[pianotech] help with Baldwin L appraisal value

[Avery]

Ever heard the old thing about not mentioning someone's name unless  
you want them to show up? Hasn't been more than 2-3 days since I asked  
about Terry and here he is again! LOL

On Feb 2, 2010, at 8:27 AM, John Formsma <formsma at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for this real-world example, Terry. And nice to see you back  
> on the list! I was wondering if you'd let yourself be eaten by a  
> shark. :-)
>
> --
> JF
>
> On Tue, Feb 2, 2010 at 5:57 AM, Terry Farrell <mfarrel2 at tampabay.rr.com 
> > wrote:
> Hi John! I might be able to give you a little help. This past spring  
> I sold my personal piano, a 1992 Boston GP-178 (5' 10") grand. I  
> think the Baldwin L is 6' 4"? My Boston was in absolute showroom  
> condition - well, better than showroom because it was finely  
> regulated, etc. and I sold it for $9K. I was happy with the sale  
> price because of the poor sales market then. I know they were happy  
> with the price because they got a good deal on a fabulous piano.  
> When I went to tune it a few weeks after the sale, the pastor walked  
> up to me and said (he didn't know I was the one who sold it to them)  
> "why did they sell it - it's like new?"
>
> With that in mind, your piano is a bit larger, but a few years  
> older, and clearly from your description of condition, it's way down  
> the road from what mine was. I'd say your estimate of a realistic  
> market value is something pretty close to the mark - or maybe even a  
> little less.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Terry Farrell
>
>
>
> On Feb 1, 2010, at 11:02 PM, John Formsma wrote:
>
> List,
>
> I'm writing up a market value appraisal for a 1985 satin ebony  
> Baldwin L grand. Would appreciate any input on the following.
>
> It's in reasonably good mechanical condition. No obvious problems,  
> other than what we've come to expect as features on Baldwin grands.
>
> There are some finish issues, which I think might cost up to $800 to  
> repair to look fairly nice. Small chips and some cracking developing  
> on the top of the stretcher.
>
> 1 mm of crown at the longest rib; none elsewhere. Positive bearing.
>
> Bridges OK, some minor checking in places. Sound is typical Baldwin,  
> with sustain of 7 seconds at C6, 3-4 seconds at C7,
>
> Tuning pins tight, as expected. Most steel strings are coated  
> lightly with rust, more at the bass end, less at the treble. All  
> string coils are lightly rusted, except in the very treble section.  
> This is the kind of rust that looks bad, but wouldn't necessarily  
> affect tone or cause string breakage. It looks like it was in a damp  
> environment for a while (comes from Florida originally).
>
> The action is in good condition -- not excessive wear. Would benefit  
> from minor reconditioning (cleaning, polishing key pins, hammer  
> reshaping) and regulation.
>
> According to Larry Fine's depreciation schedule and a 2008-2009  
> price of a new L at $40K, an "Average" Baldwin L would be valued  
> roughly at $13,600. However, with the rust and finish issues, my  
> "gut" tells me a more realistic market value would be somewhere  
> between $7-8.5K.
>
> Input?
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