30k for a 1981 Steinway model b?

[icefox]

https://raleigh.craigslist.org/msg/3319803640.html

I was pondering about a 20k quote on a new kawai rx2 when this 1981 model b for 30k came out. I am inexperienced when it comes to used pianos and here I am asking for advice. I talked to the owner. He said his parents had this piano before they passed away, has always been well maintained, it's not being played in the past two years, slightly yellowish ivory otherwise very good condition etc. Owner is 3 hrs driving so I can't just drop by and check it out, but if what I find out here is promising enough, I am willing to make the trip.

A few things I would like to ask particularly:

What should I reasonably expect from a 30 years old model b, physically and harmonically? Will the paint be dull? Yellow ivory with hairline cracks? Will it sound and play much like a brand new model b, or will there be noticeable deterioration? If a brand new model is 100/100 in both appearance and sound, how would you grade a 30 years old one in reasonable condition?

Suppose condition is very good for it's age,  Is the price right? How would you compare this model b for 30k with a brand new rx2 for 20k? FYI I would describe myself as an intermediate level amateur pianist and at my age likely not going to advance far in my skills. My intended space for the piano is 15 x 12 x 12 (high ceiling). I wonder if a model b would be an overkill for me and my house.

At 30 years of age, what repair or restoration is in stock for me? How many years can I expect to just regularly maintain it and keep its condition good, before an expensive repair or restoration is mandated? Is it going to be like having an old Mercedes -- that it breaks down every two weeks and generated a four digits repair bill each time?

It's a very significant commitment and I really appreciate your inputs,

Regards,
Bin

[gregory4249]

I have a 1984 Steinway B, and it is a magnificent instrument!  Full, rich, resonant sound.  For Steinways, 30yrs is not that old, especially if it's been cared for.
Like any fine instrument it will need regular care to maintain its superior performance, but I would not say it would be extraordinary.  If you are going to have an instrument of this caliber, it's worth proper care.  And I would recommend you have a Steinway-trained technician working on it.  If possible, I'd also have a trained tech look at/examine it just to be sure.
The keys are plastic, not ivory - will be no yellowing/cracking.  Keys have not been ivory for a long time.
Based on the pics, it appears to be in excellent condition, but there's only really one way to tell.  You have to go and play it. 
When I got mine, I knew it was a good piano, but I didn't care for the sound - it was muffled and "tubby" - dull.  I found a great tech who worked with me on the voicing it each time it was tuned, and we achieved an extraordinary sound.  This would happen with a new piano straight from the factory - you would have it voiced and adjusted till it suited you.  These are items of personal preference - do you like a brighter, crisper sound?  Something more subdued?  It's all a personal thing.  BTW, "voicing" is achieved by work on the hammers - loosening the felt, packing it tighter, shaping, etc.
Purely based on the pics which show a good condition, I would say the price is very reasonable.  These are $80-90,000 new.  I can't imagine you would be happier with the Kawai when you have an opportunity to own a Steinway. 
This model is considered the 7' (actually 6'10") and was made for recording studios and smaller concert halls and auditoriums.  With your windows open, you will be heard for some distance.  The instrument and the sound are big.  Keep this in mind.  It will be large in your space.  I happen to love a big sound.  Consider your surroundings and neighbors.
I highly recommend you investigate this instrument.  I couldn't be happier with mine.  They are beautiful.
Best of luck. 

[hfmadopter]

It's a Steinway which last a long time, they are built for the long haul and built on a strong framework. It's also a used piano, so the usual expectations are that it will need voicing, regulation and tuning, maybe some replacing of felt pieces here or there ( I'd liken this to wear items in a car that need working on from time to time). It's getting moved if you buy it, so it will need tuning after that anyway ( so will a new piano). I wouldn't expect the paint to be dull ( unless it's satin finish to begin with) on a well taken care of piano, though you might find a hair line crack in the painted surface at joints in a piano that age. Other than that a little wart or ding here or there from daily life.

If I was not the techy type to begin with and maybe even still non the less, I'd have a tech  (30 grand is a bargain on a real nice shape B but the beginning of a head ache on a ratty one )meet you and review or evaluate the piano for you.

