<html><head><style type="text/css"></style></head><body><div style="font-family:verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt"><DIV></DIV> <DIV>Noah,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As a rebuilder that rebuilds old uprights, grands and player pianos every day - I agree completely with Dean.    </DIV> <DIV>Steve Grattan</DIV> <DIV>Lost Chord Clinic</DIV> <DIV>888 742-6644</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: verdana, helvetica, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <HR SIZE=1> From: Dean May <deanmay@pianorebuilders.com> To: pianotech@ptg.org Sent: Tue, November 29, 2011 1:50:36 PM Subject: Re: [pianotech] Upright price <STYLE>  </STYLE> <DIV class=Section1> One thing you must realize, Noah, is there is a quite a bias on this list against old uprights. Which is too bad, because even though there are zillions out there richly deserving of their scorn, there are still many that make very nice instruments and have beautiful cabinets.   Your job, as the buyer’s agent, is to discern what they are looking for and help them find it for the best price. Their decorating scheme may demand and pretty old upright. And if you can make a decent playing piano out of it for less than $500 and they love the cabinet, then they’ll have a decent piano that fits their needs for less than $1k. If it could be done for $10k and still fits their budget, I wouldn’t think twice about giving them the recommendation, and I have done that very thing with older uprights with PianoDisc installed. Just be sure to give them full disclosure that they will never be able to recoup their investment. What they’ll have is a very unique piece: a beautiful antique piano that plays and sounds nice and fits their needs.   <DIV> Dean Dean W May                        (812) 235-5272 voice and text <A href="http://pianorebuilders.com/" target=_blank>PianoRebuilders.com</A>           (888) DEAN-MAY         Terre Haute IN 47802           Give us a LIKE on Facebook! <A href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/PianoRebuilderscom/137780082943148" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Go to PianoRebuilders.com</A></DIV> <DIV> <DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center> <HR tabIndex=-1 align=center SIZE=2 width="100%"> </DIV> From: pianotech-bounces@ptg.org [mailto:pianotech-bounces@ptg.org] On Behalf Of Noah Frere Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 9:27 AM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: [pianotech] Upright price</DIV>   I gave an estimate for repairs/assessment last week of a 90 year old Werner upright who's player components had been removed. The insides were as expected, though on the better side. Only one broken note (hammer flange), few if any cracks in soundboard/bridges. However, the sound was clearly 90 years old and the bobbling hammers, etc. left much to be desired. The seller was asking $275, to which I immediately responded (the potential buyer and I were alone) that it was too much, and I would ask for it for $50, but go up to $100 or even $150. Soon afterwards my attention went back to the case, which I had forgotten about, and realized it was in very good condition. The owner came in, and, hearing about the condition of the interior, and the $100 offer, began to cry. She needed to sleep on it. As the hours and days progressed, I started double-guessing myself. Had I over-emphasized the interior while ignoring the quality exterior? Maybe it was worth $275. Hmm... <DIV style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" class=MsoNormal align=center> <HR align=center color=#a0a0a0 SIZE=1 width="100%" noShade> </DIV> No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - <A href="http://www.avg.com/" rel=nofollow target=_blank>www.avg.com</A> Version: 2012.0.1873 / Virus Database: 2101/4646 - Release Date: 11/29/11</DIV></DIV></DIV></div></body></html>