[pianotech] Ny Times article on pianos

[David Boyce]

I enjoyed your post David.  You address some issues I have tried to 
cover in the FAQ page of my website 
http://www.davidboyce.co.uk/piano-faq.php , and also in the Buying a 
Secondhand Piano page (and to some extent also on the Birdcage page).
On the FAQ page I have the questions:
My piano is an Antique. Is it valuable?;
My piano's really old and there are broken action parts. Can you fix it?;
Were older pianos better made than modern ones?;
This was my great-granny's piano. It's of sentimental value and I could 
never part with it. Can you make it good?

Your post really covers the answers to all of those!

Best regards,

David Boyce

> I probably get at least two calls a week inquiring about "restoring" 
> grandma's old upright piano.  When I run the numbers by them they are 
> generally shocked thinking that a piano could be "restored" for $1000 
> - $1500.  The reality is that these pianos have a starting value of 
> -$500 because that's what it would cost to have someone come and haul 
> them away. Simple restringing, action reconditioning, cheap finish and 
> you are into the piano for minimum of $10,000.  Now the piano is worth 
> $1500.   While there are certainly many pianos out there that have 
> good musical potential, the cost of manufacturing now is much lower 
> than our own labor costs for restoration work. While Del and others 
> have pointed out the "value added" approach, which has validity, it's 
> a rare opportunity to be able to sell that.  I was sad to see them 
> throwing out this old Knabe as I have restored several old Knabes and 
> they make fine rebuilding pianos.  Most recently I restored an old 
> 5'2" Knabe with a new soundboard, action, finish.  No question that 
> the cost far exceeded the value (and the customer knew that going in), 
> but the piano belonged to her father and she wanted it done.  Those 
> opportunities are rare.   A new Yamaha C1 could have been purchased 
> for less than half the cost of what it took for this piano and there 
> are other manufacturers selling their new pianos for less than that 
> and the reality is, they aren't bad pianos.  The less expensive pianos 
> of today are much better pianos than  the less expensive pianos of 
> yesterday.
>
>
>
> David Love


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