I have an old piano … how do I find more information about it?

I got an old piano from my grandfather, in great condition. Where can I find information about it? Can someone describe to me the history of such a piano? How can I determine the year of production of my piano? Can you tell me more about it? How much can it be worth? You often come to us with such questions so we decided to write a short guide for the lucky owners of “new” and old pianos.

Where do I look for information about my instrument? What type of piano do I own?

Let’s first talk about the instrument itself 🙂 After a thorough examination we are able to find out a few things about it. 

Let’s start with the very basics, so to say if we are dealing with an upright or a grand piano. What is the difference between an upright and a grand piano? Even the first look at the instrument will allow us to determine this. 

Another piece of information we can find on our piano is its make and model. The brand name should not be particularly “hidden” – it is usually found on the keyboard cap. If there is no information there, open the lid of your piano and check what name or mark is on the cast iron frame. And that’s how you know what brand your instrument is.

The specific model of your piano (usually a letter + number) may be on the cast iron frame. If you can’t find it there, nothing is lost. It may help to determine it by measuring your instrument. The most important dimensions are height and length. For an upright piano the key dimension is the height, for a grand piano it will be the length. Usually it is these dimensions that differ between models. Now all you have to do is find the model that matches the dimensions of your piano on the model list of the appropriate brand. You can search for them on our list of brands after choosing the right brand at the bottom of the page and there you will find a list of its models.

Can you tell me more about it? Can anyone describe the history of such a piano to me? 

Once you know the brand of your piano you can find its history in our blog reviews, brand descriptions or in an internet search. While you can easily find the history of popular brands, place of production, date of creation of particular models, etc. Unfortunately in case of less known brands it can be quite difficult to find such information. Often the only information you manage to get is the place of production of the brand.

If you want to know more about your particular piano, you can interview its previous owner or ask a piano tuner in your neighborhood for help. They will certainly be able to determine the condition of your instrument, tell you if it was repaired in any way, and above all, tune the piano after moving which is necessary.

How old is my piano?

To find out how old your piano is you need to find its serial number. Every piano, the one that is a hundred years old and the one made a few years ago, has its individual number. From our article you can learn how to find such a serial number. If you already know the number of your instrument, use our lists of serial numbers found in the Klaviano articles or find the lists of the manufacturer of your instrument in an internet search engine. In the list, the year of manufacture is listed next to each serial number. If you are unable to determine the year of manufacture by the serial number – please write to us to help you.

How much is my old piano worth?

Would you like to know the value of your piano? Apply your piano for a valuation on Klaviano.