1/16/14 10:40 AM

I have a question. I serve as Chair of my town's historical commission. Our High School has a 1908 Model A Steinway grand piano that the high school is petitioning our Community Preservation Committee seeking a grant from our community preservation fund (unique to Massachusetts cities & towns) to restore the piano (still going strong after all these years up on the high school hall stage). My question is what is the value of a 1908 Model A Steinway grand piano? now or after restoration.....

TIA

1/16/14 1:29 PM

I did a bunch of research in the late '80s when I was looking for a piano for my kids to practice on. I wound up getting a 1930s Model M Steinway which is 5' 7", smaller than the Model A, which is 6' 2" which puts it into a higher value category. You might be surprised at the difference.

A quick Google shows Model Ms going for high 20s to high 30s and Model As going for 50s to 70s. A restoration would be well worth it, as long as it is done well.

I've seen good restorations and bad restorations. They make a world of difference in both the sound quality and the value of the resulting piano.

That the school piano has been in more or less continuous use is a good thing. That ivory replacement keysets are probably no longer available is a bad thing.

It might be fun to copy down the serial number of the piano and give the Steinway factory a call. They can tell you exactly when it was made and who they sold it to.

1/16/14 1:56 PM

Im not very good at values, but I do know that Steinway is about the only piano that you can get your money back on after restoring. They sell for more than they are worth musically.

Choosing a restorer is probably the hardest decision. I have no idea who to send you to, as I've seen mostly bad restorations. There aren't very many people on the planet who do first class restorations.

I would suggest sending it to Steinway. I would expect that the restoration would run 20-25K, and you might or might not end up with a good piano.

1/16/14 2:18 PM

Thanks for he info and the suggestion to look up the serial number with the Steinway factory. From a historical perspective it would be interesting to see who owned it and then try to determine who donated or bought it for the high school. As you might guess much of this information gets lost as time passes and people retire.....

1/16/14 2:44 PM

Maybe a better choice would be to trade it for a fully refurbished very good and durable piani.

"I would expect that the restoration would run 20-25K, and you might or might not end up with a good piano."

Let the person that takes it in trade worry about it I say. I have seen some Young Chang pianos very highly regarded by the player. Even some Yamaha pianos I have heard totally positive things about on the high end.

But interested in what the Piani guy sez bout that postulation about trading it out.

You maybe could net cash and get a re-furbed piano suitable for the purpose. Unless the purpose is to have a re-furbed Steinway obviously...

1/16/14 2:52 PM

I'm assuming that the piano has been in continuous service and maintained and tuned regularly. That indicates to me that the soundboard is in good shape and the rest may be in pretty good condition. If you're talking about cosmetics (scratches and gouges to the exterior) and resurfacing/replacing the keys, the cost of refurbishment may be a lot less.

1/16/14 3:38 PM

I was just involved this week as chair of the HistCom (they would want us to weigh in to support the request) Assuming that the piano was donated some time ago there would be interest from HistCom to support the request for maintaining / restoring it from a historical / legacy perspective....

1/16/14 3:47 PM

"I'm assuming that the piano has been in continuous service and maintained and tuned regularly. That indicates to me that the soundboard is in good shape and the rest may be in pretty good condition. If you're talking about cosmetics (scratches and gouges to the exterior) and resurfacing/replacing the keys, the cost of refurbishment may be a lot less."

I'm gonna respectfully disagree. A school represents probably one of the most difficult environments a piano can exist in. High humidity in the summer followed by extremely low humidity in the winter. In the best of cases, a 100+ year old soundboard will suffer compression damge and have reduced crown and therefore reduced downbearing.

When the original poster asked about refurbishment, I assume he meant a rim up rebuild. You are talking about a few repairs.

100 year old strings need replaced, and it would be negligent to pull the plate, paint it, replace the strings and pinblock and leave a 100 plus year old soundboard under all this new work. The soundboard may even be oil canned.(Negative downbearing).

