Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Lifespan of a Mason & Hamlin (1952, but barely used)

I'm on the search for a grand piano in the 10K range and am in the process of narrowing my local options. So here's a question for everyone out there:

What would the expected lifespan be for a 1952 Mason & Hamlin 5'8" grand that has not been rebuilt/refurbished (so far as we know) but, by all appearances, has hardly been played. The current owner has had it for the past 13 years and it was only lightly used for 5 of those. I'm trying to find out more about the piano's history prior to that time but the owner bought it from a local dealer and we can't seem to find any records on it. Assuming this piano checks out with a local tech, what kind of lifespan am I looking at for this piano for use in my private studio (6-10 hours a week) plus my own personal practice which is minimal now but will pick up in the coming decades as my children get older (I have a graduate piano degree from a music conservatory so I would certainly be harder on the piano than my students once I'm actively practicing again). I'm also wondering if the action would need to be rebuilt at some point in the near future (which I know is a big financial investment)...

The piano is listed at 12,500 but the owner has no knowledge of instruments and hasn't had it appraised. I would only purchase the piano if he were willing to come down his price to my range, but am wondering if this is worth pursuing (having a tech look at it).

It would be most important to engage the services of a piano technician you trust to inspect the piano. Portland is a very benign climate for piano longevity. You will want to verify the age by the serial number.

A well preserved Model A in satin ebony from 1952 in fully prepped condition would retail for between $12k and $15K in the Seattle area.

I bought my Mason & Hamlin A when it was 57 years old, which it had spent in the original owner's home, where I suspect that it got no more than household use. I knew even when I bought it that it would need a lot of work. I rebuilt the action, and about 20 years later, I replaced the strings and hammers and had it refinished. I would have done it earlier, but the money was not there. I do not think that the build quality in 1952 was as good as my piano's, made a depression and a world war earlier. So I do not think that this piano will be up to its potential. You need to consider how much you want to put into it.

Thanks! Other than getting a RPT, how can I find a top-notch technician for something like this? Do they need to be a rebuilder? I'm new to Portland, Oregon, and don't have a lot of connections yet...