Restring is going to cost about £2000-£3000. I reckon I could probably buy a new decent piano for that price.

So...please....help me to make my mind up!

I DO love my exisiting piano (50 year old thing!) - I LOVE the feel of the keys and I've never felt keys like them on any other piano. But am I throwing money at an old piano with good reason??


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! Don't know what to do!

(I am far from an expert so take everything I say with a pinch of salt )

Are the strings the only thing wrong with the piano, or are other bits of it detiorating as well? If paying the money for a restring would give you a piano almost as good as new, and you really like it, then it would be worthwhile. If it was the strings now, but in a few years it would be something else and then something else and you consistently had to throw money at it, it might be best to invest in a new one which would last for longer. Although I appreciate how attached people can get to their pianos

You need to ask yourself if you can afford to pay £2-£3K for re-stringing. If you earn around £100K per year then I don't think you need to worry too much about a couple of grand.

If you cannot afford that kind of 'dosh' then you'll know the answer anyway and it's pointless people on this forum trying to make you mind up for you!!. For goodness sake don't get into debt for it.

Seek professional help. A piano tuner would surely be able to assist. Ask whether the other parts of the piano are in good order and worth keeping. Perhaps you could ask the person who recommended that you restring the piano? You cannot really decide whether you are throwing money at an old piano for no reason without this information.

For example, it would in my opinion be unwise to spend this money on a piano whose hammers need replacing or need work. The state of the hammers (which after all hit the strings to produce the sound) is a very important factor in the tone that is produced.

As to whether to buy a "new decent piano", I personally would hesitate before ever buying a _new_ piano (unless I were to receive a lifestyle-changing amount of cash) as one can get very good value used pianos by looking around.

It would appear that structurally the piano is in excellentcondition. The mechanism (hammers, felts etc) is all VERY good. Literally the ONLY thing wrong with the poor animal is the strings - every tuning breaks another few!. Personally I LOVE the keys, the touch etc. The sound board is mature. OK so its not the prettiest piano to look at (a few scratches on the case, faded rosewood) but I go for SOUND rather than LOOKS!!!

I don't have £3000 to spare at the moment (and if I did, it would be to upgrade daughter's flute - more of a priority).

Does anyone have experience of re-stringing a piano? Does it alter the sound? Will the piano come back to me noticeably improved??

P.S. Roger - I don't earn £20K, let alone £100!!! But my music is hugely important to me and my family, and we will forgo the latest fashions, exotic holidays, bathroom upgrades (!) if necessary!!!

Absolutely agrees.

Sorry Trebor, I should have read your earlier post before I added my almost identical reply!

One other thing to bear in mind that spending £3000 on a piano with a market value of £1000 does not give you a piano worth £4000. It is like car maintenence in that respect.

BTW when I say "worth" in the sentence above, I am talking in purely financial terms. You might say that your piano is priceless to you. However, I would first test that assertion by seeing what pianos you could get for £3000 !

If the structure of the piano is good, and the you love it, then maybe consider restringing. (do ask your piano tuner about this and he/she will almost certainly be able to give more relavant advice about the interests of your piano)

BUT

bare in mind that older pianos were not made to cope with central heating, and if its in a warm room, then it will still go out of tune a lot easier than a new piano. If you have pretty major cracks in the soundboard (all pianos do, but probably more in an older piano) then also think about a new piano. After all, you can always go round a lot of places to find the perfect piano, you may even find one you like better than your current one!! You may pick up a real bargain somewhere!!

Lastly, a NOTE TO ALL:

If/when you get a brand new piano, or have a piano restrung. PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEEEAAAAASE(!!) let it settle down in the room for a week or so before you have it tuned. Then have it tuned regulally until the strings stay in tune well.

Idealy A PIANO SHOULD BE TUNED EVERY 6 MONTHS. or every year at the least.

Also, please get a professional, such as a piano tuner (or someone who knows their stuff about the mechanics of a piano - theres no point in sending a piano teacher if they don't know what to look out for) to look over a second hand piano if your want to buy it.

Thanks everyone!
I've nearly made my decision - the technician gave me a tiered quote, and if I go for his mid-price option I'll get new strings and a considerable amount of voicing/regulation of the mechanism. It sounds ideal....I'm just slightly hesitating...can I afford the most expensive option, which would include completely dismantling the mechanism and putting new damper springs, leathers etc etc......

I think the bottom line is that this piano is so much part of my life (and has been since birth!!) and I really DO get a particular satisfaction out of playing it. Other pianos never thrill me quite so much (apart from a stunning out-of-my-league Steinway grand I had the pleasure of playing on for an exam......Dream on!).


So....my best friend will go for moderate surgery!