What to do with a Kimball upright piano

fastonebaz

My MIL has a Kimball upright piano that looks like this below.  It weighs as much as a neutron star.  

I've Googled around and know roughly about its history etc.

I can't imagine I'd get much interest advertising it on reverb or ebay.

So just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for other ideas to pass it on rather than scrapping it?

Ta

Benm39

Would be maybe worth asking a piano tuner/ tech to appraise it and they may also know people/ venues that works be happy to take a piano if still a serviceable instrument.  Local village halls etc...

CavemanGrogg

I'm afraid to say that you will even struggle nowadays to find a charity shop that will take if off of your hands.  Somebody I know a few years ago sold their house complete with a music room and piano, and the new owner got in touch with them to tell them to arrange for the piano to be removed from the property, they struggled to give their piano away for free - and it was a Steinway and Sons can't remember which model, year or whether it was a baby grand or grand piano.

I though it was funny that somebody had bought a house that was being advertised as having a proper music room complete with a piano, and this was sort of heavily promoted as a huge benefit/positive of the property by the selling estate agent, only to turn round and demand that the piano be removed after purchasing the property.

Brio

Take it to a railway station and play boogie woogie. People will pay you a fortune for it. Especially foreign visitors.

jdgm

If it has a metal frame these people may buy it off you.

I googled;  buyers old upright pianos   - and found several firms advertising on t'net.

https://www.rimmersmusic.co.uk/sell-my-piano-i141

If it has a wooden frame it's definitely junk.

How about Freecycle? I think someone would take it.

ArchtopDave

Get it tuned and play it.

snowblind

Seconded. Old uprights are almost impossible to even give away. 

Unless the local saloon wants it to replace the one that got broke during the last bar fight.

duotone

Reach out to Markson Pianos, I’m sure they would be interested. https://www.marksonpianos.com/contact-us/

fastonebaz

Some good ideas here thanks

Dominic

They make splendid conversions to Cocktail cabinets

Ally

Seems a shame to scrap something like that. Hope you manage to find someone to take it.

Funkfingers

Offer it to a local school, church or pub. They ought to be able to raise funds to pay for restoration work and professional tuning.

duotone

Saw another company that were on the news tonight: https://www.pianodrome.org/get-in-touch

fastonebaz

Oh nice one thanks

Sporky

Turn it into a weird typewriter. 

Shrews

Has it got ivory keys. *cough * asking for a friend. 

Stratavarious

Shrews said:

Has it got ivory keys. *cough * asking for a friend. 

The guy who redid the keys on our vintage piano was very excited to take away the mass of ivory ‘waste’.

crunchman

Funkfingers said:

Offer it to a local school, church or pub. They ought to be able to raise funds to pay for restoration work and professional tuning.

A lot of churches tend to use digital pianos these days, for the same reasons everyone else does.  They are lighter, stay in tune, and a lot easier to mix with other intruments in a PA.

I'm not sure how many schools would be interested either.  They don't have the funds to pay to get them tuned regularly.