Neither of us can know if the soundboard is good or not, but my experience suggests that it would be prudent to replace it,as Steinway does.

in the trade, it is suggested that people purchase a piano that has already been rebuilt or repaired. That way, you know what you are getting. Some rebuilds just don't come out as well, and the piano just doesn't have great sound, just as some new Steinways are dogs.

I usually suggest that schools get a digital unless they have the budget to tune 4 times a year and replace pianos every 10 years or so. The environments are so brutal that the pianos turn to junk pretty quick.

1/16/14 4:46 PM

That sounds right to me. Sorry 'bout that.

But the question then becomes whether this particular piano was ever refurbished and, if so, how long ago.

By the way, is it safe to assume that a 1908 Model A would have 88 keys?? I seem to recall seeing some with fewer (85??) keys that dated from the 1890s or so. I don't recall when the standard went to 88.

1/16/14 8:03 PM

I have heard of 85 note S&S, but I think they were made in the 1800's. I seem to remember it was a "C", but I may be wrong. I would think the A has 88. Some Bosendorfers have 90 something, adding a few on the bass.

Some days I think all pianos have too many notes...

1/16/14 8:31 PM

Do humidifier systems help pianos survive the harsh school environments. I ask as a music teacher who is starting to fundraise for a new classroom piano. I really prefer the feel and sound of the genuine article but I only have the budget for two tunings per year. Is digital really the best way to go?

David

1/17/14 12:10 PM

I assume you are asking about a Dampp Chaser piano climate control system?

http://www.pianolifesaver.com/english/home.php

Short answer is yes, they work wonders for extending the life and tuning stability.

I don't know what part of the country you are in, but I'll tell you what I know about the Mid-Atlantic.

The system is basically 3 parts- a humidistat/brain that measures the humidity.This will then turn on either the dehumidifier bar/s or the humidifier. This keeps the soundboard at a more stable humidity and helps with tuning stability and reduces cracking.

In an upright, it helps the pinblock and the action. In a grand, it only helps the soundboard.

I usually try to avoid the humidifier part, because it increases the burden on the dehumidifier, but sometimes I install humidifiers. The humidifiers are also sorta high maintenance, needing new pads and cleaned out sometimes, and bacteriostat treatment with refills.

In our piano, I use only the dehumidifier side, as we have a whole house humidifier on the furnace. I prefer to dehumify the piano, and to humidify the room.

The biggest problem in a school or church is keeping it plugged in. Someone runs a vac or moves the piano and does not plug it in. This is worse than not having one, as the piano may see 20 seasons a year instead of 4...

1/17/14 12:31 PM

A musician friend of mine has one on his piano and swears by it. That piano has lived a long life in the Hollywood Hills, on the coast in Half Moon Bay, and now on the southeast coast of England.

1/17/14 1:23 PM

Thanks,
My piano tuner swears by them as well (damp chaser). I have it on my home piano, a Kawai K5 upright. You are right about the keeping them plugged in issue. I am constantly moving my school piano around and forgetting to re-plug in. Then in the summer, no one is around to fill the water tank. (I live in Maine by the way)

David

1/17/14 1:49 PM

Well anyone who has read my posts about houses and crawl spaces regarding RH knows how I feel about wood and moisture.

I don't understand how someone with a valuable instrument can let it live on assumptions of the RH in the environment it will be living.

Big swings cause checks and cracks in wood, or just too dry can. But I will take to dry always over big swings personally.

You can bet your bippy I know what the RH is where all my instruments are living. And I have nothing really worth what we are talking here for sure. ;)

Being a collector of old and reclaimed woods for potential builds, I have my stash and unfinished bodies and necks [lacquer sealed wash coat when shaped] in 45% +/- 5% always. And try to keep the finished instrument close. Of course portable instruments are subject to swings in temps and RH when playing out.

1/18/14 10:41 AM

Here's a harsh environment for ya:

http://youtu.be/4Q_olybarxU