PIANO GRADING GUIDELINES

While the merits of musical instruments manufactured nearly a century ago are now not necessarily affected by the commercial standing or historical record of their makers. Consequently, prospective piano buyers usually desire to know something concerning these points. This suggests the need of some knowledge of the makers of the various instruments. This list is not designed to catalog all the American manufacturers, but it embraces most of the pianos that have played a considerable part in history of the quality of the instrument

Originally pianos were not graded, Each manufacturer tried to produce the finest piano possible. A piano then was a rarity. As to price, it could only be high, because pianos were made one-at-a-time, a -little-bit-better-than-perfect necessitated great effort in their construction. As time progressed, manufacturers looked for ways to make pianos cheaper so they might enjoy a larger share of the market, for example, instead of building a piano with three working pedals, they built a piano with three pedals, but only two of them worked, (one was a duplicate or a dummy) later to cut costs even more, they eliminated the third pedal altogether. The term "High Grade" was born in American industry, as well as "Low Grade", "Medium Grade" etc.

GUIDELINES TO GRADING AND RATINGS IN RELATIONSHIP TO PRICES

MINT - R&R (Rebuilt and Refinished)

A R&R instrument rating means that the instrument looks great, plays great is in excellent mechanical condition and needs no reconditioning. It should look new in every repect.

Brand New, absolutely unmarred, all original and unused.

LIKE NEW - REFURB (Refurbished)

A Refurb instrument rating means that the instrument looks great, plays great is in excellent mechanical condition and needs no reconditioning. It should pass all inspections

Free of any blemishes, nicks or scratches; original condition throughout; very little sign of use.

EXCELLENT

A excellent instrument rating means that the instrument looks great, is in excellent mechanical condition and needs no reconditioning. It should pass all inspections. The string compartment should be clean. The finish is free of any wear or visible defects. There is no rust.

Minute nicks or scratches; no dents or rust.

VERY GOOD (VG)

A very good rating means that the piano is free of any major defects. Many pianos owned by consumers fall into this category. The finish will have only minor blemishes (if any), and there are no major mechanical problems.

Few scratches; exceptionally clean; no dents or rust.

GOOD

A good piano may need some reconditioning to be sold at retail, but any major reconditioning should be deducted from the value.

Scratches, small dents, dirty.

FAIR

A fair instrument rating means that the piano probably has some mechanical defects, but is still in operating condition. The finish and/or interior usually need professional repair to make the instrument salable.

Well-scratched, chipped, dented, rusted or warped condition.


Due to the organic nature of most of an instrument's 11,000 component parts; such as varying species of wood, wool, cloth, iron, buckskin, glues, and finish, they will ultimately react to a combination of environmental influences, the amount of technical service provided, and how much use a piano receives. Piano values will also vary with condition, age, type of wood, style and between locations.

PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL

GUIDES!

Keep in mind that price guides for any type of merchandise are just that, Guides. They should never be taken as gospel! The true value of a piano (or any other object) largely depends on the eagerness of a buyer to acquire the item, and the willingness of a seller to part with it. A price guide provides nothing more than a reasonably reliable starting point for the negotiation. None of the published price guides profess to provide anything more than a general reflection of marketplace conditions compiled just prior to publication. Remember, too, that the most important single factor influencing a given piano's value is its appearance (condition).