Beale Pianos were originally founded by Octavius Beale in 1893, in Annandale, NSW. The Beale Piano Company rose to be the largest piano manufacturer in the British Empire at one stage, producing more than 90,000 pianos from 1893 to 1975. Of particular note is the unique ‘steel tuning system’ that Beale Pianos patented which was designed to withstand the dry, hot conditions found in many states of Australia. This system was so successful that many Beale Pianos have survived the test of time and are still being played today. Just the other day, I tuned an upright Beale Piano at Banksia Park Primary School in Adelaide, the tuning system was as tight as the day the piano was built.
Older style Beale Pianos are generally valued at between $500 – $1,500 depending on their age, condition and model. Fully restored these pianos can fetch up to $5,000.
Most older style Beale pianos are worth restoring. The relatively low value of some older styles in a way does the quality of these pianos an injustice as most had a full iron frame, were overstrung and had a quality underdamper playing mechanism. We find a common scenario is for people to pay up to $500 for an older style Beale and then spend $500 to $1,000 through us tuning and repairing the mechanism.
We operate throughout Victoria and South Australia, and we also deliver Australia wide. We tune, repair, restore and sell new and refurbished pianos. To look at some our restoration work, click here https://leaverandson.com.au/pianos/piano-restoration/ and to check out our pianos for sale, see https://leaverandson.com.au/pianos/sales-australia/