It sounds to me like cfinke made a poor choice when acquiring a used instrument then extrapolated that to 'all old instruments are bad/can't properly hold pitch

It sounds to me like cfinke made a poor choice when acquiring a used instrument then extrapolated that to 'all old instruments are bad/can't properly hold pitch'. This information came to me via my father (a church musician, organist, and pianist for 40 years) and a number of piano tuners in the area that I talked to about getting the piano back in playing condition. I'm familiar with musical instruments and wouldn't claim that all old instruments are bad. cfinke should've just gotten someone who knows about pianos to help him/her choose a good one When we did eventually purchase a piano, we talked to the right people and made an informed decision. In the story I shared, the price (free) was more important than the condition.