Tips for piano shopping?

[Mama2Three]

Hi there!

 

I'd like to start piano lessons this summer/fall with my 2 older DC, and have begun researching pianos. I don't want to spend a ton of money, but I'd like to get a piano that is a good value (ie, will be suitable for 3 DC to use for several years of piano instruction). What I'm thinking is to buy a good-name upright piano but try to find one used on craigslist, realizing that I will need to get someone to move/tune it.

 

Any certain names to look for? What to avoid? Certain type of piano? I'm thinking of this like buying a reliable used car, but maybe that's not the best analogy. If you can't tell, I am not musically literate and have no idea what I'm doing. :tongue_smilie: Any advice or suggests would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[KnitWit]

One piece of advice would be to ask around and find a couple of highly recommended piano tuners and speak with them. They are a wealth of knowledge AND many of them tune for companies as well as individuals and might be able to keep an eye out for you. I have two friends who found their pianos this way through my tuner. They got great deals on VERY good quality used pianos.

 

Also, be sure to sit down and PLAY. Don't worry about anyone hearing you. Every piano has a different *touch*. Try them out and find one that *fits*.

[fairfarmhand]

We didn't get a piano, we got a keyboard. It is not quite so large and kind of a "sampler" piano till we were sure she would like the lessons well enough to stick with it. You definitely want to purchase one with a full keyboard and a stand. Eventually I am hoping to get a real piano for her since she's really enjoying the lessons and progressing nicely.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[Orthodox6]

Seconding for MsPolly. Tuners also have university accounts, so will know when the university next will hold a "used piano sale".

 

In general, for learning the instrument, I suggest a good brand upright piano. Spinets have a very shallow key bed, overly agile "action", and the shortest strings of all pianos. A good upright can have "action" -- (which is a technical word, and something that I understand intuitively, as a player, but which I am not equipped to define verbally in any useful manner) -- . . . action comparable to that of a good grand piano.

 

When choosing a piano tuner, check that s/he belongs to the Piano Technicians Guild. That brings you a higher standard of expertise.

[JVA]

I found this book very helpful- SO much information -but gives you a good primer on the what and how... It's revised periodically and I found several editions in my library.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Book-Buying-Owning-Used/dp/1929145012/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267641522&sr=1-1

[K-FL]

When we were looking, we chose a Yamaha Clavinova since they're small, never need tuning and have a headphone jack! They have a full sized keyboard, and weighted keys. I got it from our music store's rental "fleet" when they were up-grading.

[Mama2Three]

Thank you, this is all very helpful. I never would have thought of researching tuners to find a piano. I've checked on the book, but I believe it is a resource book at my library because I can't place it on hold. Will have to go in one day to look at it there.

 

Thanks again! :)

[ElizabethB]

I have a digital piano with weighted keys, it sounds and feels just like a piano but is much smaller, is (kind of) portable, and never needs tuning. It also can be played with headphones so can be played while people are sleeping!

 

I got a Yahama P-140 because it was a gift, we would have bought the P-85.

[FaithManor]

If you go electric, you will need to find a high end model with true waited keys and both a working damper pedal and una corda pedal. A used Yamaha Clavinova. These pianos run around $6000-9000 brand new but should be able to get an older model for 500-1000. Also, buy a free standing full 88 key model and not a synthesizer or keyboard on a stand. There is a HUGE quality difference between a "digital piano" and a "keyboard". This will affect your children's ability to learn proper technique. Good technique will allow them to play any accoustic or electronic piano/keyboard regardless of touch control, but bad technique will make it difficult to ever play an acoustic well.

 

If you go with a used upright, do not buy a spinet. Spinets have to be virtually taken apart to be tuned and so tuners charge more for the service. Baldwin, Yamaha, Kawaii, Kohler and Campbell, are all good names. If you are tempted by a more vintage model, google it and see what the piano tuner/technician guild has to say about it.

 

Above all, take a flashlight and check the sound board and pin blocks to make sure there are no cracks. Check the strings for rust - even small spots of rust will cause strings to break upon tuning. Replacing strings can run anywhere from $10.00 - 50.00 depending on if it is a short treble string or a deep base, long - double-copper wound string.

 

If you get an acoustic (there is a lot of reason to do this - for one they retain value and electrics lose 75-80% within 18 months of point of sale), move it carefully, keep it off an exterior wall (temperature fluctuations affect the strings and sound board), and wait about 6 weeks to have it tuned so that the wood aclimates to your house environment.

 

Happy shopping!

Faith

[Mama2Three]

Wow, more great info! Thanks, Faith, for such a thorough breakdown of what I need to consider. I really appreciate everyone's suggestions. :)

[helena]

It's been a while since I've looked, but I've seen free ones on Craigslist.

