As I was bouncing through ebay yesterday...

I noticed a Mississippi dealer had a 1970 M&H B. Piano had been spruced up...not a rebuild but some repolish, refinish, new strings where needed, etc. Dealer described the overall condition as Good, Minimal Wear.

Now, this is an Aeolian piano, which is one of the reasons the price is reasonable.

No, I'm not buying the piano, but it did generate a question for me...Some pianos can be played for awhile and then rebuilt when funds become available. I think this may be such a piano.

When looking for this kind of piano, one which will give several years of decent performance, but is ultimately a rebuild project, what is the check-off list for the potential buyer?

My vote for the most important criterion is the pinblock. If the piano can't hold a tune now, there's no sense in taking it on if the rebuild is some years off.

There is only one item on the check-off list:

[] Hire qualified technician for detailed inspection

This one gets my vote. Too many variables here.