Questions concerning a Rich Lipp & Sohn Stuttgart piano

[annabubbles]

Hi! My boyfriend and I are renting a house from his mother. In this house is a family heirloom 'Rich Lipp & Sohn Stuttgart' upright piano. By examining the serial number inside the casing and conducting online research, I have determined that the piano was made between 1911 or 1912.

While the piano has a nice sound, it was last serviced 15 years ago. Is there a way to determine if the piano needs servicing again? I'm not familiar with how the piano should sound like. (Do older pianos need constant servicing? Is a 15 year gap too much for any piano? Does an Australian climate affect pianos more than other climates?)

Also, while looking at similar models, I've realised the piano is meant to have two candle holders attached to the casing. (There are holes where the candle holders would be.) Does anyone know if a company makes replacement replicas? Candles seem like a really nice addition.

Any useful (or interesting!) information would be much appreciated! Thanks for reading.

[annabubbles]

Oh, and does anyone know how heavy or force resistant the Rich Lipp keys are meant to be? The Rich Lipp keys feel easier to press down than the keys on my weighted Privia PX-730 digital piano. Is this normal?

[starstruck5]

You just need to have a piano tech come and have a look at it and give you a rough evaluation - even if the piano is need of restoration I would say the name is a fairly famous one. Not in the premier league like other German makes ie- Grotrian Steinweg, Bechstein or Bluthner - but certainly Lipp pianos have a solid repuatation.