Steinway B Purchase

[reidb]

Hello Steinway people out there!

I'm considering purchasing a Steinway B from the 1920s that plays and sounds pretty darn great (I've played a lot of Bs and other 6-7 foot grands). However, its not in the best condition. The case is rough, because it was a university piano. Its on a stage dollie, although the seller would provide normal casters. The action and tone is good, but it has not been rebuilt....appears that the hammers are steinway although perhaps from the 1950s, not the originals. There are several hairline cracks in the soundboard but nothing serious or needing immediate attention according to the technician. The piano does have a new pin block and new strings. The technician going to adjust the bushings (although the action is not too loose or horrible) and tighten up the sustain pedal. Its not pretty but its not retail either. I really do like the piano but am worried about overpaying.
Its listed for $27,500.

What are your thoughts?

[indianajo]

Where are you?
There is an independent tech between Lexington KY & Cincinnatti that appears thousands cheaper than that. He used to advertise on craigslist.  I haven't used his work, buyer beware, but this is a low cost area to live and work in.  The cost of helpers with a dolly at each end and a rental truck adds on top of that.  Note weekly rental from Ryder was much cheaper than U-haul last time I checked, but ryder did quit renting the trucks with the sliding ramp. You'd need a really good and deep foldout liftgate to handle a grand.   Diesel helps too, I got 20 mpg on a ryder and 8 on my worst U-haul truck. 
Really, university sell-offs have thousands of hours use, and are not typically good candidates for re-build.  Church rejects are much better, with most of the low churches going to praise bands and flogging off the wood,  and even the high churches receiving donations of the inevitable Yamaha by some amenable widow.  Old is bad, right? That's how the Y dealer sells around here.  Personally I think 1930-1980 were the high times for great pianos in the US. 1880-1930 they tuned to 420 or 425, not 440.   

[reidb]

Thanks Indianajo. This piano is in South Carolina.

This price (27,500) is not for the work, its for the piano, and a few adjustments will be made before the sale and included with the price. The piano does have a new pin block and new strings.

I like the 1920s steinways and have played a few, but didn't realize about the tuning. Thanks!

[visitor]

seems rich,  price locally what a rebuilt similar would go for retail/private sale, then divide by 2, maybe add 10-15% depending how much you like it and how well it has aged, but honestly, about wholesale is where something like that should be, it's 2 years away from being 100 years old and not been restored, so if locally a minty fresh rebuilt Steinway would sell for (note not retail for but realistically what someone pays), 50, then at best 25k, it may not be too far off depending on your market, but for 27K, gosh there are other pianos without the Steinway premium that can suit you well, ie Mason Hamlin, Chikering, you might also look into a piano from about that Era, Steinert, they sound great, and restored are really nice instruments and a relative bargain vs Steiny and Sons
ie this is a freshly rebuilt Steinert (pianist's father is a tech/rebuilder and she premiered the instrument with this recording), Steinert started as a regional shop and eventually had their own instrumnet, but from what I've read and heard , really nice instruments

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