Hébert Piano Service 

  Most pianos normally have little antique value unless they are more than perhaps 150 years old.  Older instruments usually tend to be as valuable as they are playable unless they have important historical significance.  Pianos usually respond to market pricing similarly to cars and gradually deteriorate over time.  A piano can be rebuilt, but the expense of a complete rebuilding is often more than the cost of an inexpensive new piano.  We normally only recommend  rebuilding valuable instruments such as Steinway and perhaps Baldwin, Mason & Hamilton, Chickering or Knabe grand pianos.  Personal or sentimental value may be a very important consideration when considering rebuilding.  Some instruments may be valuable because of their rarity, extensive carving, decorated case or period design.  A truly valuable and rare antique should never be refinished and restoration or conservation should only be done by qualified restoring specialists, never by furniture refinishers!