Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Dilemma—1989 Charles Walter or 2007 Essex EUP116

Charles Walter inspected that had fractured legs repaired, but also has damage to soundboard from move on bottom in treble area.

[img]https://imgur.com/a/jOxvnua[/img]

Price delivered 1800. Damage like this to soundboard big issue, tech says piano sounds good and resonates well and doesn’t seem to affect it. But over time could it become a problem.

Essex 2007 EUP116 I can get for same price delivered probably has no damage still have to look at it though and have tech check out. I know it’s not as good quality of upright as CW but it’s younger and probably doesn’t have damage. Thoughts?

The damage to soundboard is about 3 inches. I have a video of how piano sounds. It sounds beautiful.

I suspect that the damage to the soundboard will not get any worse until the next time it is handled by ham-fisted movers, if then.

Techs notes regarding:
And it appears that the bottom part of the soundboard was caught on something and ruptured away from the glue bottom structure. So it’s not a natural crack in the wood. That being said it is a high-quality piano and a likely would not give you any trouble butThere are no guarantees.

That part of the soundboard which is near the edge doesn’t resonate that much but I understand the reservations in buying it. I can only take the man’s word for how it was damaged. He appeared to be surprised that the soundboard had that damage.

IMHO I’d be hesitant to buy a damaged piano with a damaged soundboard. I’d wait for something else to come along. But that’s me. Good Luck!

There are many second hand pianos that don't have damage. There's nothing special about an Essex at market price. Not that there needs to be, but you're comparing it to a CW that's going cheap because it had some cosmetic damage. Now you've learned that the soundboard is cracked, which doesn't seem to be affecting it's performance and may or may not get worse...

I can see why you'd be vacillating about the CW, but there's no reason to think it's only the CW or this other piano. The other option is nothing special (IMO). The CW is CW's best effort at making a good piano. The other is another rmaker's 3rd tier offering for those who can't afford (or don't want) their 1st tier or 2nd tier. Just my 2¢.

I would get the Walter at a discount. The damage shown does not affect the structural integrity or tone and has no long term consequences. If it's truly discounted to account for these problems, you have a chance at a great piano for a good price.

That soundboard, if someone chose to repair it, would take no more than 2 hours,probably only one hour to repair.

Take care,

Steve

I thought typically to repair a soundboard you had to take the piano apart? Is it because it’s at the bottom that it’s possible to fix it without doing that?

After talking to a repair/restorer here in Nashville, it more than likely can be repaired for less than $250 in home. I think I’m going to gamble on the Walter and hope it provides many years of beautiful music in the home. Thanks for everyone’s suggestions.

That's what I'd do if I were you.

Good choice.

Nice choice with the Charles Walter! I found myself a used '97 1520 back in November, no structural damage, but minor cosmetic damage. I paid more than twice what you are paying. No regrets at all, the instrument is top quality with a responsive touch and a rich, beautiful tone.

If it's repairable for a few hundred bucks and you like the instrument, you are getting a real bargain.

Good luck and enjoy!