[Raphi Hill]

I have a Murdoch Murdoch and Co upright piano, without candle holders or any other frills. I am not sure of the age, but bought it 12 years ago from a proffessional pianist. I have been asked by a potential buyer if it is tunable to 'concert pitch.' Would you be able to advise me?
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[Gill the Piano]

Not without seeing the piano. In theory, yes, because M&M made good solid instruments, if not very expensive ones, but a lot depends on how it's been treated since it was born!If it has been somewhere damp, the strings could be rusty and therefore a bit iffy (technical term...) to put more tension on. It also depends how flat it is to concert pitch; a semitone pitchraise is feasible on happy strings but more than that... To raise the pitch by a semitone (ie, making your c into a c#) exerts another 2 tons (don't do foreign measurements, you'll have to ask a child ) tension on the frame. So a tone would be 4 tons and so on... You really need to ask a tuner; why not suggest that the potential buyers send their own tuner for an unbiased expert opinion? Treble strings are about a fiver each, if they go bang, but bass strings have to be specially made and require another visit to fit them; they can cost up to 25 quid with the fitting, so go cautiously!