Bechstein 197 cm turn of the century second hand

[bo-kai]

I saw this ad about an old Bechstein, 6'8'' (197cm) that was going for under £3000 (London) and thought to myself, there's something fishy going on here. So, i emailed the owner, and she replied and she emailed me some pictures and it looked very decent, i have to say.

I have just come back from a viewing at her place. The piano is in overall good condition; what i mean is, there was nothing seriously wrong to justify such a low price, but it is over a hundred years old, and the strings haven't been changed since the 60's.

Do you think that this piano can be brought to a good condition? Do you think it is a bargain? (she needs to clear the space in her living room, and it has to be done quick, so maybe that explains the low price). How much would you expect to pay for a recondition now (UK prices please)? What can be done about the action of such an old instrument? I played on some recently reconditioned bechsteins afterwards (at a shop) and they seemed to have a better response.

Would you invest that money on something like that, or is it not worth the risk? What can go wrong?

Apologies for the length of the post. All comments very much appreciated indeed.
Thank you in advance!

[richard black]

I just today took delivery of _exactly_ the same piano as you describe, a 6ft 8 Bechstein (model V) from 1891. Paid £2500 for it in as good condition as one could reasonably hope ever to find a piano that old. Sadly, that's about the going rate, privately (one or two dealers will try for £5000 and of course if the case has been beautifully restored the price can be higher yet - mine's decent but original and the legs and desk are the 'wrong' style). I say 'sadly' because by rights such nice instruments should cost more but looking at it from a market perspective there are still quite a lot of them around and not all that many people trying to buy one. Heck. I narrowly missed one for _£600_ only months ago, though that one did need a bit of work.

You ask what can go wrong: unless there's some really nasty damage to the frame or soundboard, not a lot short of the piano being dropped on delivery. Those old Bechsteins are astoundingly well made.

[bo-kai]

!! could it be that we're talking about the same piano?
the legs and desk were replaced in the '60s by modern plain style ones. and it's rosewood.

so, you're thinking that the price is 'right', or -to put it better- that's how much people are prepared to sell them (or buy them) for, privately.

don't you think that by asking a good technician to completely restore it, the cost might escalate to double the original price? (assuming that there's nothing seriously wrong with the frame and the soundboard as you say) still £6000 for a 6'8'' Bechstein is a pretty good deal, don't you think?

[richard black]

the legs and desk were replaced in the '60s by modern plain style ones. and it's rosewood.

Mine's black but like yours the legs and disc are modern plain ones. Apparently that lowers the value, though frankly I think the old legs were ugly and the old desks, while pretty, were never very practical so I'm happy enough.

Restoration is a movable feast, of course, and you can spend many thousands. With any secondhand piano purchase it's a good investment to take a technician whom you trust with you to look at the piano and give an opinion on what needs doing and what it might cost. But my general argument is that even at £6000 an old Bechstein is good value. What else might you get for that? A secondhand Yamaha or something which isn't as good a piano now and will probably go off even faster, some piece of Chinese or Korean junk made of half-seasoned wood, or if you're lucky a European piano of maybe 30-60 years old made by some firm few people have ever heard of and going cheap as a result. Even that would probably be no better than the Bechstein.

[deboerbarry]

Hi, Bo & Richard,
I bought a black 1906 Bechstein B grand (6ft 8ins) last November. I paid £6500 but that included complete cabinet restoration, re-gilding the frame, new Rosslau strings & Pins but no work at all on the action. The piano was delivered in February, and looks and sounds absolutely magnificent although the action is a little uneven in places.
I opted to keep the original "sunburst" music desk and octagonal turned legs as Bechstein still sell new grands with the same music desk and legs. I am now having the action overhauled by a very well respected technician, who is fitting new shanks, rollers, springs and hammers. I am hoping that when it's finished (May?) I will have a piano which will hold its own with the very best. Better still, he's promised to regulate it to my touch (my fingers ain't as young as they used to be.)

Your post, Bo, is about value. If I had the money I could have gone out and bought the identical piano brand new for £45000. I will have spent tens of thousands less than that and I think that's good value.