This information can help guide you in making important decisions. A grand looks better in a room, and the pianist is more favorably impressed by the view when he sits down to play a grand, compared with an upright, which usually stands with its back to a wall. Haines brothers was known for building high quality, lovely sounding instruments and they. Since 1857, kimball has provided piano players of all ages and ability levels with different styles of pianos that have different price ranges. This article will focus on a pianos fair market value and discuss some of the variables that influence it. But, i did also note that the blue book doesnt list the pianos from the sejung line. Chickerings placement of serial numbers on its earliest square pianos was not consistent.
If there is a new piano that is similar in size, quality of general construction and description, then this is usually a new piano. After an illustrated discussion of piano structure that explains the workings of both grand and upright pianos, the book gives careful advice for purchasing a new or used piano. The online piano appraisal service can help you to determine the current market value range of your piano if you are looking to buy or sell one, or just need a rough estimate of how much your piano is worth. Replacement value usually refers to the retail price that you would need to pay to buy the nearest new equivalent to the piano you have. The first 5 lessons of the progressive beginner piano book are available for free online here. Like antique books, antique pianos are not worth a lot of money just because they are. Fair market value is the price at which an item would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither of whom is compelled to buy or sell. He has collected quite a bit of information about numerous piano companies. From here, you can make additions or subtractions to the value based on damages, imperfections, and aftermarket additions to the instrument. It is used extensively as a source book in the piano business by both consumers and members of the trade. The bluebook of pianos the guide to new piano prices. Piano buying guide the successor to the piano book piano.
Piano buyer is a semiannual piano buying guide that will help you make a fast informed decision concerning the purchase of a piano or digital piano. Bluebook of pianos piano information and appraisal, piano. We have compiled all the pricing in the entire piano industry into one simple webpage. This is the answer and the only free publication to provide this information in the piano industry. Quality quality of a piano is determined both by the internal and external features of the piano, as well as the manufacturer, when it was made, and the care it received yet if you head online, youll find all kinds of sites that offer you bluebook value of a piano, charge you a small fee for coaching to tell you what you should pay. It is vital to understand that piano values are determined by many factors, and a blue book can by its nature only give you a ballpark figure. For the first 20 years, they built a nice selection of square grand pianos before building their first upright pianos in 1870. If your brand isnt listed then you can simply select your pianos quality rating. The only 3 chords you need to master the blues on piano. If you find our application useful, please support our work with a donation. This is a list current used piano prices of these models made after 1985. Because local market forces have a huge influence on piano prices, it is common to. The piano forums are an online community of piano lovers including piano industry professionals, concert artists, recording artists, technicians, dealers, manufacturers, and thousands of enthusiastic amateur pianist. If you are looking to purchase a kimble piano, there is a wide selection available on ebay for your consideration.
How do you find a pianos value using its serial number. In strict compliance with the principles of appraisal practice and code of ethics of the association of online appraisers. Chickering and sons pianos serial numbers piano age. Helping you determine the value of a piano continued page 2 please note, this article was written back in 2009. In addition to the values of almost 3,000 piano brands and models, this book is a goldmine of information for any piano owner or enthusiast. A blue book of pianos is a compilation of prices of new and used pianos, which can be used to give you an estimate of a pianos value. I took the link to the blue book and noticed the same thing as did teclado. There are a few things you should know before you buy or sell a used piano or even advertise your piano for sale, and some questions you should have the answers to before doing so. Free piano prices guide new or used fair market value. Locating your serial number chickering foundation home. Choose the piano model most similar to yours some piano brands change their model numbers every few years while others have remained unchanged for decades. How to determine the value of a used piano pianobuyer. The purpose of this article is to comment on and clarify the information in piano buyer on determining the value of a used piano.
Click the links in the table of contents below to get started. When appraising your guitar, the first place to begin is the average market value of the guitar. Chickering pianos for sale buy a chickering piano at. Prices do not include delivery, service policy, music, or lessons.
