Bentley Upright - needs tuning after only 3 months - help!

[quinie]

I went to look at a 1970's Bently upright last night for a friend of mine.

The case was in good condition as were the workings and it played fine and had quite a nice tone to it.

My only concern is that it had been tuned in December but it was desperately in need of a rune again now.

My piano (Rogers) has been tuned one a year since I had it - I had mine tuned in August and it sounds absolutely fine - this one has one gone since December and sounded really bad in the middle range.

To my mind this is an alarm bell and it is a piano that should be avoided - the man selling it said that 6 months is the maximum time you should leave your piano before tuning but my tuner (Nick Troth in the Midlands if anyone knows him) says that once a year is fine.

The seller wants 350 pounds for this piano. I think that this is a bit pricey but perhaps I am wrong?

I advised my friend not to do anything hasty and to think about it a little bit as I was unsure.

Can anybody help?

[Gill the Piano]

Don't panic; all may not be lost...!
First of all, if I were parting with 350 quid, I'd GET A GROWN-UP TO LOOK AT IT. I never cease to be amazed by the number of people who won't buy a lottery ticket, but will spend 500 quid on a pretty box, on the offchance that the innards work. I wouldn't dream of buying a car without getting it checked over because I know diddly squat squared in a box about cars. So....hand in pocket, deep breath and pay an INDEPENDENT tuner (ie, one who won't try to sell you a different piano) to give it the once over.
If the tuning it had 3 months ago was the first one for years in an attempt to get it sounding saleable, then it's no wonder it needs doing again. That's the equivalent of a fat old bird like me dropping in at the local lycra-clad twiglet torture chamber/gym and saying " Can you get me fit? I've got half an hour...". Can't be done; one gym session won't make up for years of neglect, any more than one tuning will make up for years of no care other than dusting... If I do a tuning after a long period of neglect, I tell the customer that what I've done may well need consolidating in a few months' time. So that may account for the quick degeneration in tuning of your Bentley. Ask for the tuner's name and number and give him/her a ring; if the seller has nothing to hide, then they ought to part with the info willingly. If not, there may well be something iffy. Ask how long it was since the tuning before the December one. And if you get the tuner, ask him for his honest opinion.

[Barrie Heaton]

To my mind this is an alarm bell and it is a piano that should be avoided - the man selling it said that 6 months is the maximum time you should leave your piano before tuning but my tuner (Nick Troth in the Midlands if anyone knows him) says that once a year is fine.

All depends on the piano and the environment I have clients who’s pianos only needs tuning every 2 years by their ears. Get Nick to look at it, but he his selling his Knight so he may try to sell you that one

Barrie,