Did that get your attention? Yes, it got my attention, too.
And when I contacted the seller and learned she would possibly consider a price
even lower than what she was asking, and that she was on a tight deadline with
an imminent, furnitureless move to California in the works, I felt I owed it to
myself to find out if maybe, just possibly, a Steinway might be in my future.
Of course, Mrs. S heard “Steinway” and a price that was marginally within the
limits of our home equity line of credit and she said, “You should buy it”. I
told her to hold on there, and let’s go and look at it and see what it looks
like and go from there.
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| The corner of the cabin filled with a Steinway |
So we traveled up to a log house in Cheatham County
Tennessee that was built in 1832 and is the second oldest house in Tennessee
(or something like that) to see a lady’s piano. There were lots of stories to
go with the piano: slight water damage from when an upstairs bath leaked, strings
“rusting” and being rusted and being replaced. The piano seems largely to have
been purchased as decoration, and as such, the current owner had no cover and,
as far as I can tell, stored the piano with both the lid and fallboard open
pretty much all the time (I didn't directly ask her if that was the case). I
played the piano. It sounded fine, but in all honesty, nothing special. Inside
the log home (which the owner kindly showed us around – it was beautiful,
original and highly desirable), the corner where the Steinway was stashed was
quite dark and unaccommodating. I couldn't see any of the features of the
piano, even with the flashlight I brought. The piano was a bit out of tune, but
okay for the most part. It hardly sounded “bright” as the owner described,
though I would say it sounded brighter than a typical Steinway concert grand.
It was, however, a rather dull sounding piano overall. I’m not sure if that
could have been because it was dusty and cobwebby, or dried out, or too close to the wall, or it was just
never an exciting piano. I was disappointed. I told the owner I’d think about
it, but by and large, I’d already given up the idea of owning that piano.
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| This gives a better idea of how dark and secluded the area around the piano is (photo taken with flash) |
Back home with Mrs. S, we discussed the potential. At the
price and for that piano, it was desirable, if only we could figure out whether
the water damage really was a trivial issue and why a string had broken and two
others needed servicing (and how soon would the rest break or need servicing).
I was far from buying the piano, and getting farther the more I thought about
it and discussed it.
The Monday following, Mrs. S was off work. While I sat at
work during lunch time, perusing another unexciting edition of Craigslist,
filled with mediocre and undesirable pianos, I started to think the lonely
Tennessee Steinway at the decent price point might be the way to go. In the
meantime, Mrs. S found a piano buyer’s discussion group where someone had
tested that very same piano (serial number match) six years before, and
apparently, just before the current owner purchased it. (She’s owned it since
2006.) He said he found a problem with some of the tuning pins being too close
together. He also said what I thought: the piano did not impress him.
Still, I think about that piano. If, after I grabbed it up,
I sent it to New York for refurbishing, when I got it back I would have a
certifiable, refurbished, Steinway grand piano. Hard to go wrong. But, with so
many unanswered questions about that piano, I haven’t bought it yet, and that’s
why...
I still don't own an acoustic piano. (End part one)
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