what's a pianet's worth in the uk? [UPDATED - NEW PICS]

[Abraham]

I just rushed to set a bid on ebay for a pianet t in not working condition (at £230=275€=$335 plus shipping), and I'm not sure if It's really worth that price. Being in europe shipping costs would be lower, but its not working and I don't really know how expensive would be to get this repaired.

So I'm asking for your knowledge again. What would you recommend? Are those expensive to fix (as they seem to have a pretty straightforward design)? All I know is that it doesn't output to amp.

thank you.

[OZDOC]

The Pianet T I have which was in very good cosmetic condition, bar a little rust on the chrome parts, and fully working cost the equivalent of $US600 in Australia.
It is one of the earlier model Ts with a continuously wound pickup bar. This means that a break anywhere in the winding wire will kill the output. I believe the later Ts had individually wound coils on plastic formers. Not sure whether these were all in series or not.
The only other component in my T is an output transformer.
These are very simple passive instruments - unlike the earlier Pianet N - the generation of Pianets responsible for the 60s hit records that most people identify with the sound.
My first guess would be that your T is not working as a result of a single broken connection somewhere.
It should be easy to get going. Unless it's had a lot of moisture and corrosion in it that has badly corroded reeds and wiring.
If at all possible get it working with the authentic red (non-sticky) pads.

[pianotuner steveo]

Uggg
my cousin gave me a working Pianet N in the 80's for free. I replaced the pads and the most I could get for it back then was $100

I wish I kept it, i have no digital pianet now. ( does anyone make one?)

I wonder what it is worth today. (no legs)but worked perfectly

[Abraham]

yep there's a pianet set in the Native Instruments / Scarbee Vintage Keys library: http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/powered-by-kontakt/scarbee-clavinetpianet/?content=1137

[Abraham]

I asked the seller who kindly took a few pictures from the inside...





Also, it seems shipping from the UK is more expensive than expected...
It looks cleaner than it looks from the outside, since all outer chrome finishings are heavily rusty. Also It has newer sticky pads installed. I guess its maybe just missing a line to the output socket?

[OZDOC]

What is that white stuff? Saw dust? Spider webs?.
Anyway it looks fairly clean inside. Hard to tell from the small photos but I think you have the pickups with the plastic formers so there could be a broken connection at any one of these - or possibly more likely at the output jack.

Reeds look good - that looks like a rust spot on the G# in the bass - but that sort of rust is unlikely to be a problem.
Don't take the reeds out unless you absolutely have to - it is a fiddly job to get them all aligned again and small movements on the screw holes affect tuning.

Those are the original type pads. Give them a wash in hot water with washing up detergent, rub the metal reeds' contact area with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton bud and it should work fine. Sticky pads are not necessary in Pianet Ts although you can use individual sticky pads if particular reeds just wont produce the same relative loudness.

Steveo - I paid $1200 in the US for an immaculate Pianet N complete with all accessories and the original mint suitcase.

[pianotuner steveo]

Abraham, forgive me for being an old man that doesn't understand these digital download samples....what keyboard(s) do you use these with? i have a korg SV-1 will that work?
Please PM me with details if so.

I have never purchased or used any file based samples so I have no clue how this works.

Ozdoc....wow...I should have kept it! I was happy to get $100 back then, but regretted it later when I had no way to get The Beatle's EP sound anymore.....

[Tim Hodges]

Your problem will most likely be in the pick-up boards, the pick-ups are attached to some very simple PCB's but they always corrode and prevent it from working. I used one of those PCB pen's to re-draw the trace and mine worked straight away.

T

[martin]

my mate sold one last year for £650!