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Do Yamaha pianos appreciate?

A Yamaha or Schimmel have great potential to hold and appreciate in value, but an “in house brand' of a piano store or a lower cost piano with a lesser known name is likely not to hold value well and likely will not appreciate.

seattlepianoco.com - Do Pianos Appreciate In Value With Age? - Seattle Piano Company

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Do Pianos Appreciate In Value?

When searching for a piano to purchase, one important thing to consider is how well a piano will retain it’s value or if it even has the potential to appreciate in value. Over the years I have purchased hundreds of pianos (maybe even thousands at this point?). Many times sellers will provide me with their original purchase paperwork they got with their pianos when they purchased it new, so I have gotten a bit of a glimpse in piano pricing history.

In short…. Do pianos appreciate in value? Some do…kinda.

Not ALL pianos appreciate in value.

In general the pianos that hold their value well and eventually increase in value are higher end pianos. A Yamaha or Schimmel have great potential to hold and appreciate in value, but an “in house brand’ of a piano store or a lower cost piano with a lesser known name is likely not to hold value well and likely will not appreciate.

Condition is important.

Timing

Like anything, the resale value of something is going to depend greatly on the current condition of the item. An all original late 1960s Porsche that has been garage kept and pampered throughout its life is going to sell for more than a Porsche of the same model and year that was parked on the side of a barn decades ago. Keep your piano in good shape and it will pay off later when it is time for the piano to move onto its next life.This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind when considering pianos appreciating in value. There is a particular piano manufacturer out there that guarantees that their pianos appreciate in value with age. While this is factually true, it’s a little deceiving. Pianos take a LONG time to appreciate. Purchasing a new piano is very similar to purchasing a new car. Once you drive it off the lot, the resale value instantly takes a dive. From my experience it seems like pianos start to appreciate right around the 20-30 year mark. I’ve purchased a lot of pianos right at or just above what people have paid for them brand new, but this is generally only true when the original purchase was made 20 -30 years prior. There’s nothing that age does to a piano that makes it any better than new necessarily, it’s just that with gradual inflation of currency new pianos will always increase in cost each year. This weighs in the favor of the “well, what would a new one cost?” thought exercise. Again, the pianos aren’t getting better, the new ones are just getting more expensive causing the older models to appreciate a bit in value at the same pace. The company mentioned earlier that guarantees their pianos appreciate in value is right, but if you purchase one of their grands today for $90k, you’re going to be reselling it 3 years for now for well under $70k. It takes a few decades for the “appreciation” to take place.

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How much should I tip a piano tuner?

Re: Is It Customary to Tip Tuner/Technician? If you are comfortable with the technician's work, a $5 or $10 tip is appreciated. The Store tech works at a discounted rate in hopes of building or maintaining his business. Unless the extra work is substantial, he likely won't charge the store extra for it.

forum.pianoworld.com - Is It Customary to Tip Tuner/Technician? - Piano Forums

Re: Is It Customary to Tip Tuner/Technician? That Guy 2570785 09:03 PM Joined: Posts: 1,398 Upstate New York, USA N newbert OP 1000 Post Club Member OP newbert 1000 Post Club Member N Joined: Posts: 1,398 Upstate New York, USA Originally Posted by That Guy So, what did you end up doing?

Well -- Since a) the tuning cost was included in the purchase price of the piano, and b) I had already given him a nice remuneration for getting me a substantial discount on the purchase of the piano, I didn't tip him this time.

FWIW, he didn't seem to be expecting one either.

P.S.: It turned out that no extra work was necessary, other than tuning. Regarding the "Let-off", that was left as-is. (I just needed to adjust to the action a bit more - and it really is fine for me now). And the tuning itself seemed to take care of the one "thin-sounding" note. Well -- Since a) the tuning cost was included in the purchase price of the piano, and b) I had already given him a nice remuneration for getting me a substantial discount on the purchase of the piano, I didn't tip him this time.FWIW, he didn't seem to be expecting one either.P.S.: It turned out that no extra work was necessary, other than tuning. Regarding the "Let-off", that was left as-is. (I just needed to adjust to the action a bit more - and it really is fine for me now). And the tuning itself seemed to take care of the one "thin-sounding" note.

Last edited by newbert; 09:08 PM . Bert

Bert

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