What do I do about a classroom piano

What to Know About Buying a Piano

What resources can help me choose the right piano?

Look at other pianos in retail music stores. Look at used pianos listed of sell to the general public. Ask for the opinions of piano and music teachers. Consult a piano technician, hire him as a consultant.

Buy or borrow (check your library?) the book, Larry Fine’s The Piano Book (Google it). This excellent book has details on all of the brands and ratings collected from many technicians. It also has pointers on how to purchase new and used pianos, in painstaking detail.

What is the difference between the brands?

There are many different models in the produce lines for piano manufactures. Different models are often made in different countries at different levels of quality. It is important to compare models with similar modals of different brands than brand lines themselves. AS for used pianos, older the piano, the less important brands are. The condition of the piano is more important to consider. Some factors to consider are quality of materials, design and workmanship. Consider what warranties are offered.

Where should I buy my piano?

Not online, unless you can personally inspect it or have a piano technicians check it out. This would be like buying a used car without checking it out. When buying from a private party is best to have it check out also.

Piano retail dealers are good places to find good pianos. There are usually delivered and give a first in home tune at no additional cost from the purchase price. In most cases a warrantee is offered and in some cases a maintenance program can be obtained.

What should I look for in buying a piano?

Durability: Ask other teachers/technicians. Also look for models that have been in product line for a long period of time.

Solid construction: Look the piano over carefully. If it looks like a tank, it will probably do well for many years.

Hardware: Specifically look at the pedals, hinges, music desk and knobs. Are they plated or solid?

Cost: Cheaper is not always better. Most brands have a very expensive model that is made to get you into a dealer’s store. These models are constructed with only price in mind and quality suffers.

Appearance, Touch, Tone and Budget: Play any piano you consider buying. Each piano is slightly different. If you like the way the piano will look in your home, if it sounds like you think a good piano should sound, if you like the way it plays and it is with in your budget, most likely you will be happy with your purchase for a long time.

Are used pianos okay?

They usually have no warranty.

Many old (pre 1970, usually) pianos are quite good, but will usually need work to get them playing right.

Consider institutional surplus as will as music dealers.

It is good to get a used piano fully regulated, tuned and voiced so that it plays sounds more like a new piano to you. It will continue to change over time with proper service. For a grand piano, this could cost you as much as $1500. Uprights will usually be less.

You should plan on spending around $1,000.00. If you can find a used piano for $300 it probably will need $700.00 work to put it in good playing condition. If you find one for $800.00, it probably will need $200.00 of work. This will be in addition to tuning.

What about rebuilds?

This is often a good option. Some feel big old uprights are often better built than modern pianos (solid hardwoods) and are taller (better tone). Old grand pianos are usually very solidly built and can be better than a newer piano for the same price.

In most cases, rebuilt pianos will be less expensive than buying a new piano. Consider a factory if fully rebuilt. This will increase the price substantially.

Work can be done custom to your needs.

Grands vs. Uprights

Cost: big difference

Sound: bigger is usually better

A grand action is designed and constructed differently and is more desirable

Maintenance: uprights require less regulation

Audience expectation

Grands will be preferred by teachers and advanced players

How big of a piano do I need?

Longer strings usually mean better, fuller tone.

A mid-size grand should be at least 5’8”. A performance instruments should be at least 6’-7’ or bigger. A full concert size is 9’.

How much is it going to cost me?

Grands cost at least twice as much as an upright, usually more. Price varies greatly from brand to brand and within brands. Shop around, consult the references listed bellow and become well informed.

What happens after you buy your piano?

Place the piano away from heating and cooling registers, if at all possible. Give the piano some time to acclimate, at least a month or more. Then have your technician go through the piano completely. It will be worth it to you to have the piano start out as well as possible, since it will still deteriorate over time.

Expect to tune a new piano at least 4 times in the first year. It is very normal for a new piano to go out of tune quickly until everything stabilizes. Manufactures and tuners recommend two tunes a year after the first year. Remember, there is not a piano made that does not need regular tuning and service

Resources

Visit with local piano dealers, teachers, good piano players and piano technicians.

The Piano Book, by Larry Fine. Brookside Press, $19.95 This book is on reserve at the BYU library as well as other local libraries.

Visit website pages:

www.ptg.org Here you will find lots of helpful hints on caring for your piano. Also contains a listing of Registered Piano Technicians (RPT) in the Piano Technicians Guild (PTG).