The Six Most Important Things In Buying A Used Piano

Buying a used piano is often quite a challenge. Most first time buyers don’t have a lot of piano knowledge or expertise making it quite a daunting task. My purpose here is to give some basic guidelines that anybody can follow. 

There are six basic factors that need to be considered. Just a little knowledge of these can save you time, money, and a whole lot of headaches. 

For the person who already plays or has played at some time in the past, the first two primary factors are Touch and Tone. Touch is basically the “feel” of the keys under the fingers. It can be very easy to depress the keys (a light touch), a little more resistant than light (a medium touch), or a hard touch which is pretty much like the name says. You really have to exert some force. While the preferred touch is very much a function of personal preference, most people tend to lean towards a medium touch. It is a great touch to learn with as it helps the muscles in the fingers and hands specific to piano playing develop. For some a light touch is the only way to go. Usually players preferring a hard touch are already quite accomplished.

Tone is basically the type of sound the instrument makes. A “classical” tone is generally more mellow while a “bright” tone is usually  a bit louder and a bit more brassy or harsh. While once again a matter of personal preference, a balanced tone tries to capture a balance of both extremes. Make sure that whatever piano you may be looking at, to sit and play some notes, even if you don’t really play. See if you like the feel of the keys as you play them and listen to the quality of the sound coming out. If you don’t like either of these factors it’s time to move on to the next piano.

Style is a factor that a lot of buyers sometimes overlook. Besides being an amazing instrument a piano is also a very large piece of furniture. If you don’t like the way it looks or how it will look in your home, it’s time to move on. This is a lot more important than some people realize because if you don’t like the looks you’re going to feel that way every time you see it.

Condition is probably the single-most important thing when considering buying a pre-owned piano. There is the exterior condition consisting of the case and the key-tops and there is the interior condition. Most people are more concerned with the exterior condition of the wood but as a technician I am more concerned with the condition of the piano itself. It is usually pretty easy to open the top and to take off the front upper piece so you can look at the action (the large assembly with all the moving parts), and the strings. Look at the tuning pins and coils where the strings are wound at the top. Is there a large amount of rust and corrosion? If so this may be a red flag. Stand back and look at the action itself. Do the rows of parts look pretty straight and uniform with-out a lot of waviness? That is a good sign. If you can visually see a bit of warping this is another red flag. Play the keys and see if you detect a lot of rattling. Play some octaves (such as all the c s, or any note)  and see if they are basically in tune, ie, clearly the same note either higher or lower. If you have a semblance of octaves it is a good sign. If you find a piano you really like but it has some of these “red flags”, it’s not a bad idea to have a technician check out the piano for you.

Price is almost always a factor for most purchases of consumer goods and pianos are certainly no exception. There are so many variations and nuances to used piano prices that it’s quite hard to give any type of general rule. Generally speaking, consoles usually are more expensive than spinets, studio uprights are more expensive than consoles, and and full uprights are more expensive than studio uprights. Grands are of course the most expensive. When looking at used pianos age is often quite secondary. basically, condition is everything. Everyone with any specific questions about piano prices are certainly welcome to call me and I will always tell you everything I can. This is a free service that is always available.

Last but not least is what I would term the “Feel” you get from a piano. It is very subjective and not always a factor. Some pianos just seem to have a special “it factor” to them, whether it is touch, tone, or just how seeing or hearing it makes one feel. This is very much of an intangible and is very personal, but when it is there for you that is almost certainly the piano you should have.