It will be a really strong player in your room size for sure. I have a 5'11" Henry F Miller in a 17x 12, 9 ft ceiling room and I can really make it echo in there. My wife thought it would be nice to stuff the nose in a corner and have the playing area out in the room, with the top up that about pounded my ear drums out. Turning it against the far wall with the top open to the room is manageable though. I have no carpets in that room, carpets really tone it down. It sounds best wth no people in the room with the top up one notch, all the way up with a crowd in there.

[49410enrique]

i like b's , don't get me wrong, i was trained on a magnificent b in my previous professor's studio and my current prof has a newly restored one (which i care not for). if you can get a real bargain, go for it. but i think people have a way inflated sense of what these are actually worth.  it's a buyer's market, but especially so on the used side of things.

the kawai rx is an incredible piano. the company's ability to leverage their incredible volume in total sales allows them to sell a piano that a smaller company (or one like steinway with an inflated corporate management structure and the huge salaries for executives to match) would charge more more.
is a kawai an steinway. no. i don't even begin to think so. but it's pretty close. the rx is their top end line before you get into the real steinway killers, the shigerus.

i'd look to see if you can find slightly (i.e  less than 5 years) old RX maybe a rx3 or bigger for the same money or even an rx 2 for less than your quoted 20K (i.e. 15K or less). now you're talking about saving half! is the steinway b a standard setter? sure is. but is it twice the piano (and worth twice as much money) as an almost new rx2?

I don't think so.

good luck, with such a big long term purchase i just wanted to share the thoughts i would be contemplating and options I would entertain.

[icefox]

Thank you all for the insights. I totally agree with you that if I can get a slightly used rx3 I'd jump for it instead of this Model B, given that I'm not an advanced player and my space for piano is not that large. Unfortunately here in Raleigh there are not so many used pianos coming out. I'll keep looking.

i like b's , don't get me wrong, i was trained on a magnificent b in my previous professor's studio and my current prof has a newly restored one (which i care not for). if you can get a real bargain, go for it. but i think people have a way inflated sense of what these are actually worth.  it's a buyer's market, but especially so on the used side of things.

the kawai rx is an incredible piano. the company's ability to leverage their incredible volume in total sales allows them to sell a piano that a smaller company (or one like steinway with an inflated corporate management structure and the huge salaries for executives to match) would charge more more.
is a kawai an steinway. no. i don't even begin to think so. but it's pretty close. the rx is their top end line before you get into the real steinway killers, the shigerus.

i'd look to see if you can find slightly (i.e  less than 5 years) old RX maybe a rx3 or bigger for the same money or even an rx 2 for less than your quoted 20K (i.e. 15K or less). now you're talking about saving half! is the steinway b a standard setter? sure is. but is it twice the piano (and worth twice as much money) as an almost new rx2?

I don't think so.

good luck, with such a big long term purchase i just wanted to share the thoughts i would be contemplating and options I would entertain.

[hfmadopter]

Thank you all for the insights. I totally agree with you that if I can get a slightly used rx3 I'd jump for it instead of this Model B, given that I'm not an advanced player and my space for piano is not that large. Unfortunately here in Raleigh there are not so many used pianos coming out. I'll keep looking.

Well ya know Kawai pianos can be voiced too !! And they are nothing to speeze at to begin with. I'm sure a good condition used RX would be a veery nice piano.

I just keep my old Henry F Miller going, you can go crazy looking at pianos !

[iansinclair]

my only thought would be that a really good piano -- Steinway or not -- doesn't die.  If the piano hasn't been abused, whether it's a Steinway or Bosendorfer or whatever, may possibly all that is required.  Sometimes new strings and pins... my own feeling is that new action probably wouldn't be required, but some folks may differ on that (and I will admit that the action on my own 1898 Steinway is difficult to regulate, to put it mildly).

To which I might add, however, that some pianos -- such as the aforementioned Steinway and Bosendorfer -- have well over a century of experience in gracefully aging.  How the newer makes will age is still unknown -- which takes nothing away from how they sound and play now, but...