[pianotech] Squares for 20K? Is that possible?

[Joseph Garrett]

Ed asked:
"Greetings,
Recently, I was asked to give an appraisal of a square grand, and my 
fair market value estimate was approx. 5% of what others expected. In 
my experience here in Tennessee, these things can't be given away, but 
there might be other venues in which they are pursued. I was told that 
the insurance estimate had been $20K and that various web sites had 
them advertised from $20 to $35k.
Does anybody care to offer what prices they have actually seen paid 
for these pianos in the last 10 years?
Regards,"
 
Ed,
I've been specializing in Squares for the last 30+ years. The only ones
that have any right to ask those kinds of prices would be those that have
good Provenance, AND are in excellant to new condition. It does cost as
much to Rebuild one as it does to rebuild  a 7' or 9' regular grand, but,
no way in hell would an owner be able to recoup that cost. They cannot play
like or sound like a regular piano! The design dictates that and is not
capable of anything more. The only Square Grand that comes close, is the
Mathushek, (later versions), which have a regular grand action However, the
scaling still sucks! His is the best scale that can be derived from the
basic soundboard configuaration, etc.
There are a whole lot of people out there, that have more $$$$ than sense,
in this regard. The zinger in all of this is: The Insurance number
indicates what it would cost to get another one, that has been fully
Rebuilt to the exact condition of the one that is lost to whatever trauma
it may have encountered! The Insurance Number is NOT an indicator of it's
true value as a REAL musical instument.
There lies the rub.<G>
Best Regards,
Joe 


Joe Garrett, R.P.T.
Captain of the Tool Police
Squares R I