Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Help fixing up century-old Emerson player piano

I am about to purchase a century-old Emerson Player Piano (serial # 65408) and would like to know some information. First is I guess I want to confirm it's actually a 'player' piano. The couple I'm purchasing it from thinks it is but it has never worked for them. And if it is, approximately how much am I looking at to restore it to playing condition? Contacts? It does have a knob on the left side of the keys that moves a lever inside the piano but it’s not attached to anything at the moment. Is that how you would normally engage the player?

Also, a few of the keys need fixing and I'm sure it will need tuning once I move it into my house so what should the approx repair/tune fee's be?

Oh and one more thing, the couple thinks the wood may be Mahogany so how could I confirm this or confirm what type of wood it is?

And just for fun what do you think this piano is worth??

Thanks and if you haven't notice I'm a newbie to the piano world. I'm really looking to give this to my wife to bring back an old hobby of hers and I'm sure the kiddoes would love the player piece of it.
Emerson Piano

Emerson Piano - keys

Hey T-Bone,

This is not a player piano. I am wondering if the lever on the left side has a long wooden bar underneath the key set so that when the lever is moved the wooden bar prevents the key set from moving. Or it could be part of a muting bar assembly……now missing the other components……

On the inside there is no player mechanism to be seen anywhere….. Nice cabinet though……mahogany veneer.
The only value this one will have will be the money you invest in getting it moved and repaired to function correctly. I would tend to advise you to call a local technician to go and have a look up close and personal…..

Yes at the far end of the second photo you can see what the keyboard lever is attached to....

I would not purchase this piano. You are doing the owners a favor if you haul it away. I agree, it is not and never was a player.

Really?? I understand now that it's not a player piano but I was going to spend $200 for it. Is it not worth that??

Would you buy a hundred-year-old car that hadn't been serviced for fifty years...and expect to drive it?

A piano is also a mechanical thing.

Get your wife a nice piano that she can play...not this one...it's MOTHER'S DAY (practically) for Pete's sake!! LOL!

(Disclaimer: I LIKE old pianos...I really, really do...but this just isn't appropriate for your needs.)