Duo Art Player Piano Value – What’s It Worth?

If you’re excited to potentially purchase a Duo Art player piano, and you’re interested in learning the Duo Art player piano value for a specific model, you’re in luck.  In this article, we will break down how to examine a Duo Art player piano’s true worth, as well as showcase a handful of examples of what Duo Art player piano’s are selling for on the secondary market to give you a better idea of how well they’re valued.

Assessing a Duo Art Player Piano’s Worth

Normally, when examining the value of a piano, you’ll consider a few constants: the age and associated depreciation, any damage to the exterior or interior mechanisms, the manufacturer and any brand recognition, and the quality of the sound. 

To properly estimate the value of a Duo Art player piano, you’ll need to keep all these things in mind; however, you’ll also have to consider the added value of the additional mechanisms and the other functionality of the piano (for example, if the piano was recently restored, that would add value to the instrument).  

So, let’s take a look at a few examples of what some Duo Art player pianos are selling for on the open market.

1) The first piano we’ll look at is selling for the incredibly low price of $600: A Duo Art Player Piano (Reverb).  This is one of those cases where you’d want to dive deeper into the background of the piano in hopes to learn more about it—and why it’s priced so low.  Still, by digging into this particular example, the description states that there are no sticky piano keys or other problematic issues with the instrument. 

My best guess is that this Duo-Art is selling for $600 simply because it’s part of an estate sale—and they want to move on from big items like pianos as quickly as possible.  In cases like these, you can often find a pretty solid bargain, and this just might be a great example of that. 

2) The next piano seems a bit more reasonably priced: a Stroud Duo Art Player Piano that sold for somewhere between $3000 and $5000 (specific price not listed). Although this could be considered a fairly broad price range, it does account for the damage the instrument suffered—namely a couple of sticky, cracked keys, and chipped keys. 

The mahogany material also adds a bit of value, as it is one of the more expensive woods. This is certainly a great looking piano, but the damage physical damage the instrument suffered from definitely hurt its value a little bit.

If you want to check out a Stroud Duo Art in action, be sure to check out the video below:

3) Another piano, priced at $7,000 (Canadian), is a 1930 Stroud Aeolian Duo-Art Player Piano selling from Piano Mart.

The description also says that this piano was probably rebuilt sometime in the last twenty years, and the equipment for the Duo Art portion has all been replaced. This is a significant amount of restoration, to the point where it’s a bit surprising that the piano didn’t go for a bit of a higher asking price.

4) Now here we have a rebuilt Steinway Duo-Art Grand Piano, Model XR, sold for $25,995 from Living Pianos. Restored in the 1980s, it was originally produced in 1929. Although depreciation would have taken a significant toll by now, the instrument has actually been almost completely rebuilt.  Due to this, the value is now around what it would be when it was originally produced and sold. Additionally, the piano is made of ebony satin, which along with mahogany, is one of the more expensive materials to use. 

Even though a price of almost $26,000 seems like a great deal of money, it’s worth noting that the original asking price for this piano was $87,900.  If that’s true, I’d say this that whomever purchased this instrument got themselves a pretty good deal in the end. Steinway is already one of the more expensive, well-known brands, and having the Duo Art technology makes it all the more valuable.

5) The next piano is a bit more expensive, selling for $36,000 (not including the $1,200 shipping!). The piano in question is another Steinway Duo Art M Aeolian Player Grand Piano, which has also been custom painted and decorated. In the pictures on the website, it’s easy to see the meticulous designs and thought that went into decorating this piano, which is going to inflate the price significantly. 

The condition provided on the website is “Good,” and it goes on to list some of the piano’s positive features— and possible damages. Although it is said to play beautifully and work properly, which I’m sure it does, this piano does not have the luxury of being restored like the other Steinway.  With that said, the description does state that this piano has recently been tuned, been evaluated by a concert pianist, and that it plays very well (although the dampers may need to be checked).

If you’d like to see what a self-playing Steinway Duo Art piano looks and sounds like in motion, check out the video below:

6) The final piano is a Steinway Aeolian Duo Art Player Grand Piano.  It had an asking price of a whopping $228,500, although it appears to have sold for less than the asking price (the exact price isn’t explicitly stated).  The case of the piano has been intricately painted and carved with incredibly detailed decoration, finished with shimmering gold that’s absolutely beautiful.

So what’s influencing the price here, exactly?  Why is it so expensive?  Well, beyond the obvious appearance of the instrument, this piano was apparently owned by Barney Henry Kroger.  Kroger was a businessman who went on to create the incredibly popular and well known Kroger supermarket stores.

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Duo Art Player Piano Value

Several factors can go into the value of a Duo Art player Piano, but the fact remains that they’re expensive pieces of equipment. In good condition and manufactured after the 1980s (or restored in the last fifteen years) I would not ask for anything less than $15,000, even with a bit of superficial damage (remember, you can always lower the price if you’re unable to find any buyers). 

These pianos are valuable instruments, but always keep in mind that a damaged piano hurts its value considerably.

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Other Factors That Affect Piano Value

Although we touched on a couple of these factors above, the main consideration for Duo Art pianos is going to be the presence of the Duo Art technology. Additional factors include the age (which you can find based on the serial number), depreciation (which is directly impacted by the age), materials (the type of wood and finish), condition (including damages or wear and tear), and sound quality (which can be influenced by age or a need for tuning). 

This is quite a bit to remember, and a novice may have a hard time analyzing everything cohesively. If you think it’ll be difficult to evaluate all of these things enough to determine an actual value, especially with the added factor of the Duo Art technology, I recommend looking into getting an appraisal. Most of the time they’re very affordable involve a trained piano technician coming to your home to see the piano, play it, date it, and decide on an approximate value.

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What Is a Duo Art Player Piano System?

Finally, let’s take a closer look at what the Duo Art player piano really is, and why its technology is so coveted.  Now a Duo Art player system is a system of technology embedded into an acoustic piano (usually a grand, but it can go into upright pianos as well) that gives the piano the ability to play itself based on a roll inserted into the piano.

There are several extra parts to the embedded mechanisms that work seamlessly with the original technology of the piano. The roll, which is the portion that looks like a partially unfurled scroll in the middle, has on it several carefully placed notes that tell the piano which keys to trigger. The piano then uses an electric motor with a vacuum pump or a set of foot pedals that provide suction to trigger the correct keys at the correct time. 

In this way, by purchasing a roll with, say, one of Frederic Chopin’s Nocturnes, it would be possible to have live music played on your piano without an actual performer. It was an attractive option in the early 1900s, when pianos were becoming more popular in middle-class homes, and it remains a beautiful antique performer even now. 

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Conclusion

Despite the extra care that goes into determining the true Duo Art player piano value, a piano’s worth is ultimately based on a variety of factors.  Whether it’s related to age, or whether a piano is in or out of tune, or if the keys are damaged, the true value of a piano is most determined on a case by case basis.  But, hopefully this article has better been able to enlighten you on what you can expect to buy (or sell) your Duo Art Player piano for on the secondary market!

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