<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" xmlns:v = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1 = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.3020" name=GENERATOR><o:SmartTagType name="PostalCode" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="State" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="City" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType name="PersonName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType> <STYLE>  </STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY lang=EN-US vLink=blue link=blue bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>That's what I would expect to see at a dealer. But in a private sale the figures tend to be all over the place. I would certainly think that anyone spending more than a private sale price of $500 for a 1975 Miller spinet in good condition would be foolish. However, you will see some folks asking up to around $1K for such a piano.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><BR> </DIV> <DIV class=Section1> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I think you are a little low on what the piano would be worth. A nice looking console in good playing condition can fetch 1000-1500 around here. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <DIV> <P class=MsoAutoSig style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><U1:PERSONNAME u2:st="on"><st1:PersonName w:st="on"><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=navy size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; COLOR: navy">Dean May</SPAN></FONT></st1:PersonName></U1:PERSONNAME><FONT color=navy><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> <A href="mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org">pianotech-bounces@ptg.org</A> [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] <B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </SPAN></B>Joey Recker<BR></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">At least you confirmed my numbers were in line.  I told her 3000 for the stringing and hammers and associated pitch raise.  I told her there would likely be more charges at that point aftere we found out what regulation and voicing needed to be accomplished.  I also told her at that point she would have a piano worth $400 (at best) and could buy a brand new comparable piano for around $2500.00.   So at least we agree on the numbers.  I was amazed that she wanted to do the work.  <BR><BR>I must report that she said she "thought" she wanted to have it fixed, but was going to sleep on it before making a decision.   She hasn't called back so far...</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P> <DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> <HR align=center width="100%" SIZE=2> </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com><BR></SPAN></FONT></P> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I've also been reading this thread with some wonder. Just a quick tally of proposed fees for the minimum this piano would need - complete restringing, new hammers, damper felt and action & damper regulation, I come up with $2,800, which doesn't include running back and forth to this guy's house, etc.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I gotta admit, I'm very curious what the "just high enough" bid was and what the proposed tasks were. I'm also curious what the suggested new and used comparable piano prices given were. I mean, you can't even buy a piano that bad anymore - can you? They don't make GRAND pianos anymore - do they? A new comparable piano - if there were such a beast - might be $2K (just thinking that you can pick up some trashy little thing today for about $2.5K)? And used - wholesale - zero; private retail - $200 - $600; dealer retail - $1K - $1,300?</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Only once have I refused to work on a piano when the owner really wanted to do the/some work. Almost always I can educate the owner toward some better options. Of course, when there is significant sentimental value to the piano, all common sense goes out the window - I know that and I can work with that. But that is reportedly not the case here. </SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">If a reputable piano tech can't make the owner see the light in a situation like this, then........</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">$2,800 just to end up with a crappy little piano? No, I would walk from this one - I would fear my reputation suffering. For $2,800 the person could go to a dealer and buy an excellent condition Yamaha P-22. With some legwork, they could find a decent U-1 or U-3 in a private sale. For less than that cost they could find a later model good condition American studio piano. When pianos like the aforementioned are available at a similar or less cost, it makes NO sense whatsoever to sink that kind of money into a low-end spinet.</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Even if all the work needed cost $500 - even if it were $200, I would still try to talk the owner into replacement.....</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV> <DIV> <P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Just my rant worth.....</SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>