(Click here to Jump to the list of my top 5 picks)

If you, or one of your children have recently expressed an interest in learning to play piano, you may have found yourself looking into purchasing one. The upright piano is a great way to go for beginners. Determining which brand, model, and style that would work best for you can be quite the task. Upon some research you will quickly find that upright pianos can range in price from $0 to tens of thousands of dollars, and can range anywhere from 36’ tall to over 50” tall. They can be purchased brand new, or used ranging from just a few years old to over a hundred years old.

When determining the best upright piano for you, there are several factors to consider, and unfortunately many of them are subjective and will somewhat depend on the personal taste of the player. That being said, there’s not really one brand or model that is best for all beginning players across the board. However, there are a few brands I have found that satisfy the majority of beginner to intermediate players. These brands have also proven to be the best value in providing quality, reliability, tone and touch. I have also found the brands to best hold their value which will hopefully give you some confidence in your purchase.

How much does a beginner upright piano cost?

In my years in piano sales, I think the most common concern I’ve heard from customers has been, “we don’t want to spend too much money just in case they (or I) don’t stick with it.”. Budget greatly factors into the buying decision, and just how much of a budget to allocate it is a bit of a balancing act. Within reason, my opinion is that buying a quality piano of a meaningful monetary sum will not only provide a better playing experience, but will also (hopefully) commit the player to practicing so that the purchase is justified.

Subsequently, you also don’t want to spend so much that you end up with way more piano than you need.
A helpful analogy might be that if you aspire to one day compete in long distance bicycle races, a huffy is probably not the best bike to train on, reversely, you probably don’t need to drop thousands on the latest and greatest components, carbon fiber frame etc right off the bat.

Everyone’s budget is different, but for the sake of this article, I am going to frame this scenario around a budget of $2,000 - $10,000. There are pianos that cost significantly more or less outside of this budget, but this price range will provide a wide range of quality options to the prospective buyer.

So, What are the best upright pianos to buy for a beginner?

Listing pianos that are “the best” very much depends on the players’ preference in tone and feel. Even the least experienced players will be able to determine the difference in sound and touch between models and determine which piano feels best to them. In my experience, the right piano just sort of feels right somehow.

These are my top 5 picks of piano manufacturers that will best suit beginning and intermediate players.

#1 Yamaha

Really, almost any model is great.
Most notably the U series, the P22, and the M series.
AS with most manufacturers, Yamaha owns factories around the world.
However, the quality is top notch for the price whether it is made in Japan, or Indonesia.

#2 Kawai

Also, almost any model will work great.
The K series, and the UST series are favorites of mine.
This is a tried and true manufacturer that gives Yamaha a run for their money.

#3 Boston

The Boston brand of pianos is a sub brand of Steinway & Sons.
Steinway commissoned Kawai (Japan) to produce this line of pianos for them.
I have found this to be a great marriage. You get the classic Steinway design, but with the Japanese precision of Kawai's production.
Their upright pianos in my opinion are very nice across board.
I would recommend any of the UP series 118-132.

#4 Essex

Another subsidiary of Steinway & Sons manufactured out of country to accomodate
a more approachable price point for the beginner and intermediate player
I have found the EUP models to play and sound very nicely, and they are very well built.
I would recommend any of the EUP models 10yrs old and newer.

#5 Young Chang
(Pramberger Series)

There are some tough words about Young Chang online.
However, the Pramberger series that Young Chang produced were highly priaised pianos.
Designed by former Steinway & Sons designer, Joseph Pramberger, the line of pianos he produced
for Young Chang are a cut above. I would confidently recommend any of Young Chang's upright Pramberger series models.
- The Pramburger name was later sold, and went on to be manufactured by other companies, and are of lesser quality in my opinion. The Pramburger series produced by Young Chang are a great option. Again, be sure you are looking at Young Chang pianos in the Pramberger series, not pianos that are Pramburger branded pianos.

There are hundreds of other piano manufacturers I could have referenced here, but these manufacturers in the $2,000 - $10,000 price range are in my experience, are most likely to provide a great tone, performance, and will provide the most value.

How long do pianos last?

What is the oldest used upright piano I should consider? This is pretty situational, but in general I personally seek to purchase pianos that are from the 1990s and newer. Typically pianos from that time span (if well kept) have plenty of life left in them. They are less likely to have tuning stability issues or problematic mechanical issues. The brands listed above that are from the 1990s and newer will likely have 20+ years of playing left in them if they are regularly serviced.
- It’s worth noting here that there have been occasions that I have come across Yamaha and Kawai pianos from the 1970s that have survived in exceptional condition and still sounded and played wonderfully.

What should I look for when purchasing a piano from a private party?

In my opinion one of the most valuable things you can do should you choose to purchase a piano from a private party, is to have the piano evaluated by a seasoned piano technician / tuner. There are several elements I inspect before purchasing pianos for our store. These elements are very hard to distinguish unless you have been trained in the trade. Contracting a non-biased (i.e. not a piano store employee) will prevent a lot of potential heart ache should the piano tuner find condition issues after the piano has been paid for and moved to your home.

To sum everything up, you get what you pay for, and you will only cry once when you decide to buy quality.
When searching for your new or used piano, play many, research much, and ask questions. I hope this article has been informative and helped steer you in the right direction in your piano buying journey. Here at Seattle Piano Company we specialize in selling used pianos that have been masterfully refurbished in house to look and play like new. Our goal is to provide you a piano that you will love at a price that is significantly less than purchasing a piano brand new.
Aaron Firpo,
Seattle piano Company