[lyndylou]

I apologise if this has been asked many times before.

I need some unbiased advice.

I have an upright piano I inherited. I dont play. I know nothing about piano's
I was thinking of getting rid of it and thought I might give it away or sell it ( even free to take away)

I rang up some local dealers/ second hand furniture dealers and I have been told its worthless and to dump it on the tip or to burn it ( how do I go about burning it? Dismanteling it?)

All this was done without anyone even asking details about it.

Then someone told me it would be a waste of a good piano to dump it and impossible to burn because of the iron frame. They said they thought it was worth more than nothing and might be valuable and I should check , but I dont know where to go.

Its a G. Ajello and Sons, London, stamped in gold on the under lid of the keyboard. Its says makers to the King of Italy and by Royal Appointemnt.

I dont know how old it is but best guess is between 1900 and early 1920's? Based on peoples recall. It could be older depnding on whether it was second hand when we got it.

It plays , none of the keys stick, they all sound, although its a bit out of tune on the lower keys and has not been tuned for 10 years or more. It was better looked after in its youth.

Its a Walnut veneer. Inlaid in the middle section. Quite pretty.

Its got fancy carving features on the front if thats any use.

Cabinet is scuffed and scratched a little and it needs a polish but it still shines and its OK given its likely age.

Its dusty inside and I am scared to even look at it ( ie take the front down because I just dont know anything about them.)

Keys are mostly OK . A couple are slightly chipped on the edge - one is missing a ichy bit of ivory , or whatever they cover them with. But they all play and they all work. The curtain or hessian back thing is a bit tatty, thread bare a bit and dusty and pretty old from the look of it.

Its really heavy to move although it has castors ( old fashioned ones) . It might be missing its candle holders.... mom recalls them being there, but they are not anymore and I cant see where they would have been?

Its a piece of furniture , its not a plain box.


So , should I dump it or should I get someone to see it - if so who?

Advice would be really appreciated.

Sorry for being such a piano philistine.

[Geminoz]

I can't believe you were advised to dump a piano without someone having a look at it.
I am sure there are people out there who would give their eye teeth for a piano.
Why not get your local tuner to have a look at it before making a decision you might regret.
To me a piano is almost a living thing and the thought of one ending up on the dump makes me very sad.
My current piano is very old and it's appearance suggests it has had a hard life, but it was tunable and with a lot of TLC now looks quite respectable, despite a few chips on the ivories. It is giving me hours and hours of pleasure.
Although we may dream....not all of us can afford a concert grand or the latest and best upright and many of us are just happy to have an instrument that will play to a standard we can enjoy.
So please please please have someone look at yours before doing anything rash.

[Barrie Heaton]

Ajello made some nice little 85 note compact pianos but if the pianos is c 1900 then most dealers will not be interested as it will probably be a straight strung over damper and most dealers don’t sell them of their shop floor the rubbish most dealers get tend to end up on Ebay

But as Geminoz says it may be worth getting in a tuner to look at it, if it tunes up you may get 300 for it privately

Barrie,
_________________
Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page

[Gill the Piano]

You could also approach a local piano teacher - many kids are trying to learn the piano on nasty little plastic things and consequently ruining their touch before they've had a chance to learn it. Their parents often argue that they can't afford a piano, so a freebie would be excellent for the pupil and a relief for the teacher! Try it!

[lyndylou]

[quote="Barrie Heaton"]Ajello made some nice little 85 note compact pianos but if the pianos is c 1900 then most dealers will not be interested as it will probably be a straight strung over damper and most dealers don’t sell them of their shop floor the rubbish most dealers get tend to end up on Ebay

err... this will sound very silly, but does an 85 key compact piano have 85 keys on it (ie otal of all black and white keys?).

I dont know whether this is a compact piano or not. It has 85 keys on it , I counted them up tonight. I thought it was an ordinary piano.

How do I tell what sort of piano this is? Does it make a difference?

Whats a straight strung over damper and how would I know one if I saw one?

How do I find a piano tuner on the Devon /Cornwall borders? Piano's dont seem popular and piano tuners are thin on the ground it seems.

[Barrie Heaton]

[lyndylou]

Thanks for the reply.

