Pianos Wanted.

Do you want to sell your Bluthner piano?

If you are short of time, just e-mail us with brief information about your piano to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 01865 240634

If you have time, please send us an email with the following information:

Is it an upright or a grand:
Make of piano:
Height of upright or length of grand: (measured from the front of the keys to the back of the piano)
Serial number if available:
How much use has the piano had, if known:
Is the casework in original condition as far as you know:
Brief comments on the condition of the piano in general:
Please e-mail this information to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 01865 240634.

At this stage, you don't need to send any photographs, though they would be useful to assess more accurately how much your piano is worth.

TAKING PHOTOS
If you take photos, please could you supply the following:

1 The piano taken from the front slightly to one side.
2 Close-up of the keys and name.
3 Close-up of the front with the lid closed.
4 The serial number or the piano on the frame or elsewhere if you can find it.
5 About 10 hammers in the mid treble taken from above showing the indentation in the end of them.
6 The strings and tuning pins taken towards from the middle, showing especially where the strings are wound onto the tuning pins.
7 The soundboard behind or under the strings.
8 Any obvious defects.

Please try to fit as many photos as possible into one email.

If you are wanting to sell your Bluthner piano, we are looking for pianos of this make, especially pre-"iron curtain" Bluthner pianos in rosewood and also modern upright and modern grand pianos.

Pianos made during the "iron curtain" period were not made with the same materials as previous pianos and modern ones (post 1995).

Main categories of Bluthner grand pianos

1. Bluthner patent action:
These are the older ones dating from about 1890 to 1914. The action is simpler in design from the normal roller action found in nearly all other pianos. It has the advantage of being smoother, usually lighter. The action doesn't repeat as fast as the roller action, but this is not very noticeable in normal playing. The most common colours are black (60%) and rosewood (40%). They nearly all have turned legs and a slatted or fretted music desk.

2. Standard roller action:
These date from about 1926 to 1960. By far the most common is the style 4 baby grand, 4ft 11in, which is one of the best baby grand pianos ever made. It has a smooth touch and fine "silky" tone. About 55% are mahogany, 35% walnut and 10% black. They are simple in style with plain music desk and square tapered legs.

Important note: Nearly all Bluthner style 4 baby grand pianos from 1920 to 1939 need to have the "action standards" replaced as they bow outwards, making correct regulation impossible. This work and the re-regulation costs about £1000.

Aliquot Stringing:
This refers to a system whereby an extra string was added in the treble section. In our view this novel idea doesn't really enhance the tone, though the style 8 and 6 fitted with this system are quite common and are excellent pianos.

Bluthner Upright pianos

Like the grand pianos, these have a mellow tone and smooth action, though there are some inconsistencies in the tone of many of them, especially in the mid treble (see below). There are two main categories:

Overdamper, overstrung and straight strung pianos:

These date from about 1888 to 1920. They are very rich in tone. The main drawback is the overdamper system. Bluthner overdampers are some of the best, but as with all overdampers, they tend to "ring on" too much in the mid treble since the dampers are too close to the top of the strings. Mostly black (60%) or rosewood (40%)

Underdamper, straight and overstrung pianos:

These have a fine rich tone and the taller ones a superb action. Mostly rosewood (60%) or black (40%).
IMPORTANT: We've found considerable inconsistency in the tone of Bluthner overstrung underdampers (not the straight strung ones). They often have areas that sound "boomy", particularly in the mid treble. consequently we are very careful when buying Bluthners into stock.

For a full range of new and second hand pianos in stock click here

Click here for more information on Bluthner

Please try to fit as many photos as possible into one email.

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