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Here are a few pictures

I've been meaning to buy a piano and came across this on a local classified ad. I went over to the woman's house and she let me take a few pictures and check the thing out before I decide to buy it or not. It is not in a terrible condition but it's far from good condition too. It also most definitely needs a tuning but you could probably perform on it for some drunk people at a bar and they wouldn't notice. I'll put it that way! I didn't search long and hard, but the only writing on it seems to be what is shown in the pictures. There could be a hidden serial number or something but I didn't see it.

I can't find any information on this model though. So I was wondering if anyone has any information about it. I'm basically wondering if this is a piece of junk or something worthwhile. She is asking $200

I am not actually a piano player, but do compose for it, so I would like to learn. But I don't know what to look for in a used piano.

Once again as you will see in the pictures... Wood Piano Co Boston Cabinet Grand

Thank you!

It might be worth it if it were $200 cheaper. Old uprights are a glut on the market in most areas. People cannot give them away.

Even much newer upright pianos can be had cheaply or free.

However, the supply may be limited on an island.

These ~100 year old tall uprights only have value if they're tunable and you like the touch and tone. If any of these three aspects are not the case, it has no value (not to mention it's going to be a bear to move)! If you counter-offered with "free, and I'll move it out of here", I wouldn't be surprised if the owner took your offer...

A significant percentage of these big old pianos that I've serviced have some combination of broken/missing action parts, very loose tuning pins, dead bass strings, and brittle old treble strings that like to break when taken back to concert pitch (I rarely take these old pianos back up to A440, though).

I'm a sucker for pianos like that, but I'd walk. Notice the pedals are broken off. Yes, you can replace them, but it very well could be an indication that piano has been knocked around a bit.

I appreciate all your input. It looks like I will pass on this one. I was hoping it was unique or at least a somewhat valued mode, but as BDB said, I'm literally stuck on an island and it's the only piano listed.

I didn't know enough about the pedals to test them, however I did notice the furthest right pedal (sustain?) did work. Anyway, this sounds like either too big of a project or too big of a burden to take on. Thanks everyone!

I just tuned my latest old upright piano project to A440, and it is holding well. It's slipped just a hair because it was almost two semitones flat, and it is still in a non-air conditioned garage, with broad humidity swings. Of course, I had to go over the tuning more than a few times, but it is holding fairly well at standard pitch.

First of all, it was free, and someone brought it to my house on a trailer, and all I had to do was help off load it into my garage. Secondly, if tuning it had broken a string, I'd of either replaced the string or discarded the entire piano and look for another freebee. But this one has met all three of terminaldegree's conditions (tunable, nice touch and tone, for a 100 YO piano that has never had any work done to it) so far.

I've been playing the heck out it and enjoying it much. It sounds pretty good since I tuned it, but it seems a lot of people, and not just drunks, like the old honky-tonk, saloon pianos (AKA at least slightly out of tune). It still sounds like a 100 year old piano, with the tubby sounding bass, twangy notes (in tune or not) due to warn out hammers. But it is fun to tinker with, fun to play and fun to listen to.

Yea, I like old upright pianos, and have had a few. I like my better, newer pianos too. Heck, I like most any piano that plays well and sounds pretty good. When this one runs it's fun cycle, and is no longer fun, I'll get rid of it and get another one. But so far, ol' Bessy has pleasantly surprised me.

If you live on an island and real pianos are few and far in between, I see no reason not to enquire about the piano further. If you have to pay a piano technician to do all the work, tuning, etc... you'd be better off with a much newer piano. But where is the fun in that?

Rick

If I had the know-how I would certainly find the fun in it! I write this as I have an 8-track recorder opened up on my bench for repair and a half finished guitar I'm building next to it. But pianos are an entirely different beast. I would honestly embrace a little warble as I would love to use a piano in a similar way to how Robert Wyatt did on Eno's Music For Airports, or Harold Budd. Those are probably not the words legitimate piano players want to hear on a piano forum, but so be it

Apparently I'm the first person to inquire about it and the listing has been up for a month already. So I doubt it's going anywhere soon. Maybe I will find the inspiration in the next week to perhaps take it off her hands. There are a few skilled piano technicians where I live so it's not like the situation is totally dire.

But then again maybe I should just buy a Rhodes

Also, I just checked out your youtube channel Rick.... good stuff!

