CAUT

Hello all, we have a Steinway square grand that needs a new home. Please message me if interested. I'm not sure what year it's from. It's in mostly playable condition with the exception of a couple notes where the jack spring cord need to be replaced.

The piano is property of the California State University Long Beach. If you have expertise in buying/selling these antique instruments, I would really appreciate some help! Please chime in regarding how to appraise its potential value and how we may go about finding a new home for it. I am quite green in this aspect of piano tech.

Thanks in advance,

Josh (CSULB Bob Cole Conservatory of Music)

Photos below:

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Joshua Sadinsky
CSULB
https://pianojosh.com/about
------------------------------

Consult with Bill Shull and/or Antique Piano Shop

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Parker Leigh RPT
Winchester VA
(540) 722-3865
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/2/2026 3:21:00 PM
From: Parker Leigh
Subject: RE: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Consult with Bill Shull and/or Antique Piano Shop

------------------------------
Parker Leigh RPT
Winchester VA
(540) 722-3865
------------------------------

Bear in mind that the market value of fully restored Steinway squares has dropped considerably in the last 10 years. Unrestored even less value.

------------------------------
Parker Leigh RPT
Winchester VA
(540) 722-3865
------------------------------

Both Bill Garlick (a pretty famous technician, instrument collector, Steinway employee and early North Bennet Street instructor, who has been forgotten by many) and Henry Z. Steinway told me, well over 30 years ago, that the later and larger Steinway square grands were worth very little since so many were made. They were both more impressed by the earlier smaller ones, and those only had any value if no one had messed with them. That’s when I learned that repairing a really old instrument of true historical value was not a good thing. (Bill’s large collection, later sent to a museum, included the original Zumpe.)

And keeping in mind that both square grands and uprights were always a furniture and marketing choice and produced relatively inferior musical instruments. The designers always preferred the wing-shaped grands. The smaller footprint instruments took hold when people started to be able to afford apartments and small homes.

Yes, desks. Or bars, equally possible. And honestly, sometimes really old instruments of little value ought to be allowed to die.

Kathy


Original Message:
Sent: 6/4/2026 12:07:00 PM
From: Parker Leigh
Subject: RE: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Bear in mind that the market value of fully restored Steinway squares has dropped considerably in the last 10 years. Unrestored even less value.

------------------------------
Parker Leigh RPT
Winchester VA
(540) 722-3865
------------------------------

I agree with Kathy,  The rosewood tops, if well jointed, make wonderful dining room tables if bordered by maple wide enough to satisfy sitting requirements. And that is a good thing because from there on, this piano is a money pit. 

    There have been several fairly nice squares, Steinway included, on the market around Nashville.  None of them found a home, as they initially carry a negative value equal to the cost of moving.  I believe they were junked.   No one in the area does much work on them, and they weren't responsive enough to appeal to today''s musicians.  When all that is combined with the amount of room they take up, there is no market and I wouldn't pay for an appraisal.  If I had to, I would charge $ 300 to write an appraisal for $ 100 and let somebody prove me wrong!  

Regards, 

------------------------------
Ed Foote RPT
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-04-2026 13:02
From: Kathy Smith
Subject: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Both Bill Garlick (a pretty famous technician, instrument collector, Steinway employee and early North Bennet Street instructor, who has been forgotten by many) and Henry Z. Steinway told me, well over 30 years ago, that the later and larger Steinway square grands were worth very little since so many were made. They were both more impressed by the earlier smaller ones, and those only had any value if no one had messed with them. That's when I learned that repairing a really old instrument of true historical value was not a good thing. (Bill's large collection, later sent to a museum, included the original Zumpe.)

And keeping in mind that both square grands and uprights were always a furniture and marketing choice and produced relatively inferior musical instruments. The designers always preferred the wing-shaped grands. The smaller footprint instruments took hold when people started to be able to afford apartments and small homes.

Yes, desks. Or bars, equally possible. And honestly, sometimes really old instruments of little value ought to be allowed to die.

Kathy



Original Message:
Sent: 6/4/2026 12:07:00 PM
From: Parker Leigh
Subject: RE: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Bear in mind that the market value of fully restored Steinway squares has dropped considerably in the last 10 years. Unrestored even less value.

