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MMD > Archives > November 2015 > 2015.11.30 > 03Prev  Next


Market Value of Old Player Pianos
By Luke Myers

Hello once again,  This is what I get sick and tired of and upset
about seeing: ads in Craigslists of other states and cities for
"player" pianos with this familiar caption: "Player mechanism removed".
If one is going to sell a former player piano on an online ad, they
could at least list it as a plain _piano_ and not mislead those of us
who like the intact players.

And then there are the people who have little to no idea of how much
work it might take to restore their player piano which has "a leak in
the bellows".  If it is anything, it is a leak in at least 40 or more
bellows, especially if the player action has suffered insect damage.

I am of the opinion that the average college-age adult cares almost
less than nothing about player pianos or how priceless and valuable
they _can_ be, not how valuable they "are" to "Grandma's family".

I've seen tons of old players when I've been going through Craigslist
ad after Craigslist ad, and most of them need full restoration.  If
everyone cared as much about players as they did back in the 1920s,
there would be no "leaks in bellows", or "wires needing connection".

Another thing I saw just the other day was an ad for a PianoDisc
system, which boasted itself as being "the most advanced player system
today".  If you ask me, the pneumatic player actions of the 1920s and
1930s will _never_ be surpassed in longevity, quality, enjoyability,
memorability, and strength.

The electronic players are a gimmick.  I do not take that statement
back, and I do not intend to, as I have little interest in them.  They
just aren't as good.  Period.

And finally there are the people who get the idea that their
unrestored, basically-junk player piano, is somehow worth at least $5K,
no matter what!  These people say, "Selling as is.  Can be worth a lot
if restored.  Will not go down on price.  No lowballing, please.
Scammers will not be answered."

And these people usually have a handy link to the Antique Piano Shop
showing a restored player piano of the same brand and make, selling for
(at least for most of us) a completely un-affordable price, like $23,000.

I think you all get the point.

Luke Myers
ldmyers95@gmail.com.geentroep [delete ".geentroep" to reply]


(Message sent Mon 30 Nov 2015, 03:43:52 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Market, Old, Pianos, Player, Value

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