Several of them went out of business during the great depression, and the ones that managed to make it through that era closed towards the 1970s when America experienced both a decline in piano players as well as strong competition from foregin manufacturers coming into the US market.
Many of the manufacturers of these old upright pianos are now long forgotten. The piano may still function, but it’s likely a shell of its former ability. Through the years the internal moving parts of a piano will wear, felts become harder causing friction that will make the piano feel heavier or more sluggish at the keyboard, the keys themselves develop squeaks and clunks, and the strings lose their tonal integrity. Unfortunately, unlike a violin or a guitar, pianos do not get better with age. With the newest of them being produced over 70-80 years ago, it’s a very rare instance to find one that isn’t in need of extensive restoration work. Today, there are likely still HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of these pianos scattered across the country. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it right? For decades, many of these pianos sat right where they were delivered when new.
Old wurlitzer piano value full#
At the time of the original purchase, they were a substantial investment for most, and for decades, many of the pianos continued to play well and projected a nice, full tone. As piano technology improved throughout the years many studio upright pianos began to outperform their full-size predecessors.Įven though these massive antique upright pianos had been phased out by manufacturers and the design was now outdated, many of the original owners opted to keep these pianos vs upgrading them. The newly introduced smaller pianos ( spinets, consoles and studios) were less expensive to produce, and were priced much lower than the large upright pianos that came before them. Some produced pianos of extraordinarily high quality with ornate elaborate cabinets, and others that specialized in more modestly produced pianos to accommodate the beginning player.Īs the American home started getting smaller, so did the piano.īy the mid 1930s, upright pianos began to shift into dramatically smaller sizes, and by the 1940s with a few very rare exceptions the large “full-size” upright piano was out of production. There were hundreds of manufacturers throughout the decades. One of the most popular being the upright piano. During this period in America, hundreds of thousands of pianos of all varieties were produced. It was an instrument as well as a social piece, and a main source of home entertainment.
In the early to mid part of the 20th century, the piano was a staple in homes all across the country. There are piano stores and technicians that adore these older instruments, and others that have a less glossy view of them. Like most of my blog posts, this is an opinion piece based on my experiences in the industry. Are Antique Upright Pianos Worth Anything? This is a bit of a loaded question, and there are multiple answers / schools of thought. Primary Production - later 1800s to mid 1940s. Vernacular - Antique Upright Piano - Full-size Upright - Upright Grand - Cabinet Grand
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