The better pianos (Steinway, Mason & Hamlin) from the 1920s are actually still very valuable and in demand. A well kept or restored grand piano from that era co

The better pianos (Steinway, Mason & Hamlin) from the 1920s are actually still very valuable and in demand. A well kept or restored grand piano from that era costs > $20,000 and can be one of the best deals out there for a good instrument. But any low end piano — even one that's only 15-20 years old — is destined for the dumpster before long. There are two problems that cause this: 1. Lack of craftsmanship in the original instrument. 2. The expense and lack of skilled labor to restore and regulate pianos. It's just too expensive and time consuming to have a skilled technician work on a low-quality piano, and because they are not made well in the first place, they just won't stay well-regulated for long. Because of this, even a relatively new and good looking piano doesn't make a great instrument once it gets past a certain point. This is a common problem in music schools. Most of the pianos are in poor condition and the technicians can't keep up with keeping them in good shape, and the good pianos are generally locked up and only the piano majors have access to them. Only high end pianos are worth putting any time and money into, and because of that they actually make a good investment, while the value of low end pianos just drops off a cliff and they end up in a dumpster because they aren't even worth moving and repairing.