I have a Charles Ross (Boston) piano dating from around the turn of the century to the 1920's. In attempting to have it tuned, the piano tuner told me that the bridge was cracked, the piano would have to be restrung and it would not hold a tune in its present condition. He estimated that the cost would be around $1500.00. He also said that if I take the time to repair it now, because it appeared that the rest of the parts were in fine condition, the piano could outlive myself. Both the tuner and myself lamented over the internal state of the piano as it has a beautifully hand crafted antique burled walnut cabinet. Is it worth moving forward with work on a piano of this age and is this a resonable price?

I suggest you get Larry Fine's "The Piano Book" (see lower right corner).

Typically if a piano is being restrung, the pinblock is replaced, too. Here's a diagram:
Grand piano construction

The price seems reasonable. Restringing can give improvements in tone. Whether it's "worth it" or not is completely up to you. If you intend to sell it, you should get an appraisal. How long is it overall?

You should talk to other customers before contracting with any rebuilder.

Here's more info:
http://ptg.org/resources-pianoOwners-rebuilding.php

--Cy--

In a piano of that age, all components have subjected to wear and aging. Some insturments fare better, others worse.

If all the action parts are original, it is safe to assume that most felts (there are literally hundreds and hundreds of them in the action and keys) have suffered from wear, compression, hardening and loss of resilience. As a result, most instruments of that age that I see are putting out only a fraction of their musical potential. Dead hammers, leaky dampers, sloppy key travel etc. etc. make it impossile to play with nuance, and the tone color spectrum is severely reduced.

I am not trying to scare you away from investing in your instrument - it may indeed be a very sensiblke thing to do for you. Just understand that repairing the piano to the piont where it will hold its tuning will have no effect on the playability, response and control. I find it hard to believe that the problems you mentioned are the only ones your piano faces.

You may want to get a second opinion by a qualified technician, and specifically ask him or her about the condition of the action and the keys. Nothing wrong with spending $1500, but you want to make sure that is not just the beginning of the money needed to bring your piano up to snuff.

Thank you so much for all of your feedback, it has definitely been very helpful. In looking for a second opinion, is there a particular resource I should go to in order to find a "qualified technician?"

I don't think it's a reasonable price. I can't imagine how such a job can be as cheap as $1500 (restringing and replace cracked bridge cap) and be a good quality, completed job. I worry this may be some amateur's or hack's price, which never works out well.

I also agree with Jurgen. It's unlikely this is the only thing wrong with a piano so old. Again I fear that is the opinion of an amateur, as the problems of old piano are not always immediately visible to the eye. I've heard "it only needs restringing" countless times, and it's almost never been correct.

The Piano Page from the Piano Technicians Guild. Then call and ask what they do the most, tuning, rebuilding, complete restoration. Look at their shop and their work. Seek references. All restorers have a book with pictures.

We may be getting carried away. I hope that any tuner/tech that Daisy consults will consider her needs. My guess is that she is not a concert artist and just wants her piano to play as it did before, but in tune. As we often do, we've gone from a bridge problem to wondering if maybe she needs a complete overhaul. I'm sure that careful 'rebuilding' could create a hybrid piano for her that was actually better than the original. I'd be first in line to check it out and to marvel at precision of the finished product. But those are our needs, not hers. She just wants her piano repaired. If in the future a great concert artist buys the piano, let him/her elevate it to being capable of the most subtle nuance and tone color. My thought is that most people in the general population won't even recognize the subtle (often abstract) refinements that we delight in. I mean no disrect to any of the posters here. Certainly everyone has given excellent and appropriate advice based upon the industry's highest standards, but I wonder if maybe Daisy should have acess to options that are short of our 'ideal'. Again, I have utmost respect for all of the posters here and intend only to offer food for thought. Walt