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Joined: Jan 2013
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Hi, new to this forum, not sure where to post this. I grew up playing piano, we had a Kimball console or spinet piano that my great-grandmother had, it was given to her I think as a wedding gift (in the 1920's). It was passed on to my grandma, then to us kids. Unfortunately my mom gave it to another one of her siblings, who sold it. I was very upset that my mom just gave it away and have been looking for it to buy it back ever since. After many years of non-piano use, I realized I really missed making noise (lol) on it and came upon an Ivers and Pond console or spinet piano, It says Ivers and Pond Piano Co, Boston USA and has a number 81485 on the inside. I measures approx. 39-ish inches tall and 58-ish inches wide. The person I acquired it from was the grand-daughter of the deceased owner, who I was told was a piano teacher for many, many years and that was the piano she used for teaching her lessons. It had sat in their garage for "a while" and does need a good tune up; some of the keys stick as well and needs a good clean up and probably refinishing. I am trying to find out more about this brand and type of piano as I know next to nothing about the Ivers and Pond brand, age of this piano, if it will hold a tuning after being in a garage "for a while", etc... I have tried to do some research on the internet on this particular brand but haven't found out much, which lead me to here. Any info would be greatly appreciated, thank you in advance for your time.
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Most likely built in 1947, if I'm reading the info correctly.
It seems that you may be heading towards a purchase based on emotions. That can be quite dangerous! There are many red flags in what you're describing (sat in their garage, some of the keys stick, needs a good tune up, was the piano she used for teaching her lessons)...
In order to help you, people here will want to know the following:
1) Is your intention to actually get back to playing on this instrument?
2) How much is the seller asking for the piano?
3) Are you able to take pictures on the piano (inside and out) and post them here?
4) If you are truly serious about THIS piano, you're going to want to have in inspected. look up someone in the area at PTG.org and invest the $150 or so to have someone come out and give the instrument a thorough look-over.
Now, that all being said, I asked the first question because I believe this piano would be past it's prime, and if you are indeed wanting to play on a quality instrument, it really should be a newer instrument. There are many decent quality used pianos that MAY be within your price range, if you don't mind telling us what that is.
If you are looking to replace the older piano with like-old, to satisfy the memory of the Kimball spinet, well, that's another story.
Others will chime in here in a bit, keep checking back.
Charles R. Walter 1520 QA Mahogany #531739 w/ High Polish, Renner and Quiet Pedal
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Thank you for your response, I appreciate it! The piano was free, my old piano teacher told me about it and I've owned it for a few years now. I have not done anything with it as that costs more money than what I have right now, but am considering restoring it someday if it's worth it. I got it for my daughter to take lessons, however, she decided she didn't like it, and although I do try to play it as often as I can, I have had numerous stays in the hospital over the past several months and it's just been sitting in my home collecting dust. Poor thing needs more time and attention than I can give it right now, I'm at a crossroads as to whether I should keep and restore it to it's former beauty someday, or sell it to someone who could give it the time and attention it deserves. I do have some pictures of the outside of it that I took shortly after we acquired it, how would I go about posting them here? Thanks again!
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I'm sorry, I didn't realize you already had this piano. i see that now that I re-read your post.
I think your daughter most likely missed her opportunity to learn the piano. Beginning piano students can get frustrated quite easily. If they don't have a quality instrument to start their lessons on, this would definitely damper their spirits to continue learning.
I don't believe that this piano is worth restoring. Whatever money you were to put into it to truly restore it, you would never get returned on the back end if you were to sell it. It's an almost 75-year old spinet. If you were to try and sell it, I would start with $100 with the understanding that whoever wants it will need to arrange to move it on their own. If they balk at paying the $100, I would let them have it if they move it out of your garage and be done with it.
Charles R. Walter 1520 QA Mahogany #531739 w/ High Polish, Renner and Quiet Pedal
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Pre-depression Ivers & Pond full-size uprights and grands were very high quality (expensive) instruments, and are occasionally rebuilt, today. During the depression, this company, along with several other notable brands, was acquired by Aeolian. Pretty much anything built under Aeolian's ownership was considered an inferior product. Your piano, being a 60 year old spinet/console, is not worth being restored, and is probably about ready for the dump.
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With my daughter I think it was more a clash w/ the piano teacher than anything, she was the same one I had as a kid and I didn't particularly care for her either but I kept going as I did like learning to play. I am going to try again w/ my daughter once I get a better piano and a better teacher. There was an old neighbor that my kid really liked, I learned she teaches piano as well so I am going to look into that. Half the battle is having a good teacher that one can mesh well with, and while her old teacher is good at what she does, she can sometime be a bit abrasive and that doesn't always go over well w/ the kids. I wouldn't mind picking up where I left off either, just not right now as I have other obligations I need to take care of first. What type of piano would one recommend for a beginner and intermediate level piano player? I don't have a lot of money to spend, so that is kind of an issue for right now. I would like something that is solidly built, holds a tune well, and has good response w/o having to beat on it (not literally, of course - lol), and has that deep, rich, melodious sound that makes listeners take notice. Thanks again for your reply.
