Fate of Old Pianos These Days
- 12 years ago
Fate of Old Pianos These Days - as part of the news series by GeoBeats.
More and more upright pianos are ending up in the dump. The decorative furniture instruments have a sentimental place in many music lover’s hearts. But the reality of the piano situation, at least for one piano mover, is that his company has to take 5 to ten pianos a month to be destroyed and turned into scrap parts or burned for warmth. The piano market has dropped significantly due to several factors including the high cost of tuning and repairing upright pianos.
“Instead of spending hundreds or thousands to repair an old piano, you can buy a new one made in China that’s just as good, or you can buy a digital one that doesn’t need tuning and has all kinds of bells and whistles,” said Larry Fine, the editor and publisher of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer.
Exceptions to the trend are high-end pianos like Steinways. According to their website, “Based on a 4% increase per year, the retail price of a Steinway Model D will be $183,200 in 2020.” One of the most expensive grand pianos ever made was built by the Steinway factory in Germany for about one point two million Euros.
More and more upright pianos are ending up in the dump. The decorative furniture instruments have a sentimental place in many music lover’s hearts. But the reality of the piano situation, at least for one piano mover, is that his company has to take 5 to ten pianos a month to be destroyed and turned into scrap parts or burned for warmth. The piano market has dropped significantly due to several factors including the high cost of tuning and repairing upright pianos.
“Instead of spending hundreds or thousands to repair an old piano, you can buy a new one made in China that’s just as good, or you can buy a digital one that doesn’t need tuning and has all kinds of bells and whistles,” said Larry Fine, the editor and publisher of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer.
Exceptions to the trend are high-end pianos like Steinways. According to their website, “Based on a 4% increase per year, the retail price of a Steinway Model D will be $183,200 in 2020.” One of the most expensive grand pianos ever made was built by the Steinway factory in Germany for about one point two million Euros.