6'4" Bösendorfer grand piano for $250

[kenny]

This could be the steal of the century or a pile of garbage.

I don't need it, and have no room to store it

It's in Laguna Beach, an hour south of Los Angeles.

Bösendorfer is a much better brand than Steinway, but at 115 years old any piano might belong in the grave.
New today they probably start over $100,000 in the cheapest finish, black.
Being from 1905 (pre-electricity) this one has a place to put a large candle on each side of the music.
Looks like original ivory keytops and a nice veneer on case.

Interested?

Must sell equal Bosendorfer 6'4 grand piano - musical instruments -...

This 1905 great sounding European grand piano from Wien Austria is 6'4. The sound board it...

losangeles.craigslist.org

 

[kenny]

It's possibly not junk.
So you'e rationally thinking, why would anyone sell it this cheap?

The most likely reason is it was inherited by one of 99.9% of Americans (outside NYC) who have never heard of the 8 or so piano brands that are better than Steinway...
There's a saying ... "Steinway makes the best piano marketing in the world."

C. Bechstein
Blüthner
Bösendorfer
Steingraeber & Sönhe
Fazioli
August Förster
Grotiran
Mason & Hamlin
Steinway, only the ones made in Germany
(Steinway has two factories, New York and Hamburg Germany, and the quality control in NY's union shop pales in comparison to the QC Hamburg.)

99% of 100+ yr old pianos ARE junk - but a few brands, if taken good care of over their lives (very unlikely BTW) can be the needle in the haystack diamond in the rough that well-informed piano people (who are in the know) keep an eye out for.

 

[TooPatient]

If I had space for it, I would be tempted to buy it and have piano movers bring it to me! Even if it is in less than peak condition, it is still probably better than many modern pianos. I also notice that things that look inherited were very often well cared for treasures until the child/grandchild got handed something they know nothing about.

 

[monarch64]

Amazing. I was supposed to stay at a hotel in Orlando a couple weeks ago (Grand Bohemian) which is home to an Imperial Grand Bosendorfer; alas, my res was cancelled because the hotel wasn't open yet. (When you book through Expedia or other travel sites this can happen). I was super disappointed. But I'm going back this week and hope to visit the hotel and that piano while I'm there.

 

[kenny]

Here sits Kenny, with egg on face.

Now I see it's clearly not a real Bösie.
The title says "equal Bösendorfer".
I didn't catch the "equal", so I fell for it.
How tacky of the seller, but mostly, how stupid of me.



It was right there in one of their pics.
I should have noticed the name cast into the plate was not Bösendorfer, it's "J.M. Schweighofer".

Duh!
Sorry, my bad.

 

[monarch64]

Oversights don't make you stupid. Careful how you talk about yourself, or to yourself. Kindness matters!

 

[Rockdiamond]

I had the amazing fortune to be friends with ( and tour with) Vince Wellnick. When he was asked to join the Grateful Dead, he went from practically destitute to a salary of $2mil a year. When he hit it big, one of the first things he bought was a Bösendorfer.
It was a huge grand piano- amazing sound.
IIRC it cost $100k

 

[Karl_K]

A used piano is always being listed cheap around here.
Same old story stored in a garage and has a warped or split soundboard and not fixable,

 

[bludiva]

It's possibly not junk.
So you'e rationally thinking, why would anyone sell it this cheap?

The most likely reason is it was inherited by one of 99.9% of Americans (outside NYC) who have never heard of the 8 or so piano brands that are better than Steinway...
There's a saying ... "Steinway makes the best piano marketing in the world."

C. Bechstein
Blüthner
Bösendorfer
Steingraeber & Sönhe
Fazioli
August Förster
Grotiran
Mason & Hamlin
Steinway, only the ones made in Germany
(Steinway has two factories, New York and Hamburg Germany, and the quality control in NY's union shop pales in comparison to the QC Hamburg.)

99% of 100+ yr old pianos ARE junk - but a few brands, if taken good care of over their lives (very unlikely BTW) can be the needle in the haystack diamond in the rough that well-informed piano people (who are in the know) keep an eye out for.

likely they don't use it, haven't kept it up, and don't want to pay to move it....

 

[Musia]

It looks very interesting and it is beautiful. Not for serious musicians I think. Unless it was properly maintained all the time. My son is a professional pianist. Not performing now but he has Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree from Northwestern University and he won several national and international competitions during his earlier years. When serious musician practices playing serious music, his/her piano should be strong enough.

 

[Volute]

@kenny, do you own any vintage or antique pianos? I'd love to find out more about them from someone who actually plays on one.

 

[kenny]

@kenny, do you own any vintage or antique pianos? I'd love to find out more about them from someone who actually plays on one.

