As your Wilmington DE piano tuner, I am frequently asked to give the value of a customer’s piano over the phone. However, it is not possible to give an accurate opinion over the phone, because the value can vary so widely, depending on numerous factors. A piano’s value varies depending on its brand, age, condition, and the location where it has been kept. Additionally, the value of a piano will vary depending on the length if it’s a grand piano, and the height if it is a vertical piano. It will also be influenced by the demand for that particular type of piano in your area. Many of these variables can be determined over the phone, but the piano’s exact condition must be determined in person by a qualified piano technician. Pianos of the same brand and age can vary enormously in condition and value.

The major reasons for the wide range of condition fall into two categories. The first category is the amount of wear due to use. The second is the condition of wooden structural piano parts.

Regarding the wear on the piano, that principally occurs in the piano action. The majority of the materials in the piano action are wood and felt. The hammers, which strike the strings, have wooden cores, put the portion which strikes the piano strings is made of felt. If the hammers are so worn that they need replacement, this can lower the value of a piano by thousands of dollars.

Problems with the wooden structural portions of a piano can have an even greater effect on the value of the instrument. The three main structural parts of a piano are the pin block, which holds the tuning pins, the piano soundboard, and the bridges. If any of these has dried out and cracked, the piano may not hold a tuning unless thousands of dollars of repairs are performed.  Each of these structures must be evaluated by a trained professional, to determine if repairs are needed. Pianos of the same brand and age can vary from needing no repairs, to requiring thousands of dollars of work.

Call Kenneth Keith Piano Services to learn more about the value of your piano, and for all of your piano tuning Wilmington DE needs. We also provide piano services Philadelphia, Eastern Shore MD and Southern New Jersey.