Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Mystery ONE-N SchumaN Please Help

I'm new to this group, thank you for accepting me.

I've been trying to find a way to get rid of this piano that my ex left in my living room. An eco artist wants to dismantle it and turn it into a wine bar but six months later, I still have it sitting here. Trying to donate it instead, I got no takers. What's wrong with people? I'd play it myself, but I have a neurological disease that makes my hands not work properly, so this monster sits here, mocking me.
I contacted a piano dealer, there's one in a hundred mile radius of my home, and while he can't afford to move it, he thinks it's worth some money and I should try to sell it. Okay, I'll try to sell it, what is it? I try to research the dang thing and come up with nothing. PLEASE HELP ME
Schuman (that's right, it's got one N, not NN) Upright. Tigerwood. Near perfect condition. It's so freaking heavy that when I retiled the floor we nearly decided to tile around it.
This is all I know about it. I can't sell it if I can't say something more about this.

It might help people to help you if you posted some pictures of it, and some descriptive information: upright or grand? Size? Serial number? Etc.

Also, the facts that your ex left it, the artist won't pick it up, and a dealer won't invest in moving it, is telling in terms of it's monetary value. You may ultimately need to investigate avenues for disposing of it, rather than selling it.

Well, if the case is really nice wood, repurposing it in one of a number of ingenious ways seems interesting. And getting the plate out of it will reduce the weight to something manageable.

Thing number one, find out if it's any good as an instrument. Where are you located? Perhaps someone here can recommend a piano technician who can evaluate it for you. If you're in the LA area, I know of a private club that's looking for an inexpensive playable upright.

Hi, Retsacnal, Thanks for responding. I'm not sure how to post pics yet, still trying to figure this out. I was mostly wondering if someone knew more about Schumann and Schuman pianos, and direct me as to where I can find someone to deal with.

I'm surprised no one with a plano atlas has responded (I don't have one). Generally, if a piano is well known, it's not hard to find information on them. Does it have any sort of identifying marks other than the name? Inside? On the metal plate? It might be what's called a "stencil," a sort of generic piano that was made and labeled with various names, depending on locale.

If the case is made from nice wood, it can be reclaimed for making something else, as Piano*Dad pointed out. Perhaps this is what the eco artist has in mind.

Anyway, best of luck trying to sort it out. Someone out there must know about Schuman pianos.

There is nothing in the piano atlas. There is nothing special about Schumann pianos, which were pretty much always stencil pianos, so this is likely a stencil of a stencil.

Especially having the name of a famous musician- that screams out "Stencil!"

William Schuman was born in 1910. I doubt this piano was named for him.

I was thinking more of Robert- and a stenciller with a limited knowledge of the subject.

Here in China we get Strauss pianos, and those are of limited appeal to the discerning. Many other similar stencils too.

If you are anywhere close to Chengdu I acn probably sell it for you. Certainly get it moved for free.

Hi John,

I have been corresponding with a piano expert here in Sacramento, I'm located in Woodland, just northwest of Sac. He has been trying to find out more about Schuman pianos and has had no luck. He's planning on coming to see and tune the piano soon, thinks I should have him clean and shellack the sound board. He'll be able to tell me how good it is as an instrument, but has viewed pictures very closely, and from what he sees, he thinks it's in good condition and is very excited about the beauty of the wood and design. I'll know more soon, hopefully.

misty, before putting money into the piano I'd post some pictures and get more feedback. Would hate to see this become a money pit for you.

Link to posting pics - http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/galleries/2248281/POSTING_PICTURES_ON_PIANO_WORL.html

I heartily second Troy's advice. How much is the piano tech going to charge to tune the piano and shellac the soundboard? Are you paying to have this done in expectation of getting the money back when you sell it? If so, you may be disappointed. Definitely use Troy's link above to post pictures and get some more opinions.

I find it interesting that tuners and techs tend to love your piano if you own it. Even a crappy old spinet can be a "surprisingly nice" instrument. It makes for a good bedside manner. You'll get a much more valid opinion if you said you were considering buying it but then you'd have to pay for that honest opinion. As for tuning it and shellacking the sound board that sounds like selling a service that may not be necessary, especially if you have no plans for long term ownership of this piano. Frankly, if the eco-artist wants it and can move it I'd give it to him.

I disagree. Find out if it has any musical value before you give it to someone who will trash it.

Thanks people,

The piano tech is going to tune the piano, clean the sound board for $175 and if it needs to be shellacked he'll do it for and extra $40. I'm thinking of having this done for a couple of reasons, one is that I'm thinking of keeping it and learning to play. I've been falling in the love with it, apparently, since I've moved it to the other side of my family room, where my fiddle and mandolin live. I've not been able to do a whole lot since I've developed a neurological disease ( I can't play violin or mandolin at all) but my doc has suggested that playing the piano will be good for my hands. So, with this said, and because I don't know the value yet, I'm going to keep it, and not give it to my artist friend. He's got three pianos waiting to be transformed into wine bars and mine is "too nice" compared to the others he's got. So, $200 is not too much money for me, I can easily sink it into this piano, especially if I'll be keeping it.

Shellacking the soundboard sounds like a scam to me. It does not even have cosmetic value on an upright piano.

At the very least it's a strange idea. Refinishing a soundboard is mostly done as part of a major rebuild, when you have all the strings out of the way. Not something that makes any sense to do on this one.

I'd also be skeptical of any surface treatment done on only one side of a soundboard. If you alter the resistance to the movement of moisture through one surface but not the other, you make the board far more vulnerable to changes in humidity. To get shellac on both sides of an upright board with the strings in the way and without glopping them up with shellac is not a $40 task.