Advice on getting/moving a Bechstein

[stephenv2]

A member of my family has a old piano, supposedly in excellent shape (according to one local tuner and one amateur player) that turns out to be a 1899 Bechstein upright. Exterior fully restored 10 years ago.

I can have it if I pay to move it. It's near Knoxville, TN and I'm in Greensboro, NC - about 250 miles or so.

How would this piano compare to a modern instrument? Should I get this piano? Professional moving looks like it costs $1000 - $2000 dollars. I assume this piano would sound much better - or not?

Thanks for any help or advice.

[iumonito]

I can't believe myself, but I will give you three pieces of bad advice:

1)  Do get the piano.  This delightful antique will give you hours of pleasure if you have any interest in playing with it as a mechanical thing.  I think it has nearly no value as an instrument, at least from money perspective, so I would very much not recomend you paying a lot of money to have it tuned.  Rather, It sounds to me this is a great intrument to learn how to repair a piano yourself.  Think of it as a 1965 Volvo sedan with about 250000 miles on it.

2)  By all means do not pay $1,000 to move this big toy.  Rent a u-haul and have 4 strong friends with weightlifting belts in each end of your trip.  It will be lots of fun driving this ton of wood, metal and German history up and down the mountains.  Get the toughest nylon belt you can find and pack the piano tight.  Normally I would never recommend you moving a piano yourself, but let's get real, thsi is not really a piano, it is a promise and a dream.

3) Once you are on the other end, I would say the first two things for you to determine is whether you have a crack in the wrestplank and missing strings.  Start posting specific questions about how to figure one or the other, and you can start playing with it.  A new set of hammers, adjusting the action to the extent possible, restringing and changing the tuning pins (and replacing the wrestplank if necessary at that point), maybe even retrofitting the action with a Fandrich, if it fits.  It will give you years of joy.

And who knows, at the end, you may end with one of the nicest upright pianos ever.

On the other hand, if you have $2000 to pay for the move, put another bit and get yourself the smallest Maestoso grand.  The absolute best bang for the buck in the entire world, in my opinion.

Cheers.

[stephenv2]

Rather, It sounds to me this is a great intrument to learn how to repair a piano yourself.  Think of it as a 1965 Volvo sedan with about 250000 miles on it.

I have no interest in learning to repair pianos, but I am looking for a piano to play.

On the other hand, if you have $2000 to pay for the move, put another bit and get yourself the smallest Maestoso grand.  The absolute best bang for the buck in the entire world, in my opinion.

I've never heard of "Maestoso" and did not find anything on google....?

[gkatele]

I've never heard of "Maestoso" and did not find anything on google....?

Go to Pianocraft.net.

They take Chinese pianos, and apply a "hot rod" approach. New action, new strings, lots and lots of TLC.

I've heard they're fabulous.


George

[allthumbs]

Greetings

I can't believe myself, but I will give you three pieces of bad advice:

Well your first statement is certainly true!

I think it has nearly no value as an instrument, at least from money perspective,
 

What! I would disagree with the statement that it has no monetary value. Bechstein was/is a high end instrument nothwithstanding the condition it may be in at the moment and the fact that it is only an upright.

so I would very much not recomend you paying a lot of money to have it tuned.

Not good advice at all. From a piano maintainance stand point, leaving a piano out of tune for long periods at a time compromises the piano's ability to maintain a tuning stability. (Piano technicians help me out here)

From a players standpoint, having an out of tune piano is not good from a listening viewpoint vis a vis hearing what how the piece was intended to be heard (if that makes sense).

Rather, It sounds to me this is a great intrument to learn how to repair a piano yourself.  Think of it as a 1965 Volvo sedan with about 250000 miles on it.

And while you're at it, if you need an appendectomy, check out www.operateonyourselfforfunandprofit.com/idiot Sorry... couldn't resist.

2)  By all means do not pay $1,000 to move this big toy.  Rent a u-haul and have 4 strong friends with weightlifting belts in each end of your trip.  It will be lots of fun driving this ton of wood, metal and German history up and down the mountains.  Get the toughest nylon belt you can find and pack the piano tight.  Normally I would never recommend you moving a piano yourself, but let's get real, thsi is not really a piano, it is a promise and a dream.

Hope you have trusses as well.

A new set of hammers, adjusting the action to the extent possible, restringing and changing the tuning pins (and replacing the wrestplank if necessary at that point), maybe even retrofitting the action with a Fandrich, if it fits.  It will give you years of joy.

And who knows, at the end, you may end with one of the nicest upright pianos ever.

Good advice.

On the other hand, if you have $2000 to pay for the move, put another bit and get yourself the smallest Maestoso grand.  The absolute best bang for the buck in the entire world, in my opinion.

Even better advice.


Cheers

allthumbs

[iumonito]

Oh, I love it; a useless conversation.  Bechstein or no Bechstein, this sounds to me as a hopeless instrument, other than as described.  You should know that Bechsteins (as much as I love them) are actually quite fragile, and that it takes great pains to restore properly.  There is very much indeed such a thing as a piece of junk with the Bechstein logo on it.  Cracked plates are but the beginning.

Specially if it is an upright.  The cost of restoring such an instrument professionally simply makes no sense.  Uprights that expensive make very little sense, even new.  Only the few who have a lot of money and very  very very little space could conceivably choose such an upright over a similarly priced baby grand.  And for the few in that incongruous situation, you can get a very good European upright for what it would cost to fix this instrument, sight unseen.

[allthumbs]

Oh, I love it; a useless conversation. 

OK, don't take me too seriously!

I agree with you 100% on the rest of your last post.

Cheers