A history lesson on piano makers of the 20th century please.

July 12, 2005 4:17 PM

Chickering, 6' 5" Grand. 1930 make. Conditions aside, is it worth buying? Or better to wait until I've saved enough money for a Steinway?

Conditions are actually decent. Needs some regulating, but sounds good. I'm getting my piano tuner to check it out for a second opinion. Body needs some work, it has no finish as far as I could tell, or it's all been wearing away. Hinges where the piano stand should sit up has chipped away, so work will have to be done on the body. Sounds good though, and the strings, pins and felt were replaced a few years ago. Currently priced at $8500 CAN.

posted by margaretlam to grab bag (7 comments total)

If I liked the way it sounded, I'd buy it.

My own frame of reference is that I have a couple guitars that I bought new for $4K+ (US), and it turns out that the guitar I like playing the most is the $250 Strat I dropped $250 worth of Fralin pickups into. (Although those $4K beasts are in dead heat for a very close second, they're lovely too.)

But, again, if I like the way a guitar sounds and plays, I'm likely to buy it. I guess it's different because most folks don't have more than 1 piano. But I still think if the instrument speaks to you, connects with you, that the price tag really shouldn't even be on the list of concerns.
posted by ikkyu2 at 7:48 PM on July 12, 2005

Also, it occurs to me that I've heard some really ponderous, middy-bassy, dark Steinways that I didn't like at all. And I've even heard a perfectly delightful Steinway that was simply outshone by the powerful yet perfectly clear and balanced Bösendorfer sitting next to it (in the Kirkland House Junior Common Room at Harvard, if any piano snobs care. Apparently people who know pianos are likely to know of this particular instrument; there were always famous pianists stopping in to play it at dinner-time, just for their own amusement.)

And the point of that is that you can always find a more expensive instrument to dream about or pay for, and that this may really not bear any relevance to what would make you happy to have sitting in your music room for the purpose of your own playings.
posted by ikkyu2 at 7:51 PM on July 12, 2005

Seventy five years is a long time. You might ask your tuner if the pins are regulation size - or oversize to compensate for changes in the sound board.
Some time ago, I antiqued an old upright for children to play on. The case was funky, but the works were OK. It was fun and they were intrigued by a colorful instrument.
Not suggesting that you try refinishing a serious piano! There was a New York Times series recently that followed the birth and ultimate shipping of a piano at the Steinway factory. Very interesting.
posted by Cranberry at 10:54 PM on July 12, 2005

If you like it, buy it - but bear in mind that pianos don't get better as they age, but are likely to require more money to stay in the same condition. On the upside, if you take good care of it, you can go to your grave knowing you did a good thing by that piano!
posted by altolinguistic at 1:00 AM on July 13, 2005

$8000 CDN for a parlor grand? It'd have to be in very good condition. Naturally, the degree to which you love the sound is inversely proportional to how much you care about the price or "value", but you should be aware that non-concert length Chickerings from the 20s and 30s can be found for roughly the same price all over. This isn't a particularly great deal, but neither are you getting taken for a ride.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:41 AM on July 13, 2005

If you buy a piano that old, be sure to have it checked out by somebody thoroughly qualified. Pianos don't age perfectly, and some problems might only become obvious when you attempt to have it tuned and voiced.

As far as Steinway versus Bosendorfer, both are very individual instruments with each piano sounding and feeling quite different than the next. Finding a piano that is capable of producing the voice you desire is the most important thing.
posted by mosch at 12:02 AM on July 14, 2005

Thanks for everyone's contribution. I did have a piano technician check it out with me yesterday, and he confirmed that it's got a beautifully rich base, and the action is good. I love the touch/tone myself, but the upper register isn't so great. It looks like the soundboard was repaired a few years ago, but it wasn't a good job.

Decided against it. If I had the money to spare and I could just buy a new 'toy', this is actually a very interesting piano historically, and in pretty good shape considering it's 75 years old. The search for my instrument continues.... thanks!
posted by margaretlam at 11:30 AM on July 14, 2005