$310

My dad has offered us his old upright piano. It is old and needs tons of repair. it is more like a pretty piece of furniture to me, but I want my kids to be able to dabble a little and maybe take lessons. Is it worth it to fix this type of piano?

That would probably have to be handled on a case by case basis. And depending on how old and out of use the piano is, you could be looking at a lot more than just a tuning.

I'd say the best thing to do is to find someone who is trusted in the area and get an estimate (check local colleges. those guys always have great professionals in the field.) Generally an estimate is free, but may cost $20 or so from some. Either way, I'd say in this case it's worth it to fully understand up front exactly what you need to do to get this piano into playing condition. Is it worth it? Or is it less expensive to just go out and buy a digital piano (Yamaha and Korg make some great models that are decently affordable - around $1,500 range).

I mention that because you could be looking at anywhere from a $300 tune-up to a $5,000 overhaul of the strings, action, dampers, etc. Pianos aren't terrible at all when it comes to upkeep, so I wouldn't be worried about costs beyond that. Even a heavily played piano can go for a solid decade without really needing much of anything, and tuning is as needed.

Hi . Thanks for the great advice. We do have a Yamaha keyboard already that my son has in his room. My sister gave it to him. My dad offered us the piano, and I am not looking for another dust collector if that is all it will be. It is very pretty and nice, but not needed if it will cost a fortune. I will try to get a free estimate. Thanks for the advice.

What type of piano do you have, if you know? Goodness, my mother had an organ when I was a kid and I loved that thing, I always wanted a piano though but at this point I would have no idea where to start. I always get that "you have such long and thin fingers, you should play piano".

No problem at all luvs. I wish you luck with everything, and I hope that piano is still in good enough condition for you! *crosses fingers*

I know the saying candit. Usually when people say that I just look at them and (if there happens to be a piano nearby) say something like, "You know what maybe I will!" and just sit down and start playing. =) haha.

I have no idea what type of piano it is, but it always reminded me of the piano from "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" that the dad always played. Don't ask me why, just always thought of that movie. It is so pretty, though, and would love it in my house

Well, you could always take it for just the sentimental reasons (dad had it, he used to play it, etc). I know what you mean about dust catchers but every time I start to throw something away, I think of who had it, who used it, what it means, etc. and I wind up keeping it.

I think that it does have such sentimental value because of my parents. I want to try to get an estimate this week and then see how much it will cost to bring it to my house. We live in the same town, but piano movers are so so expensive.

I don't know much about old pianos, but I think it will cost you tons of money just to get it into playing condition. I would just keep it (and dust it once in a while) as something that gives me fond memories of Dad. Don't you think that it has high value as an antique piece? If you don't want to keep it, perhaps you could sell it for a small fortune? The kids could always use an inexpensive Casio for learning purposes.

Drumstick, unfortunately, old pianos don't accrue value much, if at all. Most player pianos today are only worth a few hundred dollars, if that. And if it's not in great or at least playable condition, it's not worth anything.

Essentially, unless it's an early Steinway or some kind of grand piano or a collector's item (for example, some Nickelodeon's, but only some), old pianos won't fetch more than $1,000 at best.

As for the cost of repairs, I maintain that it can't hurt to get a quote from someone who does piano repair. It could just as likely be an easy tweak with a port and polish to get it to prime condition again. =)