[pianotech] Upright price

[Dean May]

One thing you must realize, Noah, is there is a quite a bias on this list
against old uprights. Which is too bad, because even though there are
zillions out there richly deserving of their scorn, there are still many
that make very nice instruments and have beautiful cabinets. 

 

Your job, as the buyer's agent, is to discern what they are looking for and
help them find it for the best price. Their decorating scheme may demand and
pretty old upright. And if you can make a decent playing piano out of it for
less than $500 and they love the cabinet, then they'll have a decent piano
that fits their needs for less than $1k. If it could be done for $10k and
still fits their budget, I wouldn't think twice about giving them the
recommendation, and I have done that very thing with older uprights with
PianoDisc installed. Just be sure to give them full disclosure that they
will never be able to recoup their investment. What they'll have is a very
unique piece: a beautiful antique piano that plays and sounds nice and fits
their needs. 

 

Dean

Dean W May                        (812) 235-5272 voice and text

PianoRebuilders.com           (888) DEAN-MAY         

Terre Haute IN 47802           Give us a LIKE on Facebook! Go to
<https://www.facebook.com/pages/PianoRebuilderscom/137780082943148>
PianoRebuilders.com

  _____  

From: pianotech-bounces at ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces at ptg.org] On Behalf
Of Noah Frere
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 9:27 AM
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Subject: [pianotech] Upright price

 

I gave an estimate for repairs/assessment last week of a 90 year old Werner
upright who's player components had been removed. The insides were as
expected, though on the better side. Only one broken note (hammer flange),
few if any cracks in soundboard/bridges. However, the sound was clearly 90
years old and the bobbling hammers, etc. left much to be desired. 

The seller was asking $275, to which I immediately responded (the potential
buyer and I were alone) that it was too much, and I would ask for it for
$50, but go up to $100 or even $150. Soon afterwards my attention went back
to the case, which I had forgotten about, and realized it was in very good
condition. The owner came in, and, hearing about the condition of the
interior, and the $100 offer, began to cry. She needed to sleep on it. 

As the hours and days progressed, I started double-guessing myself. Had I
over-emphasized the interior while ignoring the quality exterior? 
Maybe it was worth $275. 

Hmm...

  _____  

No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2012.0.1873 / Virus Database: 2101/4646 - Release Date: 11/29/11

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20111129/c94e71e1/attachment.htm>