1977 Estonian concert grand - Budget possibility?

[matthewjames]

Am looking for the superior tonal characteristic of a concert grand at a fraction of the cost of the normally considered fare. Consequently am considering purchasing an old Estonian and then maybe go the length of restringing the bass with possibly later restringing the rest of it. My max budget (including work done) would probably not stretch to over 3.5k. I would only consider purchasing a piano in fairly good (well playable) condition though I don't require the repeat action of a concert pianist as am not in that league!

I would be very grateful for any comments regarding the validity of such a scheme or if there are better budget alternatives for the type of budget suggested.

[mdw]

Buy one with the work done or you take a massive risk hoping that it will turn out as you want it.

[MarkGoodwinPianos]

There are plenty of 8ft Bechstein grands from around 1900 within your budget. Some in better condition than others but £3500 should get you a nice one. A Bechstein would be much more sellable again in future. You'd take a big hit trying to sell an Estonian whereas a Bechstein will hold it's value much better.

[Colin Nicholson]

I would certainly consider having the piano restrung in one go if you can afford it. Depending on the structural condition, removing bass strings only and leaving the treble fully up to tension can cause down/up bearing problems in the future, that cannot easily be remedied. From a 'musical' aspect, the bass dampers would also need to be replaced (and refacing hammers in the bass) - and from experience, the mixed old & new dampers dont give a consistent clear treble legato compared to the bass which is very efficient. Replacing each bass string individually is a possibility, but you risk tarnishing the new strings, and its difficult to replace the voicing cloth in one go...... it all depends on the condition though.