Very Old Piano - advice wanted, thank you very much

[MAGGIEB]

Hello, in April I decided to realise a life long ambition and at the geriatric age of 45 decided to learn to play the piano. I am progressing OK and with great enjoyment, with the help of my amazing sixteen year old schoolboy teacher (!) and have managed to acquire a piano (but am currently practising on a Yamaha keyboard). According to my research the piano is at least 90 years old possibly much older and was made by John Broadwood and Sons London. I believe it is an overdamper.

To my very untrained ear it sounds rather wonky (excuse the technical term)!

I would like to ask for advice as to whether it is worth having it tuned/serviced/repaired? Or would it be better to invest in a newer model, possibly a digi?

What do people think?

I would be very grateful for any advice or opinion anyone could offer.

Thanks so much.

Kathy

[Gill the Piano]

See other threads re what we think of learning on a digital 'piano'! DON'T!
Whatever you spend, in ten years it'll be worth nothing - if it still works. A real piano holds its value far better and is a better bet for teaching you touch and tone.
Get a tuner in to see what s/he can do for your Broadwood. If I go to a piano where nothing can be done (rarely), I only charge for petrol...as long as I get a cup of tea! Hopefully you'll find a tuner who thinks along the same lines. If it IS a writeoff, ask your tuner if s/he has a customer selling a piano which might suit you.

[silvermist]

Hello!
Do listen to Gill - she is right.

The piano advice I got from many people included John Broadwood as the maker of often a very good sought after piano.

I listened to her and Celestite and they advised me well. With extreme patience and searching, I am now the proud owner of a Bechstein 10 - the action is being sorted with new felts, hammers etc, repolish and a few other little bits; strings seem OK but on the side of caution I am happy for them to be tuned initially and safely to a semitone below concert pitch until I might be in a position to restring if necessary. I had it professionally checked out for the price of a tune before buying and advised it was sound and well worth buying for the price to restore. This piano will last me a very long time and will hold it's value including any work I have done to it, I am told.

I have an electronic keyboard which I bought in the early 1980's. It was a good quality Roland back then but it, like many electricals, started sounding fuzzy about 10 years ago, would cost 1-200 pounds to fix but would still be worthless! My children also spend more time fiddling with the buttons etc than learning to play! It is also souless to look at and impossible to form a relationship with, without getting weird if you get my drift!
Hi Gill - how are you?

[Gill the Piano]

Fine, ta! You?
That was something I forgot to say; Broadwood is the longest established firm in England, so you might have a piano dating anywhere from 1860s onwards (which a tuner should be able to tell you - roughly - over the telephone if you describe it accurately, and if you can find a serial number it will be even easier). That said, I tune an 1860s Broadwood upright which is lovely - practically perfect, for its age. It has a wooden frame (something else to watch for) but is perfectly happy being tuned twice a year because it's in a big old house in a cool room. Just think of it in terms of an old lady needing a bit more nursing than a younger one! Age is not necessarily a cause to write off a piano as no good.
Remember the adage 'Horses for courses' - yes, an overstrung underdamper is the ideal combination, but you don't have to have it. You won't notice the difference till a little way down the road, by which time you'll know if you're going to stick to playing or not and if it's worth investing more money in another better/newer piano.

[MAGGIEB]

Hi, thanks so much to you both for what I'm sure is very good advice. I shall seek advice before giving up the ghost of my Broadwood!

Thanks again

Maggie

[silvermist]

Overstrung underdamper, I also believe, is the ideal but straight strung pianos, if a good make like John Broadwood (or my Bechstein which is straight strung), can still sound lovely and sometimes better than cheaper/lesser known overstrung models. It is the underdamper which I understand is the most important bit (but again not essential if a good make) because it cuts off the note and so makes expressive playing better/easier.

I wonder if you agree with me Gill.

By the way - I'm fine and looking forward to my new beautiful OLD 1906 wonderful piano being given a new lease of life and delivered to my music room!

[Gill the Piano]

I've just had my 1929 Bluthner completely rebuilt, and prefer it to the somewhat sterile sound of most modern instruments - but there are no absolutes.
The overdamper Bluthner is a lovely beastie, and I wouldn't hesitate to give a well restored one houseroom. They date from the late 1890s, I think (I'm ready to be corrected! ) so age or action is no sole reason for dismissing a piano out of hand. The Bluthner overdamper action works almost as well as an underdamper, if well regulated. A lot comes down to how well a piano has been looked after or restored. Ultimately, it's what YOU want, not what someone says you ought to want!

[vernon]

Be aware that the Bluthners had brass flanges with a steel grub screw adjuster. The electrolytic action often perishes the brass and there is no replacement available to my knowledge. Would 'nt touch one with my best friend's bargepole.

[Gill the Piano]

...hence the get-out-of-jail-free words 'well-restored'!

[SarahBriggs]

I've just inherited a Lehmann & Kaiser piano from an aunt who died, who previously inherited from another family member. It's more or less in tune with itself (despite having been used mostly as a book case and having gathered a load of dust) and so I'm in the process of finding a local piano tuner to tune it and maybe do a bit of restoration. I was pleased to see that most people on the forum seem to think a loving restored old piano is worth it - I'm about to sell the electric Yamaha clavinova I've been 'making do with'! I'm hoping there's a lot of life in the 'old' piano yet, and sure that if it is treated well it will see my children through their piano lessons too (they're 4 and a half and 2 and three quarters, so they haven't started yet!).

[Gill the Piano]

Get a qualified local tuner to look it over for you...the joy of an old piano is that you aren't as neurotic about letting the kids loose on it. Encourage use of (cleanish) fingers rather than fists and explain that it's an old lady, and they wouldn't hit an old lady, would they?
Would they...?!
And don't throw too much money at it in the first instance, just a tune and get it going. Then spend money as need arises.