Tips for buying a used acoustic piano
What are things to consider when you are purchasing a used acoustic piano?
Nice pianos are expensive. All of them.
Whether brand new, or used, quality pianos generally come with a substantial price tag.
Luckily, pianos will last for several decades, and purchasing a quality used piano can be a great investment and carry a much lower price.
Don’t rush.
Play lots of pianos.
If you are buying a used piano from a private seller or buying from a local dealer, it’s important to know exactly what it is that you are paying for. It is fairly common for a piano buyer to come across a used piano they like, and quickly purchase it out of fear that it will be snagged by someone else if they don’t pull the trigger. This is a risky situation to be in.
Hastily writing a big check before having the piano inspected by a non biased party can often be pretty devastating. Structural problems with pianos can be difficult to identify if you don’t know what to look for. Brushing off flaws like clicking keys, out of tune notes, or keys that don’t play quite right as things that can be addressed with a tuning can be a huge mistake. It can be quite sobering to hear the assessment of your newly purchased used piano from your tuner when they come to service the instrument for the first time. There are great used pianos out there, but unfortunately the great ones are outweighed heavily by pianos that have lived past their usable age and pianos that weren’t that great even when they were new.
Ask a pro!
Hire a piano tuner / technician to review pianos before you buy.
There’s a lot going on inside of a piano…
The acoustic piano is the most complicated wooden mechanism still in production today.
There are several things to look for when considering buying your “new” used piano. We’re not all piano technicians, so it’s pretty understandable to look to a professional for some guidance. To help aid you in your piano search, I am a huge proponent of hiring a local piano tuner / technician to help evaluate pianos that you are interested in. The evaluation visit or visits aren’t without a fee, but whatever the tech is charging will pale in comparison to service or repair bills for a piano with significant issues. If you are shopping at a local piano dealer, it’s a good idea to ask ahead of time if it’s alright for your technician to review the piano(s) before purchase. The dealer will more than likely have no problem with this, but this courtesy goes a long way. Showing up with your tuner unannounced can sometimes be a little unnerving for the salesperson and result in a bit of an awkward interaction. The same can be said when shopping private party. I can’t speak for everyone, but generally private sellers don’t have an issue with your tuner stopping by to approve the piano before you purchase. It’s like having your trusted mechanic take a look at a car before you buy it.
Brand research!
Do some reading on which piano brands might work best for you.
There have been THOUSANDS of piano manufacturers in production throughout the last hundred years, and there are still several hundred brand names from various eras floating around. Sometimes, (although rarely) these lesser known manufacturers can be great brands and produce pianos of exceptional quality. However, more often than not, that is not the case. There are a lot of manufacturers out there, but all things considered, there are really only a handful of good ones. It’s easy to get caught up in a sales pitch romanticizing a brand you have never heard of before as being this hidden gem that has just now, or at one time briefly hit the American market. Many times these surprisingly affordable obscure pianos are produced by a Chinese piano manufacturer who builds piano a variety of piano models that they will “stencil” a more notable, reputable brand that has been out of production for years, or simply an elegant sounding onto.
Buying an obscure brand or a “stencil piano” can many times result in a less inspiring playing experience once you start to notice the pianos shortcomings and limitations. These stencil pianos can also be quite difficult to sell, and really hurt the resale value down the road.
There is now more information and reviews about piano models and manufacturers than ever. Read up on articles and message boards from sites like Pianobuyer.com, and Pianoworld.com to see what people are saying about piano models that might work best for you.
Your patience and diligence will pay off drastically if you approach this purchase as an educated buyer. Play lots of pianos, ask lots of questions, and reach out to professionals in the trade to help confirm and validate the piano that is right for you.
I hope you have found some of this information useful for your “new” used piano search. If you have any questions about the pianos in our inventory, or need a second opinion about a piano you’re interested in, feel free to reach out!
- Aaron Firpo
Owner,
Aaron Buys Pianos
Aaron@AaronBuysPianos.com
206-556-5712