upright pianos

**jennija** · 01-16-2014, 02:50 PM

generic question I know, but you know that biiiiiigggg brass plate uprights have? Is it safe to say they are almost always brass?? Or is it common to see other metals used?

**musicman57** · 01-16-2014, 02:56 PM

What I have seen people call brass in pianos is the harp the strings mount to. It is actually painted cast iron in all of the pianos I have ever opened.
The foot pedals are usually brass.

**Bear** · 01-16-2014, 03:38 PM

there's an early 1900s upright piano out in our old barn that's pretty well shot. I've thought of dragging it out but doesn't appear to be much value in it. A magnet sticks to the metal plate inside

**Mechanic688** · 01-16-2014, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by Bear

there's an early 1900s upright piano out in our old barn that's pretty well shot. I've thought of dragging it out but doesn't appear to be much value in it. A magnet sticks to the metal plate inside

That would go as prepared, + a couple of cents

**mikeinreco** · 01-16-2014, 04:22 PM

I have broken down 100's of pianos and never found a brass plate (Cleaned out an old piano repair warehouse one time).......Cast iron......It they were brass pianos would be worth several hundred dollars in scrap

**oldtruck** · 01-17-2014, 12:52 AM

yea ,i had a few of them ,....usually the back bone is cast iron ,....think the old ones have some other brass in them ,footpedals screws ,hinges and sometimes the linkage for the keys are brass ....the strings are often copper and steel i think too ...most times for the amount of space they take up in the truck ,i don't take em ....think i get around 40 45 dollars out of them ,but it's alot of work to get that ,... if the trucks empty i'll take em ,......and if i need firewood to keep me warm i'll take em