Repair or get a new one??

[louttrim]

hi all

am after some advice please. My piano was an ebay bargain. I have no idea of it's age, or manufacturer as the case was french polished and any name plate has long gone. I'm an adult beginner, so don't know huge amounts about piano's but my tuner has told me its a 3/4 overstrung. I think it has a good tone, but what do I know?! Some of the notes on the left side are hard to play, and the tuner has said that the piano is worth spending a bit on. He suggests injecting carbon (?) into the hammers so that they release better, and also replacing all of the tabs. (I think that's what he said, but like I said, I know nothing!) He has quoted around £350-£400 for this, including collection etc.

My piano teacher came to the house for my lesson this week, and played the piano. She was not terribly impressed with what the tuner had said, and suggested that I might be better off buying another piano, for a similar sum of money. So, what do I do? Do I spend the money on my piano, which does look lovely, or do I try and look for a new one?

thanks in advance for your help!

Linzy

[Openwood]

My piano was an ebay bargain.

Openwood is boarding up the windows and hiding under the sofa in anticipation of the response to that assertion

[Gill the Piano]

Don't waste your money; ring your local tuner (NOT the one who came to you before) and ask if he has a customer selling a piano which he can recommend and give him a price range. People buying on eBay are usually either v. v. lucky or v. v. UNlucky...you seem to have been the latter.
There, Openwood, that was quite restrained, wasn't it?

[louttrim]

ouch - I wasn't aware I was opening a rather large can of worms!! I did have a logical reason for buying on ebay, in my defence!! Like I said I'm a total beginner; I didn't see the point of spending lots if I had a couple of lessons and then hated it. As it was, it was £10 well spent!!

Thanks, Gill, that's a good idea. I'll do some investigating.

L

[Openwood]

There, Openwood, that was quite restrained, wasn't it?

Very commendable, Gill Did you write that after a medicinal Friday evening G&T?! Might be worth keeping some aside for Piano Guy

[Barrie Heaton]

My piano was an ebay bargain.

Openwood is boarding up the windows and hiding under the sofa in anticipation of the response to that assertion

Keeps the removal folk and tuners in work seen a nice ebay one this week. Nice case, but could not tune it lose pins and a 4th down in pitch. Ebay is keeping the economy moving £50 to buy, 200 to move 45 my call out and £75.00 for the council to dump it The sad thing is most of the folk who buy from ebay cant afford to wast that sort of money. if they had phone a local tuner to look at the piano were it was they would have saved £325.00

Ebay seems to be a sellers paradise and the UK piano page has more pianos on it for sale than Ebay UK hmm

Barrie,

[vernon]

do a Hire-or-Buy arrangement with any good piano dealer.It will cost about £300 and if you don't like it they'll take it back after 6 months if you don't want to buty it.
Your experiment will cost £300 but at least you'll have a good( probably new) instrument so to start on to see whether you are going to stick it.

[tuna]

and also replacing all of the tabs

That would be the bloody smoking ban again!

[PianoGuy]

my tuner has told me its a 3/4 overstrung. I think it has a good tone, but what do I know?! Some of the notes on the left side are hard to play, and the tuner has said that the piano is worth spending a bit on. He suggests injecting carbon (?) into the hammers so that they release better, and also replacing all of the tabs.

I would have thought that he *may* have said 3/4 iron frame. 3/4 overstrung means nothing.

I doubt that it's really worth spending that kind of money on it, but yes, get a second opinion. The best tuner by far in your area is Phil Kennedy. He'll have a waiting list but he's worth waiting for.