Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum What is my Yamaha C3 B 1793575 worth?

I believe it was made in 1974 - paid about $12,000 for it 12 years ago, been teaching on it for 12 years - about 10 - 20 students with weekly lessons on average, it's been tuned, sounds great, and from what I know a C3 is a great piano.

I could more accurately get a technician local to look at it.

There is nothing at all wrong with this piano that I can find. 3 close scratch marks that look like a cat with iron claws put into it and that I am 99% sure a technician put into it accidentally but I couldn't prove anything. Purely cosmetic, it lies BEHIND the fallboard so it is not seen unless the fall board is closed. Obviously does not affect anything else.

Matte finish if that matters.

Could I get $10,000 for this piano?

Greetings,
It totally depends on where the piano is located. A third hand, 45 year old piano that has a decade of teaching on it is probably past its expected service life. I would assume an educated buyer would offer you no more than $ 5,000 for it, due, in part, to that seemingly being a price point around which buyers grudgingly approach and dread going past.
I maintain a lot of C3 pianos at a university and they are durable, but any piano will wear out the hammers, dampers, keybushings, and knuckles in the span you are talking about.
Regards,

If it makes a difference, my students are not studying any very serious repetoire and I haven't studied on it for about 5 years since it's located in an apartment.

My highest level students had in home lessons, they had their own grand/baby grands and they were lvl 6 or lvl 7, the ones I teach in my apartment are levels 3, 4, 5 mostly.

Let's say a technician looks over it thorougly and gives it a B+ rating - normal wear and tear, etc. Give it a proper tuning/voicing/regulation, the piano will most definitely play like a lion. It still plays so beautifully.

I am seeing these pianos for $6500 to $9000 on ebay, I found a 1985 selling for $14,000 at a local piano dealer.

So many $6000-$8000 if I can show the piano is good shape but not great?

http://pianomansuperstore.com/product/yamaha-c3-ebony-satin/

that one for instance is selling for 12.5k at a dealer. 1972.

That piano you linked appears to have undergone refurbishment (the treble strings and agraffes look like new, and the hammers at least reshaped), or at the least a very thorough cleaning. Also, the $12k piano probably has a warranty and may include delivery, room for negotiation, and in-house financing options.

As an original condition, private sale, and used as a teaching instrument for over a decade, I don't think you're going to get anywhere near $10k for it. I'd guess somewhere between $5,000-$7,500. If you want something toward the high end of the range, have a tech tune it, and touch up the regulation and voicing, and provide you a written statement of condition you can share with prospective buyers.

Of course, the speed with which you want to sell it can definitely inform the asking price!

I think terminaldegree is pretty much right on the "money". It will come down to what similar choices are currently available in a reasonable area.

Pwg