Members ElectricPuppy Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 I have some extended family that have to move and won't have room for their piano. It's a turn-of-the-century baby grand Steinway in good condition. I played it once, it was lovely. It's got a fairly ornate carved cabinet, I'm guessing it's about 5-1/2 feet or so. All the key ivories are intact. If this was yours, how wold you sell it? Ebay? Craig's List? Is there a better venue for something like this? I've requested pictures and measurements so I'll post 'em for you piano junkies to ogle over. The shame here is that none of them play. It sits, silent and unloved, little more than a piece of furniture. I'd take it, but I've already got a piano. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Markeyz Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 Take it anyways. Unless you've got a Boesendorfer. Or a nice M&H for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phaeton Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 Yeah, serious. Find a way to take it. I'm sure you'll be glad that you did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members flat earth Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 Maybe sell the one you got (if its inferior) to make space for the (Homer voice).... 'lovely Steinway' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zzzxtreme Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 steinways are used in even japan concert halls. there's nothing like it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xpander Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 I have some extended family that have to move and won't have room for their piano. It's a turn-of-the-century baby grand Steinway in good condition. I played it once, it was lovely. It's got a fairly ornate carved cabinet, I'm guessing it's about 5-1/2 feet or so. All the key ivories are intact. If this was yours, how wold you sell it? Ebay? Craig's List? Is there a better venue for something like this? I've requested pictures and measurements so I'll post 'em for you piano junkies to ogle over. The shame here is that none of them play. It sits, silent and unloved, little more than a piece of furniture. I'd take it, but I've already got a piano. have a good piano tech tune it & evaluate its condition, they usually have a ton of insights. you should really have a high-end piano like that tuned regularly anyways, you dont want to sell something so price-y without bringing it to prime condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Gribs Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 have a good piano tech tune it & evaluate its condition, they usually have a ton of insights. you should really have a high-end piano like that tuned regularly anyways, you dont want to sell something so price-y without bringing it to prime condition. I agree. Spend a couple of hundred dollars to find out if the piano is worth keeping versus the piano that you have now. Also do some research yourself. It may be very well worth the effort in the long run. Either way a tech needs to look at the piano. An appraiser may be different than a tech though a really good tech will know. My office buddy hired a consultant to help find his Steinway Grand and then his technician (a well-known local guy) offered him about 2X what he paid for it right on the spot which was more than the price for a similarly-sized new Steinway. I guess he lucked out and got a piano that was made at a "right" time (for various technical reasons involving materials and construction techniques that he told me about but I can't remember now). The piano came from an older Mormon couple and had been used for lessons and practice for their children. Part of the deal was that my office buddy had to send them a picture so that they would be sure the piano was going to a family and not for commercial purposes. It was a little weird but well worth it. Edit - I just talked to my office buddy and it was not a consultant but a wholesaler that he used to get his piano. He had the technician look at it after he bought it. He also did quite a bit of research on his own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members frogmonkey Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 My tech also restores old pianos and does appraisals. His appraisals don't come cheap, though. When I talked about selling my piano, he offered to sell it for me, but he would take a commission, something like 10% (on a $10,000- 15,000 sale). His appraisals are thorough, including research into the history of the piano, and his reputation is untarnished and widely known in Vermont. He comes in contact with a lot of potential buyers who trust him. I didn't take him up on the offer. I tried Craigslist for a little while, showed the piano to a couple of people, but didn't find any takers. $12,000 is a hard sell around here. I stopped trying, put some work and money into regulating the action, and called it good. Still, if I could get my hands on a nice Steinway with ivory keys, I would make room for it. I like those ivories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cygnus64 Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 I would email every college music dept in the area, every venue that caters to classical, the local AFM, prominent piano teachers in the area, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members idiotboy Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 What's an AFM? Good advice Cygnus. You could add local studios and piano stores I guess. Craigslist seems the most likely candidate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cygnus64 Posted August 14, 2009 Members Share Posted August 14, 2009 What's an AFM? American Federation of Musicians, aka the Union. Some of them might have a bulletin board or something to put an ad up. A college music dept might have 100 pianos or more. Every teacher will have one in their studio (even if they don't use them), half the practice rooms will have one, there's a piano every five feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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