We got ours for free when a friends neighbor moved and left it! We had it tuned and it was good to go. It was nice to not have to spend any money before we knew if it would get used. It actually gets used all day everyday, and the old clunker is holding up just fine. :)

[Nissi]

We love our Charles Walter upright. So, if you can find one of these used, go for it.

[Penelope]

I piano shopped last year.

 

Check out http://www.pianobuyer.com/. You can read it online for free, articles, ratings, tips on buying used or new.

 

There is also one of those "for dummies" books about buying a piano and maybe your library would have that.

 

As a piano player I really wouldn't recommend a keyboard. You may also find that your kids outgrow a digital in a few years. At a certain point in learning a digital is just not the same as a real piano, so if you go that route you may want to upgrade at some point.

 

Don't buy a piano that is more than 30-40 years old, those ones on Craigslist for a couple of hundred dollars. They will probably need quite a bit of work to get them up to playing level. I'd be careful with anything used as a lot of people don't know very much about pianos and think their old piano is worth a whole lot more than it is, IME. I would get a good tuner to check out a used piano before I'd buy it and make sure it won't need lots of work beyond tunings.

 

I'd recommend a studio or taller vertical piano, this is taller than a console or spinet.

Edited March 17, 2010 by Penelope

[katilac]

We love our digital Yamaha (digital grand piano DGX-500). It's full size with weighted keys and pedals; I think we paid about $800 for it several years ago at Sam's Club.

 

I understand that a digital piano is not exactly the same as a regular piano; however, I think that a child would have to be pretty far into lessons, or quite talented, before it truly makes a big difference. One big plus to a digital is that kids tend to love playing around with back beats and sound effects, recording themselves for playback, and so on.

 

My dd is 11 and is in her 3rd or 4th year of piano, and it's still getting the job done. She enjoys it and practices with no problem daily, but she'd have to be LOTS more intensive about it before I'd even consider buying a new piano. As in, practicing for hours each day intense. Unless you and dh want a piano for yourselves, I would not spend thousands of dollars on the chance that my kids MIGHT get serious about piano. I'd far prefer taking the chance that I might need to upgrade in the future. Many, if not most, kids are not at an advanced level even after several years. If you're unsure about making the jump, a digital piano can serve you well for quite some time (and possibly all the way through).

[GESTEP]

We really like our Yahama Clavinova too. I prefer the sound of a "regular" piano but my husband and dd's prefer the Clavinova. Only one of our dd plays piano but the other just likes to listen to the sound samples and follow the red lights to play songs. My dh likes to write his own music so he can add different instrument sounds and create some complex songs. The sound effects keep them all entertained for hours. We have had it for 2 years and it still gets used more the upright that we had before. It has a lot more to offer and may help keep interest up. ( And the headphones are a bonus to me:001_smile:)

 

Gina

[lllll]

We love our Charles Walter upright. So, if you can find one of these used, go for it.

 

We have one of these as well and we love it.

 

A suggestion for piano shopping ...

 

Take your piano players and make them play the piano or key board or whatever ... while you are browsing in the store. I am so glad I did this, because some of the sounds of the best name-brand pianos just grated on my ears. And I knew I would have to listen to dc learning to play, practicing, playing, etc., for possibly hours every day (5 dc) for years to come. It HAD to sound good to ME ... for the sake of my poor ears. Make sure they play for more than a few minutes, and make sure they play many pianos so you can compare their sounds. Take their music if they need it. Tell them to play as if they were at home. Most of the pianos we heard were shrill to my ears. The salesmen called them "bright" and said that's how performers prefer them because the sound needs to carry through a large area. Well, our house is not large and it just hurt my ears. You'll know when you hear what you want.

 

We also did as another poster suggested and took as much of the piano apart as we could to see the guts. We looked for cracks, warping, rust, worn parts, etc. And don't believe it when the salesman tries to explain away any defects. Go with your gut. (We even saw a 'new' grand piano with cracks in the sound board one time.)

 

Also, one of our ds's taught himself to play on a cheap keyboard. We eventually upgraded the keyboards, went through a few free clunker pianos, and finally bought the Charles Walter piano. He used to carry his keyboard everywhere - in the car, out to the shop, outside. Even if you go for the piano, it might still help your dc to have a keyboard to play around with.

 

HTH

 

ETA: Oh, and if you want to start with a clunker, just ask around. You'd be surprised how many people have old pianos they'd love to have hauled off. Some will even pay YOU to come and get it. (Your dh can ask around where he works.) And you can stick it out in your shop (we did) for them to play around with. Then, when you get a good one for the house, they can dissect the clunker out in the shop and learn all about how it works on the inside. Our ds's enjoyed doing this.

Edited March 18, 2010 by ksva