As your Wilmington DE piano tuner and also serving Philadelphia, Eastern Shore MD and Southern New Jersey, I am often asked for an opinion of the value of a customer’s piano over the phone. Without examining a piano, it is impossible to give a valid opinion, because there are so many factors involved. A piano’s value is related to its brand, age, condition, and the location(s) where it has been housed. Additionally, the value of a piano will vary depending on the height if it’s a vertical piano, and the length if it’s a grand piano. It will also be influenced by the demand for that particular type of piano in your area. Other factors such as population growth, economic outlook, seasonal influence, and competitive choices will impact a piano’s market value, too. Many of these factors 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, depending on the amount of use along with the other factors that I’ve mentioned.

Piano actions are made up of organic materials such as wood and felt.  The wood can age depending on the stability of the climate in the room where the piano has been kept.  If the wood structures dry out, they can shrink or crack, causing problems.  For example, the tuning pins are held in a block of wood called the piano pin block.  If that piece of wood dries out and shrinks away from the pins, the pins will become loose, requiring an expensive repair. Interestingly enough, there are pianos that are only 30 years old that can require thousands of dollars of work for complete replacement of the piano pin block, and there are pianos that are 120 years old that have tuning pins as tight as the day the piano was made.

Call Kenneth Keith Piano Services to learn more about the value of your piano, and for all of your Wilmington piano tuning services.  We are always happy to help.