------------------------------
Parker Leigh RPT
Winchester VA
(540) 722-3865
------------------------------

The only one I know who was willing to work on them in the Pacific northwest was Joe Garrett, may he rest in peace.
Joe was singular in many ways.

Jeannie Grassi
Registered Piano Technician
Island Piano Service
206-200-0279
grassipianos@gmail.com


Original Message:
Sent: 6/4/2026 10:13:00 PM
From: Edward Foote
Subject: RE: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

I agree with Kathy,  The rosewood tops, if well jointed, make wonderful dining room tables if bordered by maple wide enough to satisfy sitting requirements. And that is a good thing because from there on, this piano is a money pit. 

    There have been several fairly nice squares, Steinway included, on the market around Nashville.  None of them found a home, as they initially carry a negative value equal to the cost of moving.  I believe they were junked.   No one in the area does much work on them, and they weren't responsive enough to appeal to today''s musicians.  When all that is combined with the amount of room they take up, there is no market and I wouldn't pay for an appraisal.  If I had to, I would charge $ 300 to write an appraisal for $ 100 and let somebody prove me wrong!  

Regards, 

------------------------------
Ed Foote RPT
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 06-04-2026 13:02
From: Kathy Smith
Subject: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Both Bill Garlick (a pretty famous technician, instrument collector, Steinway employee and early North Bennet Street instructor, who has been forgotten by many) and Henry Z. Steinway told me, well over 30 years ago, that the later and larger Steinway square grands were worth very little since so many were made. They were both more impressed by the earlier smaller ones, and those only had any value if no one had messed with them. That's when I learned that repairing a really old instrument of true historical value was not a good thing. (Bill's large collection, later sent to a museum, included the original Zumpe.)

And keeping in mind that both square grands and uprights were always a furniture and marketing choice and produced relatively inferior musical instruments. The designers always preferred the wing-shaped grands. The smaller footprint instruments took hold when people started to be able to afford apartments and small homes.

Yes, desks. Or bars, equally possible. And honestly, sometimes really old instruments of little value ought to be allowed to die.

Kathy

Original Message:
Sent: 6/4/2026 1:03:00 PM
From: Kathy Smith
Subject: RE: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Both Bill Garlick (a pretty famous technician, instrument collector, Steinway employee and early North Bennet Street instructor, who has been forgotten by many) and Henry Z. Steinway told me, well over 30 years ago, that the later and larger Steinway square grands were worth very little since so many were made. They were both more impressed by the earlier smaller ones, and those only had any value if no one had messed with them. That’s when I learned that repairing a really old instrument of true historical value was not a good thing. (Bill’s large collection, later sent to a museum, included the original Zumpe.)

And keeping in mind that both square grands and uprights were always a furniture and marketing choice and produced relatively inferior musical instruments. The designers always preferred the wing-shaped grands. The smaller footprint instruments took hold when people started to be able to afford apartments and small homes.

Yes, desks. Or bars, equally possible. And honestly, sometimes really old instruments of little value ought to be allowed to die.

Kathy

Hi all, thank you very much for responding to this post! What we have at least temporarily decided is we'll bring it to the foyer of our recital hall. I'll work on it, play on it a bit this summer and we'll decide where to go from there. Most likely the private party route.

Thank you!

------------------------------
Joshua Sadinsky
CSULB
https://pianojosh.com/about
------------------------------

Keep in mind that the presence of the instrument in your lobby I think is a very good move. Technicians and some others may not think it is necessarily the right move. I would say that the public coming in only see it as a large nugget of gold set with a diamond

------------------------------
Garret Traylor
Trinity NC
(336) 887-4266
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-05-2026 15:26
From: Joshua Sadinsky
Subject: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Hi all, thank you very much for responding to this post! What we have at least temporarily decided is we'll bring it to the foyer of our recital hall. I'll work on it, play on it a bit this summer and we'll decide where to go from there. Most likely the private party route.

Thank you!

------------------------------
Joshua Sadinsky
CSULB
https://pianojosh.com/about
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 6/5/2026 4:26:00 PM
From: Garret Traylor
Subject: RE: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Keep in mind that the presence of the instrument in your lobby I think is a very good move. Technicians and some others may not think it is necessarily the right move. I would say that the public coming in only see it as a large nugget of gold set with a diamond

------------------------------
Garret Traylor
Trinity NC
(336) 887-4266
------------------------------

Bill- Thank you for this very knowledgeable post. I'm sorry it's only going the the CAUT community. Perhaps the Foundation can expand on it for publication in the Journal.

