Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Ballpark value for unrestored Bechstein model 9

Hi, looking at a Bechstein model 9 upright on craigslist. It's unrestored but in very nice condition. Hundred years old. Sounds pretty good and plays surprisingly good. Doesn't play like it's been neglected. What are these worth? Anybody want to take an unseen crack at a reasonable offer? Hoping for a super cheap "extra" piano.

I think it depends on finer details than you gave. Even being as good as it is, it could still be almost "worthless" (because of the extensive work that might be needed, plus of course the buyer has to move it). Or, it could be worth several hundred dollars, or I suppose even more.

Other people will be able to give you more knowledgeable answers than I can. But I don't think that even the most knowledgeable person will be able to pin it down that much without "examining" the piano.

A 100 year old "core" upright that is relatively rare (low market demand) in the U.S. Very expensive to rebuild to be a useful musical instrument again. Difficult to ever resell at a price that recoup a portion of your rebuild expense. IMO, less than $2k, maybe in the hundreds.

....or zero? Doesn't it depend heavily on the exact condition?

Obviously you're one of the "more knowledgeable" people I was talking about. You're one of our experts. You seem to be implying that it's confidently worth at least a few hundred dollars. If so, that would be very valuable info here.

But do you really mean that?

Absolutely could be worth zero. There are a few Bechstein adicts afficianados who will always pay a little more than market value just because it is a Bechstein, just as there are folks who pay thousands for those old Vienesse style Bosendorfers with the leather covered hammers.

Thanks -- that's about what I thought. BTW I didn't fail to realize that in a way it couldn't exactly be worth "zero" because somewhere there's gotta be somebody to whom a piano like that is going to be worth "something" as long as it plays half decently, which this one does. But when you take into account that a given seller might not find such a buyer for quite some time, we could be talking almost zero.

P.S. Thanks for not taking any offense at my post. I was afraid it might seem like I was challenging you or something (and if I'd been near the computer I would have edited it). I was just trying to clarify, and it looks like you got it.

My main point here -- and I should have been clearer about it, so let me do it now: IMO it's really important to get a piano like that checked out by an independent technician.

Used Bechstein uprights are very rare and at there best can be wonderful. A couple of years back I found a 20 year old C.Bechstein 8 in excellent condition in the 7K range and would not sell it now for twice that. If it were me I would certainly have a tech check out the upright and go from there.

Rich

Sounds like you did great, and that it turned out the piano was a bargain at that price even though it wasn't cheap. Of course there's a big difference in how you have to think about a 100 year old piano and a 20 year old piano.

But either way, I think it's worth the "trouble" of having an independent tech check it out. As long as someone does that, they ought to be fine.

P.S. I must be sounding like I'm a piano technician who's trying to get people to give business to my profession.
But I'm not.