The Ellington Piano Company was founded in 1892 in Cinncinatti, Ohio and was soon acquired by the famous Baldwin Company. They built high quality pianos until 1930.
This is a solid, dependable upright, built in 1919 as case styles were losing the florid intricacy of the Victorian age. It had been in a church where it was well maintained before I acquired it. I have made repairs and regulated the action so it can be played evenly and softly.
It speaks with authority and easily fills a large room. The bass is full and rich, the treble clean and crisp.
A restored upright piano is a real value these days. It gives decent quality and sound at a reasonable price. When this piano was new, its quality was equivalent to a Yamaha U3 or a 52" Steinway Boston Upright.
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But, but, but... this piano is not new, you say. That is quite true. It is 92 years old. If it were new it would sell for much more, possibly over $10,000, and your great-great grandchildren could expect to play it (after some restoration).
So what happened to this piano as it aged? What has changed to reduce the actual and perceived value from perhaps $10,000 to $850?
- The finish is not perfect anymore. When you buy a new piano you expect to find not even one small nick or ding in the finish. Refinishing this piano to look like new would cost perhaps $3,000. But the existing finish is pretty nice.
- The finish is not in fashion. Pianos are styled to match current tastes in furniture. But dark oak might look really nice to you.
- The tuning pins are not as tight as when new. It will not stand perfectly in tune as long. This means it could not be used by a concert musician for serious practice. However most people do not hear tuning that acutely.
- The action has worn parts. That means it cannot be adjusted (regulated) to the extreme precision of a fine, new piano. The touch will not be as even. This is most noticeable to an accomplished musician trying to play rapid scale passages softly. Again, most people will not find this a problem.
- The hammers have hardened somewhat with age. This makes it brighter, more brilliant, than most new pianos sold in the US. New European pianos often have as brilliant a tone as this, however.
- A few bass strings, in the low end, have gone dead. They make a thunkier sound than the rest of the strings. These strings are lower in pitch than most people ever play and may not be a problem. If they are a problem, they can be restored for a small cost.
- It is missing a name decal above the keys. It was refinished at one time and the decal was not replaced. Again, we can add the decal for a reasonable cost.
- The size went out of fashion over the years. Most people buy waist high spinet pianos these days, which is unfortunate. No way can a spinet match the rich bass of a taller upright. And no way can it have the power and presence.
- The keyboard is genuine ivory in very good condition. Genuine ivory has a wonderful feel that cannot be duplicated by plastics. You cannot buy real ivory on any new piano today.The black keys are genuine ebony also.
- It is not as clean inside as the new pianos. This does not affect touch or sound and once you cover the top with your family pictures, only the tuner will see inside.
- There are (OH HORRORS!) cracks in the soundboard. Actually this is completely normal and does not affect anything as long as the braces and bridges are still tightly attached, which they are.
This Ellington Upright doesn't sound or play as it did when it was new. But it does play and sound better than any spinet piano ever made. It has the bass of a 6 foot grand and lots of power to fill a room.
That makes it an excellent value for the price, don't you think?
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