Match the serial number to a manufacturer using a list of numbers and brands, such as the one available on. This area is accessible by simply lifting up the top lid as shown. Much of the information here is from the piano book by larry fine for a great source of additional information. Well, nobody knows and the piano blue book sites wont say. What factors determine piano values, and how much is your piano worth. In addition to the values of almost 3,000 piano brands and models, this book is a goldmine of information for any piano owner or. A piano is one of the most expensive purchases a household will ever make, and buying a piano can be difficult, confusing, and time consuming. The piano buyer article has since been revised to include these comments. Research the prices of instruments of similar age, condition and make to estimate the pianos value. Traditional bluebook values for items like cars are easier to track because a car has a title that follows it through its life. The blue book of pianos website values of automatic pianos and organs by arthur reblitz.
Mason and hamlin, boosendorfer, bechstein, baldwin, blunther. The title will show the make, model, year, color, etc of the car, and assess its value based on all events that occur around that car. While a piano, like anything else, is ultimately worth whatever a seller can get for it, a pianos real value is the result of many factors. To find the value of a piano with a serial number, use the number to determine the approximate date the piano was made. It also has pertinent information on piano pricing and discount information. It can be determined using the idealizedvalueminuscostofrestoration method, but discounted, like tradein value, to allow the commercial seller to make a profit.
In each case we show the lowest price at retail for each size. An antique piano is one which is at least 100 years old. Piano buying guide the successor to the piano book. Chickering quickly became one of the largest and most successful piano manufacturers of all time. This book provides an update on current prices of pianos that are new. Bluebook of pianos fast, free and convenient real piano. The bluebook of pianos has adopted the following definitions to help clarify the level of repairs on a piano. A blue book of pianos is a compilation of prices of. Attention is given to important considerations such as price, tone.
The firm was originally established in boston in 1823 by jonas chickering and his partner james stewart under the name of stewart. At the age of six he began with sea shells, and soon graduated to coins, the gateway drug. Acting in the capacity of appraiser, we accurately and expertly appraise vintage and antique pianos. It can be a challenge to determine if youre paying a fair price for a piano. Read free online, or purchase the 270page, fullcolor. Now you have access to the complete piano pricing that before was only available to piano dealers. Salvage value is what a dealer, technician, or rebuilder would pay for a piano that is essentially unplayable or unserviceable and in need of restoration. We believe that our work is important for piano owners and lovers.
Once youve collected all the necessary info, you can get a dollar amount. For the sake of brevity, ill only look at playing blues in the key of c. My advice would be to go to the blue book of guitar values. The value of a specific piano model may be determined on the basis of the price shown.
Values are certified through research in directories of the music industry such as, the presto piano buyers guide, the pierce musical instrument atlas, the bluebook of pianos, encyclopedia of musical instruments and and the piano times newspaper. Piano information and appraisal, piano information and prices, we provide new and used piano prices, age of your piano, piano appraisal service discover. The blue book of acoustic guitars and blue book of electric guitars are the two leading reference and value guides in the guitar industry, along with the blue. You may own a world class name piano, such as steinway.
The blue book of acoustic guitars and blue book of electric guitars are the two leading reference and value guides in. Price information is for the sole purpose of providing a maximum retail selling price benchmark the manufacturer suggested retail price or the msrp represents in general an average retail tag price by u. A blue book of pianos is a compilation of prices of new and used pianos, which can be used to give you an estimate of a piano s value. Some suspect that these sites are even run offshore their pages often read like emails from a distant prince offering you an inheritance in exchange for your credit card information.