Thanks for the kind words, RDF! I appreciate it. And, I do indeed have a lot of fun with my pianos.

Of course, not everyone likes me or my music, or my old saloon pianos, but such is life.

Sounds like you do have some skills working with your hands. Maybe you can get with one of the piano technicians in your area and get them to mentor you or help get you started. A few of the well-known piano technicians on this forum have helped me a lot over the years. Their knowledge and experience is invaluable.

All the best!

Rick

Hey RDF, welcome to the forums!

Make no mistake, this should be a free piano ( the owner may come to see this with a little research ), and only considered if all the keys work, no broken strings et cetera. That being said, it's funny how or when the piano bug might bite us...and it may not come in the form of a lovely piano right from the start!

When I got bitten by "the bug" six years ago...the first piano I bought ( $400-no tech inspection, and I didn't even go play it first! ) was an 110 year old Canadian made war-horse. I literally had no clue about pianos ( obviously ), only that I wanted to try it and I wanted it yesterday!
Anyways...shortly after I bought it, I found a tech to come tune it. He looked at it for 10 minutes, called me in the room, and as kindly as he could, educated me in what I had just done. He never charged me for the visit ( although I tried to insist ) and told me rather to put the money towards something better. When I asked his advice on what to do with this huge beast that I overpaid for, he gave me the best advice ever, which was "Play the s**t out of it"....and I did!
In the 4 or 5 months I was waiting to find something reasonable for a few hundred bucks ( with a tech's help this time! ), I played and played and played it. Funny thing is I loved it! I named it Big Bertha and enjoyed every minute with her
That piano definitely has her place in my story...
Just putting a perspective out there. These days I have a great upright that I love, and the same tech that showed me such kindness six years ago....good luck!

ps. Rickster you make great music!

Thanks for the warm welcome Suzy! I probably will not end up being a regular on this forum until i actually do wind up with a piano. I don't really know what to look for, but the keys somehow did not feel right on this one and there was some obvious wear and tear among other things... so as i said in my previous comment I will unfortunately pass on this one.

I do feel "the bug" though! I enjoy composing for piano as more of an auxiliary instrument to my songs but I feel like it's really time to learn myself. I am an accomplished guitarist so I know what it takes to get good get an instrument. Though I did learn guitar when my brain was a bit more young and spry

I'm also inspired by synthesizer and electric piano players (Rhodes, Clavinet) and guys like Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder, Adam Holzman, Steve Winwood etc... so i really want to the learn the keyboard as a form-factor as well. It's just a little bit different than the freboard!

Just keep your radar up RDF and I'll bet one will come your way that's more appropriate....cheers!

Wow, already composing piano music before you learn how to play!
I am most impressed.

Don't get me wrong... I'm nothing that special There's a lot of interpretation to be done by the player them self for the stuff I do, but I do write notation. I originally got into because I think piano so beautifully harmonizes with guitar (my main instrument). An example being the song Trail of Fire by Oceansize. Not sure if it's the sort of music people here are into though.

Anyway... here's to hoping another listing pops up soon or later!

(Also, I meant to say *fretboard in my previous comment)

Wishing you all the best for your musical journey!

I don't see why all the fuss about being on an island. Pianos are mad of wood....

I actually didn't even mean to reveal my location but the cat's out of the bag now! I accidentally left my location public which probably auto-filled when i registered. I wouldn't have said so otherwise. Oh well... no big deal.

The problem with being on an island is that it's very expensive to transport anything to it, especially something large like a piano. I'm not a mile or two out to sea, I'm 30 miles out! It's even expensive to just go looking for and testing pianos on the mainland.

Also, thank you j&j. To you as well

I think your circumstances might justify looking for a digital piano as your first instrument.

When it is an old piano it is quite sad to
read CL .,people shine the old clunkers make
them look thier best,relate bits of thier story.
I went to see said what was said to be to
an old German piano .Bamburg was the name.
It actually still played with some expression.
When I showed interest my husband was
horrified.I agree it was the biggest piano I have
ever seen.It looked indestructible, dark and
"gothic" but sad.
It is when you go and see a newish piano
and it has been badly neglected that it is
just so frustrating.There on the fallboard a
grand name but the piano is just so chaotic
you know at least $2000 extra and the piano
just may be OK ?

JUNK!