Potential for restoration;
16 and probably most important of all... "how we FEEL" about this particular piano.

We also take into account current market conditions, prevailing economic influences and insight into buyer interest levels at any given time.

Whilst you may be reluctant to pay for a valuation, you'll no doubt appreciate the difficulties in being able to obtain pertinent information by other means - unless you simply take Dealers comments and (should they express interest in buying it) use their submitted prices as a guide to the "rock bottom" value.
*see footnote

  more piano advice and a Pianoman midi.