Since this Ajello is certainly a London manufacture and they went out of business in the 1930's - at least thats as I was told it, it cant be a 1950's piano.

As I said previously I dont know the age of this piano. There were several in the family but all were "old" by the time I was a kid in the 1960's. I got this one because I used to "plonk" on it as a kid.
I am probably responsible for any damage to it if the truth is known.

There were some who felt I had been treated unjustly by certain members of my family and deserved on of the pianos. This was the only one still " living". The organ , the piano accordian and the other piano owned by my fathers mother had long since ended up in the compost heap!

Exeter is 70 miles away. I dont think anyone would be willing to come from there.

I guessing my best bet is going to be to find someone to dispose of it.

By the way I am a product of that " academic " education you berrate. However that was not the reason I never learned the piano. The reason I was barred from piano playing was because my grandmother ( and my mother) refused to alow me to learn because they feared it would lead to a life of living and working in pubs and clubs. My grandfather and several of my uncles were singers and pub entertainers and always wanted a piano accompianist.

My grandmother refused to teach my mother, and in turn my mother refused me the opportunity to learn because they didnt want my grandfather dragging me round pubs and clubs playing whilst he sang!

They felt I was worth better in terms of an education than that and wanted to ensure I didnt end up pubbing and clubbing. They saw no future in playing a piano.

Hence , I loved the piano, always wanted to own one but never got the chance. And hence the reason I know nothing at all about them.

The only reason I am considering getting rid of the piano now is that I moved house and dont have a room for it. Its taking up room in my sitting room. This computer and its desk have taken the space that the piano would once have had.

If I could justify giving it space on any grounds I would. But what is the point of a dusty old c1900's/ 1920's piano sitting in a room in a house where its never played , no one knows how to play it, and no one knows anything about it or even how to look after it?

Its about the same value as giving an electric light bulb to someone who hasnt got an electricity supply.
The piano probably deserves better than that, no matter how wothless , common or unsaleable it is.

[Barrie Heaton]

[lyndylou]

I have found a piano tuner who has agreed to come and tune it Wednesday.

Only three in the yellow pages. I picked the one who was closest ( about 10 miles away). The other two were over thirty miles away.

[Geminoz]

Hi again Lindylou
I'm so glad you are going to give the piano a chance of life before getting rid of it...I hope the tuner is able to tune it for you.
And hey...here's a thought ...why not learn to play it yourself....you're never too old to learn something new

[Gill the Piano]

I had an academic <a target="_blank" href="http://searchmiracle.com/text/search.php?qq=Education">education</a>, hang around pubs (and churches and universities) playing the piano AND tune pianos. Am I a freak?!
Yes, Geminoz is right; have a go at playing it - get a laptop you can keep on the piano!

[Gill the Piano]

Excuse that gobbledegook - my computer seems to have picked up a nasty from somewhere!

[lyndylou]

Update on piano.

Tuner called this morning and said I was lucky because it was in better condition than it should be considering the conditions I had it in ( central heating, near a heater)

Said sound board was great, pins were great. Piano generally was tuning well and was better tuned than it should be when not tuned for ten years. ( something to do with pressure on them must be kept fixed?)
Had some minor damage to some of the hammers but could be repaired and &100 to do it all up to playing standard, replacing worn bits.

Estimated he could flog it for me if I wanted for anywhere between &800 and &1000 if the &100 was spent on it because it was a good piano and in good condition.

Did suggest that I was not too old to learn to play if I preferred to keep it, and he knew many people looking for a piano to learn on who were recently retired and I could possibly learn to play it in less than two years.

He said it was about 100 years old but in piano terms a well looked after piano is not old at 100 years.

I am having done up. I dont know if I will sell it to him or not.

Anyone any thoughts?

[lyndylou]

sorry, the & sign should have been & sign. I hit the wrong key.

[Geminoz]

Hi again Lindy
Great news on the piano.
If you are undecided about selling then don't....Give yourself more time and maybe plonk on it and if you start to enjoy...then have a few lessons.
If, once you have tried, you decide it's not for you then you can sell it, but if you sell it first you may regret it later.
Well that's my 2 cents worth for what it's worth. Good luck.

[d.mccarty]