The Value of Condemning Expired Pianos

By McKinley Corbley

Sponsored by Piano Buyer

It’s not uncommon for piano technicians to prolong the life of a dead instrument (that is, a piano that has outlasted its shelf life). They may believe the instrument is still in good shape just because it’s technically capable of carrying a melody; perhaps it’s because they don’t want to make the client feel bad. Regardless, charging money to service these kinds of pianos is not only detrimental to the client, but it’s also endangering the very industry we work for.

Piano manufacturers depend on the demand of our clients to maintain production. The more technicians insist on maintaining pianos that have expired, the more they are preventing the industry from being able to create, innovate, redesign, and thrive. As for the clients who own these pianos, they are continuing to pour hundreds–or even thousands–of dollars into having it regularly serviced despite the increasingly diminishing returns on investment.

When approaching these kinds of older pianos, it can be tempting to simply ask whether they can be fixed rather than should be fixed. Sometimes it’s easier to test our technical skills on a field repair than hone our bedside manner on a potentially difficult conversation with the client. But first, let’s discuss why we shouldn’t work on these pianos; just because the strings generate a note when you depress a key doesn’t mean the piano is necessarily in good condition.

Pianos are filled with organic materials that deteriorate over time. After 50 years of maintaining tons of pressure and tension through humidity swings and environmental changes, the parts will simply not be able to function the way they used to. Tone becomes compromised as the soundboard loses its crown, and actions become harder to control as parts wear with age. For young students, practicing on a deteriorating piano is the equivalent of learning how to play soccer with a deflated ball. For seasoned players, a deteriorating instrument is suppressing their abilities; after all, classical music demands consistency, repetition, dynamic control, and ease of movement – none of which can be achieved in older, neglected pianos.

There are many technicians –especially those who may have limited insight into the nuance of its performance– who may say that their clients are perfectly happy with their grandma’s spinet, and if the keys and action are still relatively working, why shouldn’t it keep being tuned and repaired? However, my stance is fueled by experience both professional and personal; as a technician who started as a pianist and teacher, I am particularly familiar with how poor-quality instruments limit my abilities and the abilities of my clients and students. Furthermore, the clients who are still paying to have their old pianos tuned are usually unaware of how restrictive their instruments actually are. Pianos decline at a rate that can be hard to observe, especially as most pianists primarily play only one instrument. It is the duty of the technician to provide context that will educate pianists about these limitations.

Evaluating the degree of limitation is nuanced and involves many variables. I find that asking three questions can help provide clarity and mutual language for both the technician and the player to communicate successfully:

First, start by gathering some background information on your client and their piano (assuming you are not already familiar with their history.) Evaluating the function and value of the piano will give you all the information you need to condemn a piano.

To answer the first question, let’s define lifespan:

The amount of time a piano can be expected to perform at peak potential.

Nearly all American-made piano manufacturers from the early to mid-20th century either went out of business or were taken overseas for manufacturing by the mid-'80s. During the major decline of manufacturing from the '40s-'80s, most of these companies were producing low-cost, low-quality pianos that were not meant to last more than a few decades. Thankfully, Japanese pianos were readily available o meet the need for quality pianos by the ‘80s. It is because of their excellent manufacturing standards that many Yamahas or Kawais from the 1980s can still reliably perform years after their predecessors. Now that we are nearly forty years past what would have been the final manufacturing date for American brands, we can generally assume that pianos such as Kimball, Kohler and Campbell, Wurlitzer, or any other “vintage” American brand are long past their intended lifespan (an exception to this rule would be Baldwin - they made it to the mid-'90s before production was moved to China).

The second question is quite difficult to answer. A technician may answer the question by saying, “The pitch is stable, the notes repeat, loud and soft can be achieved, therefore the piano is functional.” A pianist may answer the question by saying, “It never sounds good, repetition is uneven, and the dynamic range is stunted, therefore the piano is non-functional.” We are fooling ourselves if we think that piano function can be summed up as a checkbox of technicalities. Pianos are musical instruments and music is the language of emotion, therefore we are not working on mere wood, felt, and metal, we are working on a catalyst of expression. The question is not, does it hold pitch and repeat? The question is, How does this piano help vs. hurt my client?

If the piano is for a young child, the parent will likely say, “It’s just for the kids; we don’t need anything fancy.” The question the technician should ask is, “Will this piano enable the child to learn and grow, or is the regulation so poor that even the most advanced pianist would not be able to control the action?”

The retired adult who is finally returning to music may say, “This is the piano I grew up on; now I’ll finally be able to play it.” The question the technician should ask is, “Is it possible that you deserve something better?”

The pianist may say, “I’ve never been happy with the treble tone.” The question the technician should ask is, “Does this piano have the potential to meet your expectations?”

Applying your knowledge of what a piano is capable of with special consideration to age and condition compared to the goals of your client will lead to a clear answer to question number two.

Thankfully, answering question number three is more straightforward. Once a musical goal has been established, how much will it cost for this piano to fulfill that goal? The used-piano market is saturated with pre-'80s free pianos, including spinets, consoles, uprights, and grands, and unless you do not charge for your work, any form of maintenance or repair on these types of pianos usually exceeds the market value of the piano. It is critical that technicians inform their clients about the finances regarding the piano's market status. While regulating the piano may improve the touch temporarily, are they willing to pay for a regulation when lifespan cannot be guaranteed? While replacing strings may buy some time, are they willing to continue to pay for frequent replacements indefinitely? There is a huge diversity of thought regarding return on investment, and this is largely a subjective decision that should be discussed at length before any amount of money is spent. Clients generally trust us to be the experts, and you should not abuse that trust by making a financial decision for them.

I want to be clear: The technician's job is to inform - not to decide.

Does your client know the piano has no marketable value? How does your client feel about spending money on a piano unlikely to meet their musical goal? Is your client open to purchasing a piano more likely to meet their musical goal? What is the used market offering that would be within their budget? What is the new market offering that would be within their budget? Do they know what brands are available in their area? Do you?

It is always good to have a professional recommendation prepared that takes their goals into consideration, but the financial decision-making is ultimately not up to you.

While talented piano technicians may be able to tune, regulate, repair, and appraise their instruments, being the bearer of bad news is not always in their skill set. However, there is language you can use to “condemn” the piano to the client in a way that is positive, direct, honest, and productive for all stakeholders. Here are some easy conversational bullet points that you can use the next time you are evaluating an expired piano for your client:

When clients aren’t educated about the capabilities of their instruments and technicians don’t know how to educate them, is it any wonder that so many people are unknowingly playing expired pianos? An astoundingly large part of the time, these conversations conclude favorably with the client coming to terms with the fact that it’s time for their instrument to retire.

For a more in-depth look at how you can confidently condemn your client’s expired piano, check out part two of this article series next month: The Art of Condemning Expired Pianos.

Piano Buyer has been the leading guide to piano buying, selling, and maintaining pianos since 1987. While this resource is primarily for the uninformed consumer, technicians use Piano Buyer's many articles and reviews to keep in touch with the evolving piano industry.

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