Piano Valuation Service

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    • Sorry, we can only value pianos that are in the UK.

    We buy and do Restoration work on all good grand and upright pianos. Piano makes of interest include: Bechstein, Blüthner, Bösendorfer, Fazer, Fazioli, Feurich, Grotrian Steinweg, Kawai, Knight, Lipp, Sauter, Seiler, Steinway, Welmar and Yamaha. Please see our common makes page for ratings of all common makes of piano.

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    SEND IN AN EMAIL

    The first stage of our piano valuation service begins with an email containing the information below. Answer these questions as best as you can as that will help us give you a more accurate estimate.

    Details

    • Where is the piano located in the country?
    • Is it an upright or a grand piano?
    • Make of piano, the 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

    Photos

    1. The piano taken from the front slightly to one side (for grand pianos please make sure the lid is up and the music desk is shown) – Grand / Upright
    2. Close-up of the keys and name – Grand / Upright
    3. Close-up of the front with the lid closed – Grand / Upright
    4. The serial number of the piano on the frame or elsewhere if you can find it – Grand / Upright
    5. About 10 hammers in the mid treble taken from above showing the indentation in the end of them – Grand / Upright
    6. The strings and tuning pins taken towards from the middle, showing where the strings are wound onto the tuning pins – Grand / Upright
    7. The soundboard behind or under the strings – Grand / Upright
    8. The pedals showing any wear
    9. Any obvious defects

    UPRIGHT PIANOS

    rosewood bechstein 7 upright piano

    Bechstein 7(1911)

    The table below gives the best ones available in the UK, placed in order of the most common good pianos available. We’ve listed the ones tuners and performers regard as the best, irrespective of age, but taking into account tone, touch and appearance. Prices are a guide only. There are of course hundreds of upright pianos and we have only listed the most common and some of the best. For a fuller list of common makes available in the UK, please see our common makes page. If you are interested in purchasing or selling a make not listed please contact us. For Yamahas, see the menu on the left.

    GERMAN UPRIGHT PIANOS

    MakeModelLengthYearun-restoredrestored
    BechsteinAll122-145cm1963-1988£500-£2,000£4,000-£9,000

    There is much variety in Bechsteins available, so it’s hard to generalize on price. We deal mostly in models 10, 9 and 8. Model V (5) is also very common and often has attractive inlay, but models I to V suffer a lot from loose tuning pins and so need repining and often a new pin-block. Model 7 is excellent but rare. Model 6 is rarer still but in superb in every way. (prices as of 2014)

    Bechstein10126cm1902-1929£500-£1,000£2,500-£4,500

    Normally comes in black, rosewood or mahogany. Beautiful warm rich tone. NB bass not very deep tone as strings are short.(prices as of 2014)

    Bechstein9122cm1902-1929£700-£1,500£2,900-£5,000

    Normally black, rosewood or mahogany. Rich tone. (prices as of 2014)

    Bechstein8129cm1902-1929£700-£1,200£3,000-£9,000

    Usually black, rosewood or mahogany. Rich tone. Action difficult to set up. Good all round piano with more “serious” tone than models 9 and 10. (prices as of 2014)

    KapsOne Model130cm1898-1915£200-£700£2,500-£4,000
    Well made pianos, often decorative Art Nouveau and Art Deco with strong rich tone. Can vary in quality.
    SteinwayK156cm£1,000 – 6,000£8,000 – £13,000
    N/A
    SteinwayN154cm£1,500 – £4,000£9,000 – £12,000
    N/A
    SteinwayV153cm£1,000 – £6,000£8,500 – £12,000
    N/A
    Other less common good makes include Blüthner (older ones are usually over-dampers), Steinway, Förster (old ones good), Bösendorfer (Austrian, excellent but rare), Feurich, Gors & Kallman (varied), Grotrian Steinweg (excellent), Ibach (older ones common but over-dampers), Schimmell and Zimmermann (not recommended until 1995 when merged with Bechstein). Modern Bechsteins, Steinways, etc are notlisted above because they rarely appear on the second-hand market.

    MODERN ENGLISH AND OTHER EUROPEAN UPRIGHT PIANOS

    MakeModelLengthYearun-restoredrestored
    KnightK10122cm1963-1988£500-£1,000£1,500-£3000
    KnightK20110cm1963-1988£500-£1,000£1,500-£3000
    Modernstyle. Usually mahogany, sometimes walnut or teak. Teachers’ favorite, made with great integrity. Full singing tone for modern piano. Older knights from 1950 to 1960 smaller and more varied. Post 1989 pianos are not made in the original way and are inferior.
    WelmarModern style104-120cm1965-1991£300-£1,000£1,700-£4,000
    Consistent good quality, rich mellow tone and fine touch. The 30s ones are taller pianos influenced by Blüthner (Welmar were the importers of Blüthner) and of similar quality.

    TRADITIONAL ENGLISH AND OTHER EUROPEAN UPRIGHT PIANOS

    MakeModelLengthYearun-restoredrestored
    Welmar 30’s Style 130cm1928-1940£300-£1,000£1,500-£3,000
    Fine quality with rich tone and smooth touch. In collaboration with Blüthner, for whom they were the agents.
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