------------------------------
Ed Sutton
ed440@me.com
(980) 254-7413
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 06-05-2026 17:28
From: William Shull
Subject: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

I've spent a few days trying to decide how to respond to this thread.  I'm real pleased to see Ken Walkup's post as I think he is on the right track.

Having said that, I don't insist he agree with me about what I'm about to say but it's along similar lines. Square grands, all of them, even the big late ones, have a feature which is lost to other pianos, the player actually experiences a kind of intimacy with the piano due to the lid facing them. One cannot underestimate this, until one experiences it in person with an instrument in decent condition.  For some the experience is a substantial aha moment, which even reaches a spiritual level.

I'd like to make a couple of other points.

First, it is probable that broken Jack spring cord is a harbinger of continued Jack Spring cord breaking. So it's well night time to replace all the Jack Spring cords, quite a job but entirely possible - except that Piano Technician of modern instruments has no interest in learning a set of skills on an instrument of disdain.  So we go along with the idea and since it's not worth anything on the marketplace, anyway, the lack of Jack spring function is the final straw in this Piano's road to perdition

Finally, we look at value in the context of the marketplace that we know. We think that is the only marketplace, but it is not. As with many things, there is a specialized marketplace for antique pianos. Nearly all of us modern piano technicians, or technicians who work on modern pianos have no idea about this market. This doesn't mean that the piano has significant monetary value, but it does mean that a functioning Steinway Square might have a little value in that specialized market. That is the market of people who either treasure these instruments for non-musical reasons -  collection of legitimate ones exist - or for musical reasons, such as I have described above.  It would behoove us technicians of modern instruments to be more open minded about the world that we know less about, and even show an interest in learning about it.

Josh, thanks for asking on this list and I'm pleased you have come to a kind of cool solution

Please forgive the rant - and the typos.

Regards,

Bill

Bill Shull, RPT, M.Mus.

bdshull@aol.com

www.shullpiano.com

www.periodpiano.org

909 796-4226

Sent from my iPhone

Original Message:
Sent: 6/5/2026 4:26:00 PM
From: Garret Traylor
Subject: RE: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Keep in mind that the presence of the instrument in your lobby I think is a very good move. Technicians and some others may not think it is necessarily the right move. I would say that the public coming in only see it as a large nugget of gold set with a diamond

------------------------------
Garret Traylor
Trinity NC
(336) 887-4266
------------------------------

Hi, Josh,

I’m wondering if by chance this was the square grand that lived for many decades in the CSULB President’s House? If so, it was displayed toward the end of my time there (I set it up) with two framed items on top of it for the many high-level visitors to the house. One was a framed photograph of the old inventory book page from Steinway, from 1872, with the piano’s number highlighted. The other was a framed print of a list of other events that happened in 1872, for context. Like if I recall, news articles showed that Jesse James had robbed a bank, Gustav Mahler was only 13, Mt. Vesuvius erupted, Susan B Anthony voted in the election of Ulysses Grant and started a scandal, various Indian battles were detailed, and quite a few more. Steinway & Sons company was only 29 years old.

It was only played at Christmas when the nuns came over to sing Christmas carols. And they were very forgiving. It was fun the rest of the year as a display piece and conversation starter.

If that’s the one, then the current president must have decided he didn’t want it in the house any more.

And for what it's worth, I agree with the concept that no piano is useless or valueless if someone values it. It may be because it’s unique, or it’s a family heirloom, or someone just loves it. Then our job is to offer factual information and let the owner decide what direction to take.

Kathy


Original Message:
Sent: 6/5/2026 3:27:00 PM
From: Joshua Sadinsky
Subject: RE: Looking to appraise/sell antique Steinway square grand

Hi all, thank you very much for responding to this post! What we have at least temporarily decided is we'll bring it to the foyer of our recital hall. I'll work on it, play on it a bit this summer and we'll decide where to go from there. Most likely the private party route.

Thank you!

------------------------------
Joshua Sadinsky
CSULB
https://pianojosh.com/about
------------------------------

You could salvage the wood or turn it into a coffin.

------------------------------
Parker Leigh RPT
Winchester VA
(540) 722-3865
------------------------------