Bluebook of Pianos

[Dave Nereson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Couttss@aol.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 8:01 AM
Subject: Re: Bluebook of Pianos
> Does anyone have a phone number for these folks?  I ordered a Bluebook almost 
> 4 months ago and they cashed my check but never received the book.  Their 
> website lists their address as a town close to Denver but that's it.  I've 
> written at least a half dozen times and asked for my book or to refund my money but 
> it's like they ain't there.
> Anyway, Merry Christmas to All.
> Don Coutts
> Don's Piano Service
> Associate
> Chicago Chapter

    Uh-oh.  You got the "bad" Bluebook of pianos, as did I, unknowingly.  There seem to be two "Blue books of pianos".  One is fairly expensive -- you have to subscribe every year for $85 or so, if I'm not mistaken.  Others on this list can tell you about it.  I understand it's worth it if you do a lot of buying and selling of pianos, or brokering for piano buyers. 
      The other one, "The 'Original' Bluebook of Pianos", by Bob Furst --not in the PTG directory--, of Arvada, Colo. (a suburb of Denver) is $45, or it was in 2000.  And it's not worth it!  It's atrociously "edited" (and that's being kind) -- that is, un-proofread, full of misspellings, typos, poor and garbled wording, poor syntax, incomplete sentences, repeated sentences, repeated sections, repeated pages, inverted pages, blank pages, and, worst of all, questionable information and out-and-out untruths about pianos. 
    A lot of the "reviews" of piano makes date to their reputation before the 1920's (!)  Long-defunct makes are listed as "reliable", "perfectly safe to buy", "of popular character" (whatever that means), 
"responsible", "by a powerful industry", etc.  They include endless lists of awards, exhibitions, which universities and obscure artists used them (when?  now?  in 1909?  1939?  1969?  There's no clue!)
    There's an overly long and wordy section on "grading" pianos, as though you'll never buy one successfully unless you learn his "grading" system.  He can't even number the various classes successively (skips 3 and goes to 5).  The "alphabetical order" isn't very strict, either.
    I can't tell you how atrocious this "work" is.  If you've taken any English at all, you'll groan and howl at the "grammar" and the pretentious attempt to sound educated.  It's just horrific!!
    I suppose he meant well, and yes, there is some useful information, and quite a bit more on the individual manufacturers than in Pierce, but a lot of it is overly wordy, moot or academic, since most of the makes are defunct.  It might have been useful back in the 50's if you were shopping for old uprights that were then only 30 or 40 years old, but now...???
    He tried to be exhaustive, I think, but it's more like exhausting, and I'm extremely dubious of the validity of his information.  For example, Bechstein, Bluethner, Schimmel, Mason & Hamlin, Boesendorfer, Yamaha, and Steinway all rate 6 stars, which seems to be the max, but then so does Chickering, even as a division of Aeolian, and also Astin-Weight, Lowrey (!), Everett, Sohmer, Story & Clark, Tadashi (!!), Toyo (!!!), Tokai (!!!), and Young Chang (!).  Even Samick, Kimball, Janssen, Currier, Conover-Cable, plain ol' Cable, and Aeolian, all poor-to-mediocre makes, in my opinion, still rate 5 stars!!!    Ehhhh???  Whaaaatttt!???
    Then, for the valuation section, he uses the terms "pro-net discounts", lease returns, and "residual" piano prices, without explaining what these mean.  
   On the positive side, there IS a price schedule for used pianos based on condition, which is useful, I guess, if the prices reflect reality.  How they're arrived at, we don't know.  The headings are: R&R (he doesn't explain, but I assume it means Rebuilt & Refinished), Refur (bished), Excel (lent), Good (condition) and Fair (condition).  The various heights and lengths are listed, also.  Many brands you've never heard of are listed (European?), but I doubt all the brands currently manufactured are listed since this section is only 9 pages long.  
        Sample listing under "Steinway"  (2000 edition) :  9-ft. grand  R&R $50,000   Refur  $35,000   Excel  $33,000   Good  $30,000   Fair  $28,000     Under "Yamaha":  5'7" grand:  R&R  $9,550   Refur  $7,560  Excel  $6,775   Good  $6,240   Fair  $5,770       Seems low, even for 3 years ago.    
    That's followed by a list of sugg. retail prices for some 50 or 60 makes, with the various models and finishes listed, which is also useful.  Then there's a sort of abbreviated Pierce-type listing of serial numbers and years of manufacture, but with the number of typos in this thing, I don't know if I'd trust it.  It's probably derived from Pierce, which isn't 100% accurate in the first place.  After that is a listing of 2000-2001 new piano prices, which are probably accurate, and then a curious glossary of piano terms, which omits a lot.
    I had the same experience in ordering -- he, they -- whoever -- kept my check for weeks with nothing shipped.  I tried to call -- full answering machine or no response.  Then had to write.  Twice, I think.  Finally got the thing and was sorely disappointed.  
    Larry Fine's "The Piano Book", along with its annual update, is much more professional, clear, and useful. 
    If you have to have everything published about pianos, and already know your stuff pretty well (so you can gloss over or take with entire shakers of salt the questionable stuff) , there IS some useful information -- the thing is over 300 pages after all, but cheaply "bound" in a college term paper-type notebook binder.  But there's so much outdated "filler" and horrendous wording, it's nothing I would lend to a prospective piano buyer.  
    --greatly disappointed....live & learn, I guess...  -- David Nereson, RPT, Denver