For most people, buying a piano is a difficult process, mainly because relatively little information is available to consumers. Add to that, the visceral appeal of pianos sometimes overrules good judgement when buying one. When someone requests advice about buying a piano, I first make two recommendations:
- Don’t be in a hurry.
- Look into consumer information produced by Larry Fine.
I have absolutely no interest in promoting Larry’s products other than the interest of my customers and I receive no compensation for this recommendation. Larry has produced the most comprehensive and independent advice available for the piano buyer. His first guide, “The Piano Book” was originally published in 1987 and was followed by three more editions until 2001. In my opinion, this clearly written and concise guide has yet to be equaled. Any one of the editions would be worth purchasing. One might be found at a local library but used editions can easily be found through bookstores and online merchants. Larry’s current guides can be found through his website “pianobuyer.com” where a vast array of useful information can be found. Additionally, on the website for the Piano Technicians Guild, you will find good consumer information. Here, you can find a link to locate a Registered Piano Technician in your area as well.
With that said, I’ll add the following recommendations:
1. Consider the needs of the pianist. Is this piano for a beginner, intermediate or advanced player? An advanced pianist will be frustrated by a spinet or other piano that cannot respond to nuance. A five-year-old beginner lacking a nuanced touch won’t necessarily benefit from a finely regulated Steinway concert grand. And yet, even the five-year-old deserves an instrument capable of being musical so as to not discourage whatever potential may exist in the young musician.
2. Determine your budget. You may rethink this as your search progresses. Available pianos may range from “free” to tens of thousands of dollars, but your financial constraints will practically influence what type of piano you buy. A console in good condition and a grand piano in need of rebuilding may cost the same up front. But if you’re not able to afford the cost of rebuilding the grand, you’re much better off with the console. When considering your budget, remember to consider the cost of moving and of any repairs that the piano may need. A “free” piano is rarely free. Pianos are expensive to move professionally and most free pianos require repairs as well as tuning, so resist the temptation to accept such an offer until you’ve had the piano professionally evaluated and know what your real costs are.
3. Be aware that grands are not always “grand”. Many people romanticize grand pianos. But please remember that the shape of a piano doesn’t determine its quality. Acoustically, many uprights are equal to or even superior to many grands. “Scale design” is at the heart of a piano’s acoustic quality. Scale design is the pattern of strings that determines their lengths and thicknesses as constrained by the size and shape of the cabinet. Everything else being equal, the larger the piano, the longer the strings in the bass and tenor sections, the better the quality of sound. In an upright, the full height of the instrument accommodates the acoustics. In a grand, the first 16 inches or so at the front of the piano are occupied by the action mechanism. Consequently, a five foot grand, in many cases, may only be the acoustic equivalent of a small upright. The real advantage of a grand piano over an upright exists in its action. This is so, though, only if the grand is well designed and in good regulation. A grand action contains a “repetition lever” which allows a pianist to repeat a note with subtler finger movements and produce a more nuanced touch than is possible with most upright actions. This is where the real benefit of a grand piano lies. Grands have more complicated mechanisms than uprights and are more expensive to build, so if your needs are more modest than that of a highly advanced player and you don’t have unlimited finances, you would do well to purchase a good quality upright rather than a grand of mediocre quality or in poor condition.
4. Look at as many available pianos as you can and be patient. The more time that you allow yourself to shop, the more likely that you will make a good decision. When you have found a piano that you think has real potential, call upon a professional technician for an evaluation. Don’t rely solely upon the opinion of a pianist or a piano teacher. A musician’s opinion is certainly valuable in some regards, but only a qualified technician is trained to evaluate a piano’s condition and potential. I’ve seen many unfortunate purchases made upon the well intended recommendations of pianists. When I do an evaluation, I provide you with a printed estimate of any work that the piano needs, so you’re unlikely to have unhappy surprises once you buy the piano. And if the piano requires significant repairs but has potential to be good, the estimate can give you some leverage in negotiating your purchase price. For information on the cost of evaluations, see “My rates” page.