Piano

[ekul1978]

Didn't know if I should post this here or in the classifieds. Work has an old Rich Lipp and Sohn piano that they would like to sell. It is pretty old at 106 and does need some TLC having sat in the main school hall its entire life. Wondering if anyone knew of an outlet that we could look at other than the usual online auction sites. Have checked the local music stores etc but had no luck as its a bit too large for them. Ive also tried to contact Rich Lipp and Sohn too buy had no response as of yet. Any pointers would be much appreciated.

[Dave m]

I know odd all about pianos other than what I learned from friends who bought one.

 

They wanted a grand and it so happens that their brother-in-law's brother is a piano technician.

he sold them a refurbished one.

 

All I can suggest is contact this lot (* no connection)

 

http://www.besbrodep....uk/contact.htm

 

I gather it's not like buying an old house, more like an old car, and a purchaser needs to give the piano a good inspection as often they need major work that is specialist, so often they go from private sale to trade - repair - and back to private customer

[Jivemaster]

www.clementpianos.com/

 

is a well established piano dealer and repairer in Nottingham, Ring them see if they want to buy it and for how much? It may or may not me a niche piano in a niche market.

[ekul1978]

Thanks for the pointers, school is looking into them but if they are no other options it looks like they will eventually skip it. Shame but if they cant sell it that's what they want to do.

[sleah]

It would seem appropriate to say on here... how about trying TV & theatre props suppliers? Even if it's a case of giving it to them for transport cost, surely better than skipping it.

[ekul1978]

That not a bad shout Sleah, hadn't thought of that - there is a localish company Qdos I think that do prop hire.

[Jivemaster]

There is selling it as a going performance piano and sending it to further uses inc prop hire to consider. Lots depends on how much they really want to get for it and how much work a piano restorer would have to value into it, and then whether it is a fashion make when fully restored. http://www.amhire.com/ Would probably take it for prop use, BUT would they pay, and how much?

 

Would a local school actually like to receive it? Local dance studios?

[ekul1978]

It does need TLC so wouldn't go as a working piano at the moment. As far as price is concerned they have said whatever they could get for it would be a bonus rather than smashing it up. The initial figure that management were looking at was £3k to buy some new chairs with but that estimate is way, way, way too optimistic.

[chelgrian]

It does need TLC so wouldn't go as a working piano at the moment. As far as price is concerned they have said whatever they could get for it would be a bonus rather than smashing it up. The initial figure that management were looking at was £3k to buy some new chairs with but that estimate is way, way, way too optimistic.

 

Some googling find http://www.ukpianos.co.uk/piano-market-buy-or-sell-used-pianos I suppose it's worth phoning them up and asking for advice. I don't think it's worth actually listing it on that site as I had a look through and all the instruments for sale seem to be in working order.

 

The scrap value of the metal frame and other bits of piano, even if you took it to bits yourself, isn't terribly high so if you can't sell it you are more looking at paying someone to take it away. It's possible that a more specialist piano dealer might want some bits of it for reasonable money, for example a piano that age might have ivory keys and some dealers will remove that for repairing older keyboards with if an instrument is being scrapped.

 

Note: 'smashing up' a piano is dangerous you need to very carefully de-string it first before breaking it up for scrap as the strings and frame are under a considerable amount of tension.

[paulears]

De-stringing wrecks a piano smash. Having been part of quite a few - in fact, working on a piano smash for Anglia TV was one of my first OB jobs - the sound of the strings going or frame snapping are what makes it worth doing. Smashing a de-tensioned piano makes hardly any of the expected noise. If the idea is to simply skip it, then you could cut the strings, dismantle it and safely put the bits in the skip. For what it's worth, piano strings tend not to snap violently. They don't curl, and wave around. When a piano frame cracks the string tension is released and they don't suddenly fly across a room. Even thumping them with sledge hammers has never been that spectacular when they go - just a great noise.

 

The big problem with all the ideas is that old grand pianos (I assume it's a grand) are too heavy for use as touring props. Hence, I doubt QDOS would be interested - not really their kind of prop, and they take up too much space. If the case is in good condition, it could find a new home as a stage prop concealing a keyboard, but it would really need to be a baby to fit in a typical van sensibly - a fun size grand is just too big and too heavy, even when de-framed and soundboarded. Sadly, if it's not in playing condition, it's skip fodder practically. A couple of weeks ago I saw a baby grand gutted as a stage prop. It was still ridiculously heavy, and while it looked good, even held together with pin hinges it was a big lump.

[Jivemaster]

Money for your piano depends on you putting in a lot of effort to find a buyer who either knows and loves the brand/sound/ feel as it is. OR you need to find a trade restorer who thinks its worth buying to renovate and sell on. Either way it's up to you and the school to do a LOT of ringing round. Ring a restorer, if they don't want it they may know who does restore that brand.