Sell your piano like a pro with our expert online piano calculators. The blue book of pianos website is a great resource for finding the value of a piano. Your pianos age is one of the most significant factors in determining your pianos value. Since there is no used piano price directory or blue book as there is for other merchandise, like cars for example, piano pricing can be very confusing for most. Free beginner piano lessons learn to play music blog. The website contains a wealth of free information regarding guides to appraisals and buying new and used pianos. The blues chord progression lasts 12 bars thus the phrase 12bar blues that move in a familiar pattern using those three chords. This information should be very useful when trying to find out what your piano is worth. Chickering about 5 5 grand piano, mahogany, iv keys, tuned. The value of your piano this virtual appraisal will give you a rough idea of what your piano might be worth. Haines brothers piano company was established in 1851 by napoleon j. Even in the worst condition, most steinway grand pianos will sell for thousands of dollars, but how many thousands is going to be determined by the pianos condition. Now you can be able to download piano blue book totally free from. If youre going about this on your own, your best resource is an updated version of the piano book.
Research the prices of instruments of similar age, condition and make to estimate the piano s value. On your upright, the serial number is almost always on the wood or iron frame inside the piano above the tuning pins. As a final word, all of the above is simply my opinion based on forty years as a player piano technician. You can look up a free piano serial number history search from this page see list of. Piano name brand guide the free online piano price book. Knowing the fair market value of chickering pianos is useful to sellers, buyers and owners.
Many people looking to buy or sell a seek to appraise its value by means of a so called blue book of pianos. In actuality these old instruments may be worth very little at all. Your piano s age is one of the most significant factors in determining your piano s value. The bluebook of pianos is an invaluable handbook for anyone who owns or. If youre selling a piano on the other hand, value refers more to what the piano is really worth, its intrinsic value. Piano appraisal service piano appraisal piano values. The following websites act as a guitar blue book online. You need not spend a ton of money to get an expert opinion.
Locate the age of your chickering and sons piano within the chart found below. Chickering was established in 1823 by jonas chickering and james stewart in boston, massachusetts. Piano buyer is the definitive guide for buying a new piano. Rare chickering grand 9ft 1868 to 1878 presidential piano. The price and list, at least on the four different makes i looked at, appears to be an exact copy of the 20072008 supplement to the piano book. A used piano that has been disassembled, inspected, repaired as necessary with replacement of all worn or deteriorated parts, reassembled, tested and approved to at least the tolerances of a new. The best way to find an accurate value for your guitar is to go to the experts. The problem is most of the time, this is pure guess work. Choose from 75 popular piano brands with over 2000 different models currently for sale. While grand pianos are more dramatic in appearance and produce a louder sound, upright. A large part of my job has been to assess the condition of a piano and what it will need before i go on the.
Essentially, the blues is a specific progression that uses the c7, f7, and g7 chords. Piano bluebook prices steinway piano gallery of naples. Chickering pianos for sale buy a chickering piano at pianomart. Piano serial numbers identify the 1 age of your piano, the 2 pianos year of manufacture, as well as 3 the circumstances surrounding the production of your piano, including factory history, manufacturing processes, and company ownership and oversight. This book offers an uptodate list of prices of current pianos that are both new and used. Chickering piano prices and value upright, grand new, used. The bluebook of pianos is an invaluable handbook for anyone who owns or plans to buy a piano. Piano values thus depend in part on whos buying and playing them. How to determine the value of a used piano our pastimes. Join the worlds largest community of piano lovers its free.
The reasons for the preference which most people show for a grand to an upright piano are probably aesthetic and psychological. Discover your pianos age and country of origin with our 5 star accuracy guide to ensure the quality and. These are retail tag prices used by dealers with the same margin of profit and percentages published in music product and. This information should be very useful when trying to. Yet if you head online, youll find all kinds of sites that offer you bluebook value of a piano, charge you a small fee for coaching to tell you what you should pay for a piano, or even offer to appraise your piano to tell you its worth. Included are general values based upon formulas used in my 35 years of experience buying, selling, tuning and restoring pianos. This evaluation can serve as a reasonable starting point of reference at which to begin. Discover your piano s age and country of origin with our 5 star accuracy guide to ensure the quality and. While the main points are still valid some of the prices will have changed. This section lists the average resale prices for used pianos. It appears that they will sometimes use msrp or wholesale price sheets that are decades old.