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Joined: Feb 2017
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I recently acquired a 1956 Baldwin R at a very reasonable price under quick sale (death of family member) conditions. It is white, which I've been told greatly reduces its value. I may put a few thousand dollars into it and keep it as my personal piano as I really like Baldwins and don't mind the white color (the case is in beautiful condition). A local tech told me he's personally spray painted pianos black before with pretty good results and that would raise its current resale value (with no work done on it) from $1500 as white to over $5000 if gloss black.
Thoughts?
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New white pianos almost always sell for more than ebony pianos. In the used piano market I don't know if that's true. It's true that far fewer people want white pianos, but there are also less of them to choose from.
I can't imagine just spray painting a piano would give a nice finish. I would check carefully with some industry pros about whether painting a white piano black will increase its value.
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I'd go with off-white if I was gonna paint it! On a serious note, spray painting doesn't sound like a good idea (assuming he means "spray paint" in cans from a hobby shop). If he means properly refinish it in black, that would probably increase its value, but a proper refinish would also eat into the profit margin too. Even the not-so-accurate-lately estimate of $1000 per foot would completely consume the estimated new value. Probably less risky to sell it as-is. There are some people out there who like white pianos.
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Another thought after reading PLU's post above mine. I've read the same: white pianos cost more initially, for a number of reasons, but then are less in demand in the second-hand market.
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Good quality refinishing can cost $1,000/foot, retail. A poor quality refinish is not going to add value.
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It definitely stoked my curiosity when the tech told me he'd had reasonably good results spray painting them. I may just clean it up a bit (lots of good info on this site for that), and either keep it for the long haul or make a few $$ flipping it to put towards a newer piano or one with more work recently done on it.
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A local tech told me he's personally spray painted pianos black before with pretty good results When was that? The quality of retail spray paint has been getting worse over the last few years. If you're painting to increase the resale value, wait until you're ready to sell it. Personally, I don't like well-finished pianos, and would never buy one. It doesn't make it sound better, it doesn't make it play better, and you have to be careful not to bump or scratch it or you'll lose thousands on the resale value.
-- J.S. Knabe Grand # 10927 Yamaha CP33 Kawai FS690
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Spray painting that piano black will change the value to anything over zero in its current form to zero in its spray painted form. I wonder how many times that piano spray painter has been sued.
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I saw Liberace perform when I was 12. I think with a white Baldwin I should just buy a tux with long tails and a bunch of flamboyant jewelry and have fun with it!
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Elvis had a white piano at Graceland. If it was good enough for him, it should be good enough for anybody. Almost anybody. At least most people. Or some people.
Some men are music lovers. Others make love without it.
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I saw Liberace perform when I was 12. I think with a white Baldwin I should just buy a tux with long tails and a bunch of flamboyant jewelry and have fun with it! Elvis had a white piano at Graceland. If it was good enough for him, it should be good enough for anybody. Almost anybody. At least most people. Or some people. Well, not sure if I should say this, but Donald Trump has a white grand piano in his Trump-Tower suite. I noticed it when 60 Minutes did a post election interview with him and his family the day after he won the presidential election. I wonder if he likes boogie-woogie... Rick
Piano enthusiast and amateur musician: "Treat others the way you would like to be treated". Yamaha C7. YouTube Channel
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I suspect all pianos made today are sprayed. The quality of the job is what determines the outcome and the value of the piano afterwards. But if you are okay with the piano as it is, you should leave it as is. Values of used pianos are not sure things, no matter what the color.
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I don't think it's that great of an idea to change the color of the piano that way.
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I think I would want to see some specimens of the spray jobs he had done and ascertain by how much they had enhanced the value.
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I suspect all pianos made today are sprayed. The quality of the job is what determines the outcome and the value of the piano afterwards. Right. I think some are assuming that "spray" means rattlecan. It may be that this guy has a compressor and spray gun and knows what he's doing. That, said, it has to be a difficult job. I've always wondered how you "keep a wet edge" with something like a piano. I think I would want to see some specimens of the spray jobs he had done and ascertain by how much they had enhanced the value. Right. You'd definitely want to see examples of the guy's work.
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I saw Liberace perform when I was 12. I think with a white Baldwin I should just buy a tux with long tails and a bunch of flamboyant jewelry and have fun with it! Elvis had a white piano at Graceland. If it was good enough for him, it should be good enough for anybody. Almost anybody. At least most people. Or some people. Well, not sure if I should say this, but Donald Trump has a white grand piano in his Trump-Tower suite. I wonder if he likes boogie-woogie... John Lennon!
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When they refinish a piano (unless it is something antique like French Polish) it is sprayed.
A piano technician near me has a spraybooth which will take a Steinway "D", with all the filters, water extractors, humidity balancers etc. He does the refinishing for almost all the technicians in 4 cities around here. I've also seen him spray clear over a wood-grain piano. He knows what he's doing, and is expert at it.
I'd be asking to see work from the technician before having it done.
I'd also have the piano valued to see what it is actually worth, and whether there might be structural problems, whether it is badly worn and need a full (expensive and not worth doing) rebuild - as such, making a respray of no value. As such, it could still be a good piano for you to play for a number of years.
Alan from Queensland, Australia (and Clara - my Grotrian Concert & Allen Organ (CF-17a)).
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White furniture works better in small spaces. I would keep it white and just expect to wait longer to find a buyer at a price you can accept. For all you know it could be an easy quick sale.
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I do not like white pianos but others do. If the finish is in good shape, I would leave it as is. The cost of a pro refinish job most likely outweighs the value of the piano. If I would put any money into it, it would be to the strings, pinblock, hammers or action, as needed.
Baldwin SF-10 Petrof III Chickering Console (1950s) Associate Member PTG (Chicago chapter)
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White pianos seem to be the province of interior decorators and televangelists!
Come to think of it, we have white furniture in the living room. Perhaps we should "balance" the room with a white piano. Then it'd be très chic!
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Piano
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