Old family piano - worth a partial restring?

I got rid of my mum's piano when the tuner came to look at it and found that it needed completely re-felting due to moth damage. He said it would cost a couple of hundred pounds then and that was around 12 years ago. My mum had only had it since the mid 70's, so it wasn't an 'heirloom' in any sense, which made it easier to make the decision to offload it.
I think it would be harder for your family to lose something that has obviously been loved and used by so many. The sad thing is that restringing will change the sound and the feel of the instrument, which may be hard to get used to.

Thanks, Ashtree. The felting has been turned over on some parts of this piano last time it was retuned, so that might be another added cost.

Depends on whether it's wooden framed or iron framed; I would imagine it's iron framed if it's been in the family for a long time. We used to have a wooden framed piano that we passed on because it wasn't good enough for my daughters standard of playing at that time, but it was the most beautiful piece of furniture and has since been passed on a couple of times more as something for young children to tinker about on [they love playing with pianos don't they] but also as a thing of beauty. I'd be interested to know how much your piano will cost to fix, cause my newer one needs work doing on it [DD has her own now]. It is far too big for my small living room and I did think about selling it on but realised that my new grandchild might come to grannies house and enjoy tinkering about on it [it also looks lovely with all the family photos on it].

It's a Bechstein, iron-framed, Tegan. A lovely piece of furniture and the wood is in perfect condition. It was kept in the parlour at my grandmother's and played under supervision when I was little. I'll keep you posted if it goes to my daughter's house and she pays to have it brought back to usefulness.

I would have thought that a Bechstein was worth having money spent on it. Add the family connection to that, and the thought that it will be an antique of the future (probably is one now) and I would take the plunge.

Yes it's over 100 years old. Just wary of landing a big bill on my daughter. Maybe a collective contribution to enable it to go on for another generation or two? There are lots of Bechsteins on Ebay, going for a song - it's the freight and tuning/repairs that are incurred by new owners that deter sales.

My father in law gave away a Steinway to a school years ago . At least it was put to good use I suppose, but my daughter would love it now. Our first piano had been painted black [supposedly it was done when Prince Albert died, so we called it Albert]. The previous owners were going to throw it out [it was a wooden framed piano] but started to strip away the paint and found beautiful marquetry on it so restored it. I'd have it back tomorrow if I could [I know the girl who owns it]. The newer one is George Rogers and sons; not a particularly good piano but better than Albert. I buy old sheet music from charity shops to put in the music thingy . I used to love hearing my daughter practicing on it years ago.

I certainly would think, given that it's a Bechstein, it would be worth getting an opinion. You may have to pay for an appraisal. We had one on an upright a few years ago, and it cost about thirty five pounds. In the event, it turned out that the soundboard was cracked and it wouldn't have been worth the expense to have it restored, so we disposed of it and bought another one, which, to date seems to be in good fettle despite my less than tender musical ministrations! I've thought several times of replacing it with an electronic one, but to my ear, they just don't have the same resonance as a strung piano. Having said that, they aren't subject to the fluctuations in temperature that seem to send strung pianos out of tune if you aren't careful where you site them. Tuning is a problem these days as there seem to be very few piano tuners about. I would be interested to know how you get on.

An iron-framed Bechstein is not really something to be put out to grass.

If I were you I would get a piano tuner/restorer to take a good look at it and give you an estimate as to how much it would cost to bring it up to scratch. At least you would then know what you were working with and could use that as a basis for a decision.

Does it play reasonably well at present? If so, might it be worth waiting till a problem arises before having it worked on?

Moving a piano is costly - I would admire you for parting with this - I would want to keep it!

There's something magical about old pianos and thinking of the generations of people that have stood around it singing. I was told that, at a little row of cottages in our village, on special occasions the one and only piano would be wheeled out into the street for everyone to congregate around. Even more magical if the piano as been in the family for a long time.

Definitely get a new modern one. They don't have to cost much and today's pianos seem to have a better tone than old ones. Especially for modern music.

And they are more compact. And look better.

My younger GS loves his shiny modern black one. Never used to touch our ancient one. I don't think pianos wear well.

I would get an electric one. My OH bought a proper one years ago very heavy indeed and although DGS learnt on it it is never played now. Then last year OH boughtan electric one as well. Why I dont know but he does not play that either.
I would love to get rid of the big old one but it will need a house clearance man.

We once spent a whole afternoon trying to get it out of our dining room as some carpet fitters were coming next day and we had to conclude that the removal men had tipped it onto its side to get in through the door. The stairs were preventing us from moving it.

The men just lifted it up over the carpet as they were laying it.

I'm not parting with it, Mishap It's at my sister's house and she's moving, hence the need to make a decision now. We're getting a pano tuner round to give us all the info we need, then will decide. It's got a few dud notes at present. Nephew is a musician and has tuned it occasionally himself in recent years - we have electronic keyboards, two other pianos and other stuff, but this is a lovely piece of furniture and my daughter is moving to a house with lots of room for a piano and drumkit.

I don't agree with jingl's statement about pianos not wearing well. My piano is forty years old and the tuner said it was in very good shape. I believe they were better made and if they are kept tuned are fine. I am paying about £80 for tuning and tuners are a bit thin on the ground here. The last time it was the nice man that tunes the pianos at the Sage.
I would hang on to your piano when.

It won't go out of the family, but more likely to be used if it goes to the next generation and is working properly. Just that we've had to focus our attention on it now it could be going on a removal van. It's worn well, but doesn't compete with the younger piano (50 years old) that will be passed on to one of my children in due course. If worth doing, it will be lovely to see it being used again.

My piano was made for my MIL when she was 8, so that would probably be about 1925. It has been to Australia with her and back again. I would find it hard to part with it because of its family history. It is not perfect, but I do like the tone.