Antique Player Piano

What is it about antique things that draws us to them? Makes us pay through our noses and love it? I don’t know about furniture and jewelry, but show me an antique player piano and I’ll give up a whole fortune for it. And I, like a whole lot of other of my ilk, have some very good reasons for doing so.

For one, nothing matches the beauty of an antique player piano. It is reminiscent of an era gone by; golden period when musical instruments were as important a craft as the music itself. Antique pianos also make a very good investment if you can get your hands on one that is either in excellent condition or has been restored with expertise and care.

When buying antique pianos one must exercise caution as several pieces that are sold as ‘restored’ are often just ‘repaired’. There is a lot of difference in that as a repaired piano uses suspect parts and the sound, may suffer. A good way to detect ‘repaired’ pianos being pushed as ‘restored antique pianos’ is to look for these giveaways – a fresh coat of lacquer, some decals and less than quality parts. Buying a repaired piano not just depreciates in value but is actually moving progressively towards loosing its vintage value completely.

However, not all the antique players on the market suffer the ignominy of having been repaired just so the dealer can turn over his stock. The trick is in finding the right dealer. References from friends or other antique dealers of repute, auction houses – online and offline and individual sellers should yield good results. To safeguard your interests when you buy an antique piano from a dealer who claims the piece has been properly restored, it is a good idea to get it in writing.

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