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Hi there,

How much is a fair price for a core Steinway Model B (88 keys) in need of complete rebuild? does color affect the value?

Thanks

$7,000 +/- some, depending on location, buyer type, condition, and whether it is veneered or not.

$3K for a totally beat up ebony that needs everything including case parts replaced.
Up to $20K for a clean fancy case that needs all new belly and action. Maybe $25K for clean rosewood with healthy intact Ivory and keys. One of a kind art case could be higher if a particular end buyer was known. These would all be 88 note B's

What do you think about this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PRECIOUS-ST..._DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eca96d9bc

Action is original. key tops are ivory but it doesn't really matter to me because I need to get them replaced to be able to import the piano to Canada.
The piano has been refinished and re strung around 15 years ago.

The seller says the pins torque are low and the sound broad has couple of hair line cracks. he is willing to sell it at $15500.

If the piano was redone 15 years ago and the pin torque is already low w/ soundboard cracks, I'd be wary of the quality of work that went into anything. Don't think I would be willing to pay that high, but I defer to what the rebuilders here think on this one. Also, you should be able to import a piano with ivory into Canada, provided that you are able to obtain proper documentation. I know people who have imported newer pianos than this that contained ivory into Canada.

You can't really know unless you have an independant tech evaluate it.

But it sounds high to me. He thinks he has a pristine "concert ready" piano, but by his own description that's not at all what it is. The fact it was restrung is useless, because to fix the pinblock the strings come off. So for someone who is looking for a high performance piano this sounds like it's nothing more than a core.

Perhaps the market for this piano is probably someone who wants to play it in current condition - which is certainly ok. Or maybe someone wants to buy a piece of furniture.

Agreed!

Have you selected your rebuilder yet? I think this is actually the more important decision. It will have a huge impact on the quality of your finished piano - far more so than the selection of the core you start with.

I haven't selected a re-builder yet. but i really like the work of the rebuilder of my Steinway A3. He is in LA though.

It is very difficult to find a core Steinway B. I haven't seen any B advertised at price below $10,000.

You are better off leaving the job of finding a suitable rebuild candidate to your rebuilder. He or she will have better resources available to find the right instrument.

That piano looks awfully short in the photos for a B.

It looks more like an O.

it is a B, you can say from the harp.

The only time I am able to buy a B for 7k is if it is an absolute wreck that I probably would pass on. Wholesale for good Steinway B rebuild candidates is 10k minimum and closer to 15 is normal.
High teens to low 20s is the retail value of Steinway B rebuild candidates.
I'm not saying 7k is unheard of, it just means whoever sold it doesn't care about the 5 to 10k they just gave away, or they got taken.

The Ebay B which I am guessing will sell for 12 to 15k looks like a fine rebuild candidate if you are prepared to do a full rebuild. When buying something like this you have to assume the worst. If you are hoping to save the board, or save the keyset, you are probably looking at the wrong piano although if you bought it at 12k and it was a mistake, you could cut your losses and sell it and you probably wouldn't lose too much.
The owner calls the finish walnut, but it is mahogany.
I would say that even at 18k it is a good deal, again, if you are prepared to do everything ( assume 40k + for a first class full rebuild on it ) and anyone who pays even in the low 20s is getting a fair retail price on it.
A new Mahogany B is going to be around 100k, so ending up with high 50s to 70k total in this piano, if beautifully rebuilt, is quite a good value.
I am only commenting on the ebay piano because you linked it. There are certainly other options, but if you are prepared to go all the way with it, and you have the right rebuilder, that looks like a good candidate especially if you like the mahogany.

The piano is apparently being sold by a dealer/rebuilder. I would want to know why it is selling the piano now instead of rebuilding it and then selling it as a finished project.

This is often called "bait".
Regards,

The seller offered me to re string the piano with a new pin block using mapes strings. re paint the harp. change the key tops. shim the sound broad and hand rub the finish. The total cost of all the work including the core piano and shipping to Canada is $20,000.

He said he doesn't recommend replacing the soundboard because I will end up with a mediocre piano.

He said the action is in a very good shape. but it is really hard for me to believe the action is in good condition considering that no work has ever been done on the action.

I like the color, I am planing to put the piano right beside my ebony A3.

Looking for a "core" piano at a distance while paying someone independent to inspect it (if the rim is screwed up or the plate has a crack in it, you could be piano-shaped heap of garbage) is fine. Taking across the border probably offers you, the buyer, no protection if something goes terribly wrong during sale/delivery.

Having a third party you don't know (and whose work you've never seen or played) do rebuilding work for you is INSANE. Have you done your due diligence and researched the seller (going beyond the business "testimonials" page, for example)?

the other option is to send it to my trusted re-builder in LA. My re-builder has a Mahogany B for sell at $35k. $35k is over my budget.

The seller told me he has an offer from a re-builder for $15k.

$35k for a well-rebuilt model B (that plays and looks good) is eminently fair. Anything less than that and I honestly would be suspicious.

The seller can tell you anything they want to make a sale. If you took that $15k "core" that's pushing 100 years old and sent it to a reputable rebuilder, you're going to spend $15,000-30,000 on it anyway. If you have high expectations for the instrument's performance, the one from the rebuilder you trust is actually the better deal in the long run.