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Pre-depression Ivers & Pond full-size uprights and grands were very high quality (expensive) instruments, and are occasionally rebuilt, today. During the depression, this company, along with several other notable brands, was acquired by Aeolian. Pretty much anything built under Aeolian's ownership was considered an inferior product. Your piano, being a 60 year old spinet/console, is not worth being restored, and is probably about ready for the dump. Thank you for your reply! It saddens me that it's not worth restoring, but I know it would be better off not throwing money at something that's not going to be worth it in the long run. I'm glad I found this out and that I learned a little bit more about my piano today. Thanks again!
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she was the same one I had as a kid and I didn't particularly care for her I admit this veers off topic... but I hear this type of statement often enough that I wonder: why do you hire the same teacher again? It seems like this is a common thing: the parent has a piano teacher they didn't like, and they didn't develop their piano playing skills, but then when it's time for their child to study they go back to the same teacher. Sorry, but I'm a piano teacher so when I hear this I always wonder... why?
Pianist and Piano Teacher
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she was the same one I had as a kid and I didn't particularly care for her I admit this veers off topic... but I hear this type of statement often enough that I wonder: why do you hire the same teacher again? It seems like this is a common thing: the parent has a piano teacher they didn't like, and they didn't develop their piano playing skills, but then when it's time for their child to study they go back to the same teacher. Sorry, but I'm a piano teacher so when I hear this I always wonder... why? It doesn't make sense, does it? I had to take pedagogy for both my degrees, but I always knew I'd be one of those teachers.... if only other people were as self-aware!
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Joined: Dec 2012
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2000 Post Club Member
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2000 Post Club Member
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What type of piano would one recommend for a beginner and intermediate level piano player? I don't have a lot of money to spend, so that is kind of an issue for right now. I would like something that is solidly built, holds a tune well, and has good response w/o having to beat on it (not literally, of course - lol) Of course your budget is the most important part of this question. But in general... I'd suggest a lightly used console piano from a quality builder. Why console size? It's probably what you can afford on a limited budget. Why not a larger piano from a non-quality builder? That question almost answers itself, but junk pianos weren't any good to start with, and they only get worse over time (unless their have been major intervention by a tech willing to do that work and the owner willing to pay for it). What is "lightly used"? Actually you need a technician to inspect the instrument for you and tell you this. That's why a common refrain on these forums is "hire a tech". Probably you're looking for a piano not more than 20 years old (there are of course major exceptions, but I'm just trying to give some general help) and NOT owned by an institution (school or church). Schools beat the stuffing out of their pianos. Who are the quality builders? There are many, and that's beyond the scope of one forum post. But, probably the highest volume of quality pianos in the last 20 years have been from the Japanese builders Yamaha and Kawai. Chinese pianos have come up a lot in recent years, but I wouldn't buy one from 20 years ago. The great American builders might be out of your price range. and has that deep, rich, melodious sound that makes listeners take notice. Well... yes, the challenge is finding the piano that does it for you.
Pianist and Piano Teacher
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Joined: Dec 2012
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she was the same one I had as a kid and I didn't particularly care for her I admit this veers off topic... but I hear this type of statement often enough that I wonder: why do you hire the same teacher again? It seems like this is a common thing: the parent has a piano teacher they didn't like, and they didn't develop their piano playing skills, but then when it's time for their child to study they go back to the same teacher. Sorry, but I'm a piano teacher so when I hear this I always wonder... why? It doesn't make sense, does it? I had to take pedagogy for both my degrees, but I always knew I'd be one of those teachers.... if only other people were as self-aware! Absolutely! I actually hadn't planned to teach piano (but had to take those pedagogy classes as well) and eventually decided I did want to try teaching. On that "trial basis" I thought I'd give it a go and figure out if I like it and if the students like it. For me, it turned out I do like teaching and get along very well with the students. However I discovered I don't want to be teaching a large studio. Teaching a huge number of students doesn't fit my personality well.
Pianist and Piano Teacher
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Also keep your eyes out for a Baldwin Acrosonic or an Everett. These two are somewhat older models that were/are known to be workhorses in the piano realm. You might be lucky enough to find one somewhat close to your budget that might still have a lot of life left in it. Above all, have a tech look it over before you plunk down the moolah. Best of luck, and keep us all in the loop.
Charles R. Walter 1520 QA Mahogany #531739 w/ High Polish, Renner and Quiet Pedal
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You should find a decent tech to tune the Ivers and Pond, and maybe do a little bit more, like take out the lost motion. With very little work, it might be as decent as anything you could afford to replace it with.
Semipro Tech
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:23 PM
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