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I read the description before writing my comment and know the action was re-regulated. That doesn't mean any parts were replaced. My only objection to the description is that they say the piano was rebuilt when, in fact, it was only partially rebuilt and still has the over 100 years old soundboard, bridge, and action.

Unless the OP lives nearby, I think the best approach is to have it inspected first by a tech working only for the OP and then, depending on what the tech says, try it out. When trying out an old and partially rebuilt Steinway, I think one should ask oneself "What would I think about this piano if I didn't know the name on the fallboard?"

Unless the OP lives nearby, I think the best approach is to have it inspected first by a tech working only for the OP and then, depending on what the tech says, try it out. When trying out an old and partially rebuilt Steinway, I think one should ask oneself "What would I think about this piano if I didn't know the name on the fallboard?"

When trying out an old and partially rebuilt Steinway, I think one should ask oneself "What would I think about this piano if I didn't know the name on the fallboard?"

I think the piano at Rick Jones was brought up as an example of a piano in her price range, and to help counteract the feeling of deflation.

I am not sure it was necessarily brought up as a serious recommendation. The OP has indicated that she is not interested in traveling in the near future, and Rick Jones is ~2000 miles away from her location.

Yes, exactly. IOW, don't give up hope.


I'm not normally one to recommend buying without trying. On the other hand, things have been crazy during the pandemic, and I think people have been doing it. I assume Rick Jones is as good as any other place to buy from at a distance. If the piano passes an objective inspection by a 3rd party technician, then why not?

I personally wouldn't want to buy that way, but if someone isn't willing or able to travel, then they have limited options.


FWIW, I think one of the more local shops listed above also had an older M listed for about 17k. That would probably be worth checking out.

Yes, I agree, first always do one's own research on older pianos. The name on the fallboard can help in this process, sometimes not at all.I would never suggest bothering about a technician check unless there was a real love for the instrument and one was ready to buy it.The same goes for some new pianos as well but to a lesser degree.(although technician checks are probably not needed here) There are suggestions on Piano Buying about checking a used piano, before a technician check

Personally, if you’re the pianist, I would make sure to play the piano yourself AND have it inspected before purchasing. No exceptions.

With that in mind, I’d consider the following approach for a serious budget…in order of priority.

1) Visit all the stores in your town (and general metro area/neighboring towns) carrying pianos in your budget. Play things a little above and a little below your budget for perspective.

2) Plan an inexpensive and efficient road trip to the nearest big city hub of piano shops. Play their pianos. Do it in one day or two to save money and time.

3) Consider traveling farther (by plane), and playing more pianos, or track down listings online.
Probably not going to happen unless I have another reason to travel there. 😉

You can try Craigslist in your area too
I'm keeping my eyes on them...

I wasn’t about to get to step three myself, but I know people do this sometimes (sounds like a lot of work and overhead). I found what I was looking for locally. And my current lifestyle doesn’t make frivolous traveling particularly feasible. But I could see it working for some people in their search.

Let the dealer know if you really love a piano, even if you can’t afford it. If they’re anything like the people I’ve met, they’ll really want to make the sale work for you and will be open to all kinds of negotiations (even if they seem stubborn at first). You might even find you had more money to spend than you thought! (Ha ha)
I will certainly try this if I find something. Thanks!

Also, private sellers/owners are probably less likely to want to negotiate prices etc. Dealers/stores understand this is how things go and will play ball more easily.

Yeah, definitely. Also if you let us know what town you're in, we can help scope out something near to you. Of course you don't have to. As of now I've looked at Phoenix and yeah you definitely have options there...Stillwell was mentioned which has a lot of used grands. Next up you got Tucson...there's Hachenburg pianos (used Baldwin and Steinway in your budget). I don't know how far you are from Las Vegas but they've gotta have a lot of great piano deals there! You'll want to stick to the cities though, it could be a desert out there, so to speak...

Here's a question: how much life is given to a piano once restored? Or is that for a new thread? 😳

I think with some patience, looking for older used pianos will make this possible. Will probably have to broaden search in terms of age of the piano, looking for a lightly used older piano to have professionally inspected.

Also, finding a private party sale will undoubtedly save a lot of money

Pre-pandemic, I bought a 1970s Grotrian 200 in excellent condition with no work needed for around 12,000.

I tried the recent model W Hoffmann grands made through Bechstein, and was impressed. If a used one comes up on the market, it may be within budget.

I think this is a complicated question to answer for many reasons, perhaps the most important being that there is a huge amount of variability in terms of what is meant by ‘restoring’ a piano (both the things that were done and the quality of the work done). Here is an article that discusses this:
https://www.pianobuyer.com/article/buying-a-used-or-restored-piano-buying-a-restored-piano/

Thank you! I just read it and will keep this for reference. Stilwell usually has many "restored" M&H As. I need to get over there for a visit.