[ Diane DeTar wrote in 051025 MMDigest:

> I have heard of rebuilders doing estimates and quoting outlandish
> resale values after the piano is completely rebuilt.  Customers
> should be made aware that finding a buyer nowadays is like finding
> a needle in a haystack.

Hi all,  Kim Bunker here from www.playerpianos.com with regards to
the recent article about the value placed on a player piano after being
restored.

Once a player piano has been restored, be it upright, grand, Steinway,
etc., it does gain a new value because now it is actually better than
it was when new.  Today we have neoprene, pole cured hose, rubberized
cloth, etc., making a restoration better then when they used lead and
clay.  The value to replace these instruments is set by a standard in
the piano industry.

Art Reblitz wrote a book entitled "Rebuilding the Player Piano".
In it I remember it saying some like it would cost over a hundred
thousand dollars to make a player grand from scratch today.  The resale
value of the marvels today should reflect those prices; however, many
people think that a Mills Violano should sell for $10,000.00, too.

The value of a restored player piano is truly what market will bear.
The piano market is all over the place, up and down -- it solely depends
on where you live.  A good source for price value can be found at
http://www.bluebookofpianos.com/ 

Sincerely yours,
Kim Bunker