Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum What's my Steinway worth?

My father passed away recently, he was a piano teacher in the Ft Worth TX area. His piano is a 1985 Steinway B, 6' 10" artist piano, impeccably kept/tuned. I'm curious what you think it might be worth.

Mom needs the cash and I plan on keeping his 7' Yamaha grand when she passes away. This has always been the plan. Dad always thought I was not "artist" enough to deserve that Steinway. Must be those synthesizers and guitars I love to play.

Thank you for any input.

You should search online for other Steinway Bs from the 80s that are offered for sale. www.pianobuyer.com has classified ads (linked to PianoMart) that should have several "comps'.

Keep in mind that the prices asked on pianos you see are going to be somewhat above the market. If they were at the market, they would be sold.

Also keep in mind that dealers generally can sell for more than a private party, as they provide additional services and a warranty.

Have you tried googling "1985 Steinway B for sale". Doing so suggests 40-50k as a really rough estimate of "typical" asking prices.

The price you'll get is directly proportional to how long you are willing to wait to sell it though.

You might want to talk to a tech; it may be worth putting new hammers and/or a new action on it to help make it stand out in the crowd; it might equally be a complete waste of money. I'm not qualified to say, but at 30 years it's worth considering, especially if your father played a lot.

Mom already googled the 50K. I just can't see it selling for that, in this economy esp like you said with possible wear and other factors. He was a piano tech when he was younger and always maintained all 4 pianos. If something was up he would have fixed or otherwise taken care of it. Probably.

Seems a more reasonable asking price for a 28 year old Steinway B would be between $30 - $40K. And I've even seen some of that vintage on the internet with asking prices in the high 20s.

First of all, how long has it been since it was tuned? Someone considering an S&S-B will not put up with less than a fresh tuning. It's just part of the marketing plan. To do the tuning, you might choose a qualified piano technician and do a full inspection and appraisal for a sale. Many techs provide the service, knowing your area, and can be located through the Piano Technicians Guild.

www.ptg.org

Good luck with the sale.

BTW - $44-48K would be my guess for a "B" in perfect condition.

Run it past your local dealers. Many of them will take pianos on consignment but they usuallly want about a 30% commision, I think. Even if you don't list with them they'll give you an idea of what to expect. You'll probably have better luck if you're in or near a large metro area.

In any case have a tech check it out. I'm kind of envious that you have such a Steinway - and you're looking to get rid of it! Nice problem to have...

It depends. A new satin ebony Steinway B in 2013 sells for $90,000 and a total factory-rebuilt model B is valued by the company at $76,000. Low 30's is an appropriate starting point, but you will need to have it properly evaluated for a more precise figure. Anything higher than $40,000 is just wishful thinking, IMO.

FWIW, consigning a piano at a dealer is usually not a good idea. They often use consigned Steinways to lead customers into their store, and then try to sell one of the brands they carry, instead.

In my recent piano search, I was offered a well-refurbished/reconditioned, approximately 1985, S&S B for around 40-45K. This was "refurbished" with Steinway parts, by a reputable, ex-Steinway technician. It was an excellent instrument. Just for comparison, then, I suspect yours may not be able to bring the 40K if it has not been at least "refurbished". I would not think you would need to consign it, unless it is too much of a hassle to sell it on your own, given that it is a Steinway, and even more because it is a popular model--the "B". I consigned a much lesser piano (compared to your Steinway) because I had to move; the dealer charged 40%....he did, however, sell it rather quickly.

Thank you everyone for the input.