About
Phone Calls and Emails:
Ole Bear Answers the Phone:
"This
is Gale Bullock..." or Sometimes...
"You
got the Ole Bear..."
Phone
Call Hours are: 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., M-F Central Standard Time,
USA.
Not
12 Midnight! Not at 5 AM! Emails and faxes accepted 24 hours a day.
Sometimes
OB answers on Week-Ends if the area code looks interesting...
Don't
call me to appraise your piano over the phone... I don't go there.
Piano
related questions & consulting on specific buy/sells, what should I
do...
Giving
free advice based on my knowledge steals too much of my valuable time....
get
out your checkbook. I believe Mr. Larry Fine, RPT, a friend of Ole Bear's,
author of the Piano Book
and
webmaster of Brookside Press, has a similar problem solving service at
a consulting fee for a 30 minute consultation. Mr. Fine'sPiano
Book , and other publications are very good material for the serious
pianoforte buyer. See: http://pianobook.com/consult.html.
There is no fee for sellers who list with me in a typical manner. So....see:
http://pianobook.com/consult.html!
Mr.
Fine is a RPT, and is very smart Kool Kat, and last time I checked it was
$50 a pop!
Yepper,
Mr. Fine, my buddy guru, is much cheaper than me!
Ole
Bear Ain't a RPT, but Ole Bear knows what Ole Bears Know.
Folks
leaving "whatsitworthifisellittomyneighborquestions???" and "Iamtryingtoresearchanoleuprightpiannerijustboughtfor$50attheantiquemall"
on
my answering machine are most generally not returned. Customers who are
serious
about listing or serious about finding
out
more information about my listings are most welcome.
For
those of you who can email, if it is a potential listing inquiry,
send
me a jpg attachment!
Ole Bears Like Meat and 'Taters...!
Here
are Ole Bears Vintage Rules:
Bear's Cardinal Rule: Get a reputable local Associate or Registered Piano Technician from the PTG or a local reputable tuner/craftsman/rebuilder with an established reputation and knowledge of the vintage market to inspect the instrument for you and help you solve your piano problem on the particular piano in question, including value "whatsitworthifisellit" questions. That was free! And, probably what I tell you on the phone.
If you are Emailing as a potential seller customer, please indicate the make, model, serial number, case size, type of case finish, 85 or 88 keys, square, upright, or grand case, and approximate age you believe the pianoforte to be...then we have some meat and potatoes to work with. I can at least verify information in Pierce Piano Atlas #10, and we can get started if you are a serious seller. Most of the initial contact info I get, Ole Bear don't even know if its a square, upright, or grand case!
Bear's Cardinal Rule #101: I will help folks problem solve buy/sell, and related vintage piano problem solving questions as an unbiased 3rd party at my $50/phone call consulting fee. I believe in the honor system. If I help you, I would like for the postal service to bring me a check to my P.O. Box. Many "what if" questionscan already answered by the educational materials on my website. See Education Materials on the Main Menu page.
Bear's Cardinal Rule #224: I do not appraise your $50 piano on the internet. I do not give the general public value opinions real or imagined on the email, snail mail, or verbally on the telephone. I am not a walking encyclopedia on 19th or 20th Century Pianofortes. I do not research old vintage pianos for free. I do not even answer inquiries..."Is it valuable"? I do help suggest market pricing for my sellers and buyers based on photographs, a technician's/rebuilder's physical inspection and report on a particular instrument.
Bear's Cardinal Rule #225: I do not respond to questions or inquiries as to valuing your old Hoffnuffelstein piano described in abstracts and generalities -- I simply ignore the request or inquiry. Any answer to "is it valuable" without a tech report and good images of the "critter" as well as proper identification of the make, model, style case, and serial number is nothing but Hogwash and one is a fool if they believe Hogwash... although there are some on the Net who may snick your money to tell you what you want to hear. I just do not do it -- for free or otherwise. I value my time. Value yours... and do not waste yours or mine.
Bear's Cardinal Rule #226: I do not research pianos, date pianos, or provide piano history or manufacturer history for free. I already told you where to go get information on the Website. When I recommend reading at the library or refer to Pierce Piano Atlas Edition #10 as the research piano Bible, I just led you to the trough of the body of knowledge .... Horse, Water, Trough.
I
do not have time for violators of my rules ... I will ignore rule violators...
Why
do I want to waste my time, when I can go play or compose on these:
Clicking
on these images takes you to Pianos for Sale
Select?
Definitive? Discriminating? Select Market? A No Bullshit Ole Bear?
Yes...and
perfect mean to follow my passion for vintage pianofortes...
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