No.
BTW, anyone who's interested in acquiring a piano MUuUuUuUuST read this book:

The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano: Larry Fine, Keith Jarrett: 9781929145010: Amazon.com: Books

The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano [Larry Fine, Keith Jarrett] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano

www.amazon.com

It is hands down, without question, indisputably, supremely, the best book about buying and owning any piano.
In it you'll learn why buying a vintage or antique pianos is nearly always a costly mistake, though there are exceptions.

 

[Volute]

@kenny, thanks for the recommendation. I'm actually not in the market for an antique piano. So tempting, but I so don't need another hobby at this point lol. The book looks excellent, however, and I will read it for sure.

 

[Musia]

Beside a good and a regular maintenance piano needs the right climate in the room where it stays. And children must not bang or knock heavily on keys. That's what I used to do when I was a child and hated practicing (when mom wasn't around of course). I didn't break any string but there are delicate "hummers" that touch the strings and make sounds. All the mechanism is very delicate and sensitive. We bought a used German upright piano in 1991. The seller was a professional pianist who received the piano as a gift from her dad and claimed it to be younger than 10 years. We assumed she took a great care of it. My son was a small (I mean short and thin for his age, the smallest in his class) child who practiced about 2-3 hours a day. The delicate mechanisms of some keys broke several times before the year of 1998 when we left for US. My son was almost 13 and still small for his age. When I visited my mother for the first and the last time in 2013, piano was literally falling apart. The climate in our former room was usually so hot with 0% of humidity during summer time, that the wood became extremely dry and cracked. Mom kept bowls with water near piano in order to add some humidity. It didn't help of course. I checked the serial number on line and piano was 8 years older than the seller claimed. But it wasn't the reason of its "death". I just remember the number "10 years". And I know that piano departments of universities across the US are regularly selling their used pianos for about $100 per piece to the public. I think they maintain them for some time (for 10 years?) then sell for the little money and buy new pianos.

 

[Dancing Fire]

The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano: Larry Fine, Keith Jarrett: 9781929145010: Amazon.com: Books

The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano [Larry Fine, Keith Jarrett] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano

www.amazon.com

It is hands down, without question, indisputably, supremely, the best book about buying and owning any piano.
In it you'll learn why buying a vintage or antique pianos is nearly always a costly mistake, though there are exceptions.

I have the 3rd edition of that book + the 96-97 annual supplement. If any PSer are interested you can have it for free.

 

[kenny]

I have the 3rd edition of that book + the 96-97 annual supplement. If any PSer are interested you can have it for free.

Very generous of you.
Piano-Geek-Extraordinaire Kenny has the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions.

I wanna find the 1st ed. because I think it has criticism of a certain brand that almost got the author sued.
I think the name of that brand starts with the letter, S.
I think the second letter is t, and the third is e, then the forth is i.
Or maybe it was that brand that starts with B, then a, then l, then d ...

I think it has a yellow cover, but it seems to have vanished, perhaps because of that legal action.
I really want to read it.

 

[cflutist]

I had the amazing fortune to be friends with ( and tour with) Vince Wellnick. When he was asked to join the Grateful Dead, he went from practically destitute to a salary of $2mil a year. When he hit it big, one of the first things he bought was a Bösendorfer.
It was a huge grand piano- amazing sound.
IIRC it cost $100k

Did it have 93 keys? I have a CD recorded with one of those Imperial grand pianos.

 

[Volute]

I love this thread. @dancingfire, that's very kind of you. It turns out that a friend of mine has a copy of this book so I will be borrowing it. @Musia, the idea of 0% humidity makes me shudder for myself, not to mention the poor pianos. @cflutist, is the CD of your own performance?

 

[Musia]

Very generous of you.
Piano-Geek-Extraordinaire Kenny has the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th editions.

I wanna find the 1st ed. because I think it has criticism of a certain brand that almost got the author sued.
I think the name of that brand starts with the letter, S.
I think the second letter is t, and the third is e, then the forth is i.
Or maybe it was that brand that starts with B, then a, then l, then d ...

I think it has a yellow cover, but it seems to have vanished, perhaps because of that legal action.
I really want to read it.

I was checking eBay and found this https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Piano-Book-Buying-and-Owning-a-New-Or-Used-Piano-ExLib-by-Larry-Fine/143476876115?_trkparms=aid=1110006&algo=HOMESPLICE.SIM&ao=1&asc=20200520130830&meid=842238d94d9948b093328af7f3f12ce2&pid=101195&rk=1&rkt=12&mehot=sb&sd=372870500478&itm=143476876115&pmt=1&noa=0&pg=2047675&algv=SimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV2bDemotion&_trksid=p2047675.c101195.m1851 there is no picture but the listing says the publication year is 1990, hardcover. Could it be the First edition? Now I myself become interested in finding the first edition.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Did it have 93 keys? I have a CD recorded with one of those Imperial grand pianos.

I was so excited at that moment- we had gone to Sonoma county- it was my first ( and last) time visiting my friend....so I can't recall