Upright Player Pianos

Upright Player Pianos
This is for general advice only, and covers the spectrum of most pianos not all pianos. Value greatly depends on make, condition, cabinetry design, and player system.

Young Player Pianos (Under 30 years old)
What is a “young” piano? Think of a piano like a person. A 30 year old should be in great shape, all things being equal. If you have a piano that is 30 or younger, you can usually get a good idea of what it may be worth by doing an on line search for other pianos for sale similar to your own. Google the name, model number (if you have it) and the approximate year it was made. The dealer sites will be most likely asking top dollar and include shipping, tuning and/or a guarantee. If  the piano in question has been maintained properly, there should be a piano technician who can verify it’s condition. If the piano has been poorly maintained, the cost to bring it back to mint condition has to be factored in to the Piano’s overall value. (This is why maintaining a piano properly can easily pay for itself over the years)

Younger Player Pianos, most of the time will be equipped with digital player systems that run off of a CD, or even a Cassette Player such as Marantz. The type of digital player system, and its age will have a great deal to do with the value. CLICK HEREfor assistance.

The Formula for older pianos 50 – 100+ years old.
When an older piano is appraised,  the value is more about cost of repair less what it would sell for in mint condition. This varies with name brands, but most older uprights in poor repair are not worth much as is.

$$ How much the piano could sell for in mint condition   $X.XX
Less the cost of getting the Piano into mint condition    -$X.XX

Equals the estimated Wholesale value……………………….$X.XX

Multiplied by 2 or 3 = The estimated Retail Value……….$X.XX

 

Wholesale Value =  What a Piano Dealer might be willing to Pay

Retail Value = What a Retail Buyer (End User) might be willing to Pay

The value of younger Pianos (up to 30 or 40 years old) will have more to do with the Name of the Manufacturer and the type of Player System. Do an online search of the name brand and age of the piano, along with the type of Player System eg.. Marantz, PianoCorder, Pianomation, Pianodisc, Pianoforce or LX Live Performance. Please note that some digital player systems have become obsolete over the years, especially the Marantz Piano Corder which runs off a cassette player (remember those?) Early versions of the Pianodisc and Pianomation might be upgradable, but some are not. The newest and most popular systems can be operated with an iPhone, iPad, iTouch wireless connection.

The value of Older Pianos will have  more to do with condition. If you need more information as to how to determine the condition, CLICK HERE

This would also apply, in general, to digital systems such as Pianomation and Piano Disc. Pianocorder systems would be less.

Definitions:
The retail estimated value is if you sell to a private party for their own use.
The wholesale estimated value is what you might expect from a piano reseller/dealer.

The retail figures do not factor in extras such as delivery, tuning, and a guarantee that would most likely come from a piano dealer, not from you.

If your older player piano has been restored, you will need a more accurate appraisal.

I would like a more accurate appraisal.