In my opinion, and from what I've been told, square pianos were never very good, even when they were brand news. (Maybe that's why they stopped making them after 40 years of production). I've restored a few, even Steinway squares, and none of them turned out to be what I would call great instruments. They play, and with care, can be enjoyed as a musical instrument, but even a properly restored square isn't as good as a modern piano. If the minister is going to spend any money on a piano, that it would be much more practical to spend it on a newer used piano. I don't know where the church got the estimated values on this piano, but I would suspect it was done by an antique dealer. Perhaps as an antique piece of furniture, the piano might be worth $3000, but as a musical instrument, it's not worth more than a couple of hundred. And after spending money to restore it, it might be worth $5,000. A far cry from the anticipated $25,000. The piano store I work for recently sold a Steinway square in reasonably good condition for $3500. About 20 years ago I was asked to look at a square for evaluation and possible repairs. A young man had purchased it from his family's estate in the Ozarks for $5000 and moved to it St. Louis. He took out a loan to pay for it, because he was told it would be worth $25,000 with just a few thousand dollars worth of repairs. He almost cried when I told him the piano was worth maybe a couple of hundred, and that even after spending $5000, it might be worth about $2000. A customer here in Hawaii spent $10,000 to restore a Decker square. She now thinks it's worth $25,000 and wants to use it as trade to get a restored Queen Ann grand. She's still looking for a dealer who'll make a deal with her. Wim -----Original Message----- From: Leslie Bartlett <l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net> To: pianotech <pianotech at ptg.org> Sent: Sun, Apr 22, 2012 5:39 am Subject: [pianotech] FW: FUMC Estate Sale - Piano A friend sent this to me, wondering if it might be worth buying for her son. She is a reverend, and cannot afford to light campfires with $100 bills at all. I’d appreciate comments on this from people who know about technical stuff, but who also know if a square in 21st century really might be a viable instrument to a person who is not going to be a high level performer, specializing in Period Music. Thanks, Les bartlett Hello to all of our great customers. We do not have a sale scheduled until May 18 & 19. We have not yet begun work on the sale, so will not have a list and photos until early May. However, there is one item in the sale we want to tell you about. There is an Emerson square grand piano. The piano was made about 1885, and is truly beautiful. For someone who wants this piano as a musical instrument to play, it would have to be restored. Without restoration, it is just a pretty piece of furniture. It would be perfect for a house museum. We are asking $3000 for this piano. After restoration, its value would be $25,000 to $30,000. If you want this piano for yourself, great. If you know of anyone who might be interested, we would appreciate your sending this information to them. Here is the link to photos and additional information about this Emerson square grand piano. Piano First United Methodist Church Estate Sale Committee No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1913 / Virus Database: 2411/4952 - Release Date: 04/22/12 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/20120422/e2bc2eac/attachment.htm>
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC