Central Heating and Secondhand pianos

[andykhc]

Hi all

Been lurking for awhile but am on the verge of buying a piano and I just have a few questions about central heating and secondhand pianos.

Basically I was advised by a dealer that I should not buy anything too old (older than 10-15 years) as modern central heating means that the variation in temperature will lead to an old rebuilt piano falling apart over the next 5-10 years. I'm not sure how sound this advice is and the cynic in mean wonders if that's just advice meant to sell new stock the dealer has in.

I was considering buying an older piano (e.g. a Grotrian Steinwag 125 for example) that might need some work done. I don't mind the costs to do it up and I quite like the idea of having a vintage piano. However I wouldn't want to spend that amount of cash if I'm not getting a piano that will last another 30 years.

What is the truth? . Thanks in advance.

[Gill the Piano]

Depends how hot you live, really. And whether you have open fireplaces,or open your windows! The heat isn't so much the problem, it's the dryness which old pianos don't like. I've just had my 1929 Bluthner rebuilt from the ground up with a view to selling it if I didn't like the result, but I'm happy. I advise customers to keep an old ice-cream carton of water in the bottom of the piano on the floor (free) but you can get humidifiers (at varying degrees of expense). To be honest, the ice cream carton seems to work admirably. And you get the pleasure of emptying it first...