Knauss Piano Help

[guinness]

Can anyone help us with the history of the piano below? It has been in my wife's family for around 70 years so has accumulated a lot of sentimental value. Unfortunately we suspect what it has gained in sentimental value, it has lost in monetary value! Even the candlesticks went missing somewhere along the way.

It has not been played for many years and there are 3 or 4 keys that do not work - the rest are out of tune. My wife's last memory of it being visited by a tuner was in the late 80's and she vaguely remembers that he more or less condemned it as un-tunable! So generally, not a happy story for this old friend.

As you can see from the photos, it is currently in a storage unit as it is not possible to bring it into our home. The dilemma is whether we keep paying to store or say goodbye to it. Any idea of valuation or viability/economical value of restoration would help us make this decision. If we thought it might be economical to restore, we would consider continuing to pay to store it until such time that we could have it at home, but equally we could really use the storage money! Head vs. heart.

[Bill Kibby]

It is difficult to say much, if the tuner said it was untuneable, he was there on the spot, we are not. It looks like something from the 1880s, worth very little in Briatin, and if you delivered it to my door, I might give you ten or twenty pounds for it, but I can't speak for anyone else. It is not likely to be an exceptional instrument or an exceptional piece of art.

[guinness]

Thank you. I didn't expect any sort of accurate valuation - I understand that's impossible on a forum. If you'd have said however that it could be worth "enough" to justify a repair/restoration job, then we'd have considered keeping it. It sounds like that isn't the case though!

The matter of delivery to anyone's door worries me as I'd expect that to be an expensive voyage. I'm sure you can understand that getting rid of something with sentimental value is hard enough, without having to pay to do so! If we can't keep it, it would be great if it could go to someone who can take an interest in it. If we decide to go down that route, is it likely that a restorer would collect this or am I being unrealistic?

[Bill Kibby]

Thanks, most people don't understand that I can't give you a valuation, except to say what I would pay for it. It's difficult to generalise, I don't even know where you are in the world. Restoration would probably including repinning and restringing, and this is over a thousand pounds on its own, usually enough to write off an ordinary old piano. Restorers usually have to aim for one of two markets, and generally, dealers want something later, whereas collectors want something earlier.

If the Piano History Centre ever gets the funding or sponsorship for the proposed unique time-line of piano history, any kind of piano at all would fit into it somewhere, but we are stuck for storage space at the moment.

[Colin Nicholson]

If my suspicions are right, this piano will probably need a new wrest plank - or even if it didnt, I would consider fitting one out of peace of mind. Problem is though, to get a restorer to rip out the old plank & put a new one in, he/she would be 'way out' of pocket - and definitely uneconomical to do. Wrest plank replacements cost well over 2K - and the piano would struggle to reach that target, even fully restored. However, if you were prepared to pay OVER 10K for the restoration, sentimental values would take over.

I have done some mechanism work on various Knauss uprights, and ALL of them have problems in tuning/ pin stability/ wrest plank problems etc.... so its not worth the hassle unless the plank is replaced. (A massive job by the way!)

It may be a suggestion to try 'Freecycle' or Ebay - but it should be advertised as SPARES & REPAIRS.... start at 99p - no reserve (for Ebay). Someone then would be responsible for collecting it.

Like restoring an old building bought at auction, you would be prepared to pay probably over 10K for repairs/ restoration etc.... taking around 6-8 months to complete...... same really with a piano like this. Regrettably, its not worth a penny at the moment, and would only be restored if the customer has plenty cash in their pocket!

Hope that helps.....

[guinness]

Thank you both, yes, that does help a great deal. Incidentally, I'm in Wells, Somerset (although the piano is in Bristol).