FREE - 1899 (ANTIQUE) Hardman Peck & Co. Upright Piano ** MUST GO BY AUGUST 1 **

Description

Free - 1899 Hardman Peck & Co. Upright Piano.  IT MUST GO!!
Is there anyone that can help save this antique musical instrument.
It was left in my garage several years ago but now moving out of the area so I am really hoping there is someone that sees the significance of this piece.   In 2018, I had it looked at based on the attached photos and one video along with the serial number by Michael Stinnett of Antique Piano Shop.  An excerpt of the email response is below.  I can forward a copy of the entire email and video upon request.  This is free to pick up...please help!
May 2018 - An old, upright piano that I was storing has now become mine.  It’s in poor condition, plays but not well, ivories are broken.   I’ve had it protected for the past 6 months, but prior to this, it lived about 5 years in an old storage shed, and prior to that a couple of decades in a bar in Boise, ID.
I believe the serial number is 47814.  It’s a stamped number on the back of the inside.  Someone wrote Miller Apr 1944 on the inside.  Cute :)
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GENERAL INFORMATION:
Your piano appears to be made of exotic grain burl walnut wood and is of the carved Victorian style.  The piano was one of the higher grade, more expensive models offered by the firm.  The piano appears to be in original, unrestored condition with the old worn strings and felts still present.  The average piano has about a 50-year life span before the felts, leather and strings deteriorate and need restoration.  The fact your piano is in such good condition at this age is a real testament to the quality that went into building it!  The piano is an “upright grand” and would have the sound of a full grand piano if it were professionally restored.
If you look at the soundboard in your piano, you will see that the grain in the wood is very close together.  When that tree was growing 200 years ago, the world’s forests were very dense and trees had to struggle to grow.  As a result, the wood rings are very close together due to slower growth.  This wood with tight rings is more resonate and has much better tone quality than new pianos.  Unfortunately, most of this quality wood is gone forever.  New pianos with green wood do not have the same sound because they are not as deep and resonate in tone quality.  As these pianos are destroyed, this wonderful wood is lost forever.  Luckily, people are beginning to realize the quality of these vintage instruments and they are investing in their restoration and preservation for future generations to enjoy.
Here are some things to consider about your piano:  Any piano this old will require total restoration. Pianos are made of materials that tend to deteriorate over time.  Felt, leather and rubber tends to simply break down and rot over the years, making it necessary for these materials to be replaced.  When a piano is in tune, there is approximately 17 tons of tension on the strings, and old, worn out strings just won't hold it.  Most piano tuners don't like to tune vintage pianos because the strings tend to break under tension.  Decades of rust, corrosion and deterioration simply break these strings down over time.  Many people approach us with the assumption that their piano just needs a good "tune up" to be in perfect playing condition...that simply isn't the case! These people are amazed to learn that restoration is almost always necessary on these vintage instruments.
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RESTORATION INFORMATION & PRICING:
There are several different pricing options available for restoration, and details can be seen at this link:
http://antiquepianoshop.com/restoration-packages/
A Grade 1 restoration would be ,000 (valuing the piano in the ,000 - ,000 range), and a Grade 2 would be ,500 (valuing the piano in the ,000 range).  For more information about our restoration services in general, please visit this link:
http://www.antiquepianoshop.com/restoration-services/
When we do a restoration, we take a 50% deposit up front and the balance due on completion.
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With this system, your piano can be made into a player piano which plays wirelessly from compact disc or iPod without changing the manual playability of your piano in any way.  For more information about the Pianomation system, please visit their link at
http://www.qrsmusic.com/pianomation.asp
We are installing this system in more than half of the pianos we restore for individuals. This system allows your piano to come alive and play with expression like a real person, not a mechanical put out.  It is also capable of playing at very low volumes when soft background music is desired. The most popular feature of all is the fact that you can plug this system into a speaker or sound system and have a full orchestra play with your piano!  Imagine your favorite band or vocalist playing and singing right along with your piano as it plays!  In person, it sounds like a live performance. It is just incredible!
The regular cost of this system is ,500 installed in upright and grand pianos, and ,500 installed in square grand pianos.  (Note that we are the only company in the country that installs the player system in square grand pianos!)  These prices are in addition to any restoration or shipping costs involved with your piano's restoration.
Michael Stinnett, Founder
Director of Sales & Historical Archives
The Antique Piano Shop, Inc.