Top Eight Answers to the Question, “How Do I Go About Buying a Piano?”
by Joan Schwartz

1) Should I buy a piano or a keyboard? *
Ask the teacher. When I first started tuning pianos twenty- eight years ago, most piano teachers insisted that their students play on an acoustic (real) piano. These days, teachers may have to be keyboard-tolerant if they’d like to put bread on their tables. Some teachers are perfectly happy with key- boards and more and more teachers are using keyboards themselves. * Cheap keyboards don’t have adequate pedals. If a key- board even has a pedal, it does not work like a piano’s pedal. It’s usually some funky plastic thing that looks like a computer mouse. The more expensive keyboards do have working pedals. * You want a keyboard that is touch sensitive. This doesn’t mean that the keyboard cringes when you touch it, it means that when you strike the keys with force, they’ll play loudly and when you touch them gently, they’ll play softly. The piano was originally called the Pianoforte, meaning softloud, since unlike its predecessor, the harpsichord, the piano could be played dynamically. * Pianos sound better. Unless you shell out quite a few bucks, most pianos will sound richer than most keyboards. * Pianos are beautiful. Acoustic Pianos are not only lovely sounding instruments but they are crafted pieces of furniture that can be passed from generation to generation. They become part of your home and are attractive to visitors. The disadvantage of owning a real piano is that you have to tune it, sometimes repair it and ideally regulate it periodically. * If you buy a keyboard, your poor piano tuner will be out of a job. Hey, I had to stick that one in there.

2) Should I buy a new piano or a used piano?
Buy new: Most stores give new piano buyers a manufacturers warranty (usually for 5 - 10 years), covering the major parts of the piano. I’ve found that in most cases (Murphy‘s law), the warranty won’t be needed until the day after it expires. You will usually get a free or reduced price tuning and free or reduced price moving. A new piano has to be tuned more often at first until its strings are stable. Buy used (or the classier sounding, “Pre-Owned“): There are many great used pianos on sale for way less than they’re worth. Many people don’t realize the value of their piano and may sell it for about $500 even if the piano is really worth $1,000 to even $3,000. Many of these good old pianos last longer than the pianos made today and many were made in America, which is now a rarity.
More than likely, a used piano hasn’t been tuned for years and will need 2 or 3 tunings right away. You will also have to pay for moving, any repairs and the cost of an appraisal by your tuner, which may be deducted from your first tuning. Even with these expenses, you will pay a lot less for a used piano than for a new one.
If you’re buying a used piano, you MUST have a technician check the piano. Only a tuner/technician will know if the piano is untunable or just out of tune. A skilled tuner/tech will check the pinblock, the soundboard, the bridges, the action, the pedals and the case. A badly out of tune piano may not signal a big problem and a nicely tuned piano may actually have major problems. You can’t tell this by playing it, though you might like to have someone play it to evaluate the tone and touch.

3) Should we rent a piano or buy a piano?
Most piano stores will apply a portion of your rental payments toward the cost of the piano. If within that time, you don’t make up your mind and buy it, any further payments you make will be like throwing money away. In my experience, most people do buy the rental. As far as expenses, you will probably have to put down a security deposit and you may have to pay for moving and tuning. Your option is to buy an inexpensive used piano, which you can then sell if little Han- nah decides she wants to do Zumba instead.

4) If I’m buying a used piano, should I go to a store or find one privately?
We piano teachers are usually wooed by at least one piano dealer who sends us coupons and sales fliers. If you are go- ing to go the piano store route, you may want to ask your teacher whom she/he recommends. If you buy a used piano from a store, you usually get some kind of warranty and possibly reduced price moving and tuning.
If you look for a piano privately, you may pay as much as 3/4th less but you have no recourse once you take the piano home. That’s why I reiterate, IF YOU WANT TO BUY A PIANO PRIVATELY, YOU MUST HAVE A PIANO TECHNICIAN CHECK IT OUT! I’ve saddened too many nice people telling them their new used piano isn’t tunable.

5) Should We buy a grand or an upright?

Here’s the general rule: The longer the strings, the louder the sound. Grand pianos are generally louder and usually have a heavier touch, which allows serious pianists more control over when and how a note sounds. Grand’s usually have fewer sticky keys but may take the technician longer to fix if they have to take apart the action. The upright category encompasses spinets, consoles, studios and uprights. Spinets are the smallest and most inferior as far as design. Uprights are the tallest and have a fuller sound and more responsive keys. An inexpensive spinet may be perfect for a beginner though serious players may need to eventually upgrade to a better model.
This may sound shallow but it’s important how you feel about this piece of furniture in your house. Is it going in your living room? If you buy a grand for your 6 year old an he stops playing after a year, will you kick yourself or enjoy your prized piece of furniture? Do you have room for a grand? If you buy an upright, do you have an inside wall without baseboard heating in which to place it.

6) Can you tell me some good brands to look for?
Pianos are made in China, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Russia, Europe and rarely in America but you can’t tell the origin by the name. Many German-name pianos are actually made in Korea. Some Japanese brands are partially made in America. One Russian brand sounds Chinese. Oy oy oy! To straighten out the confusion, I recommend reading The Piano Book by Larry Fine, which you can buy or pick up at your local library. I agree with most of Larry’s opinions and he even goes into Steinway models. I find most German pianos to be exquisite but costly. Many old American pianos such as Sohmer and Baldwin have pinblocks that are so strong, they last almost 100 years. Did I say that you MUST have a technician check out the piano...?

7) Where do we put the piano in our home?
I’m not a decorator but if it’s going in your living room, you might want to consider whether it matches the other woods in the room. If it’s in a busy area, it may get nicked and scratched, though a piano in plain sight may encourage students to play more.
Pianos are comfortable at humidity levels at which people are comfortable - between 35% and 55% relative humidity and ideally at about 45%. Here are some no-no’s: * No active fireplace in the room with the piano
* No baseboard heating close enough to make the piano feel warm to the touch * Not against a window * Not in an even remotely damp basement
* Not too close to the laundry room
I’m already feeling some hostile reader vibes for my comments about the fireplace and basement. Here’s what you can do to retard any deterioration (note the word retard as op- posed to the word arrest). If you MUST put the piano in a damp place, you must install a dehumidifier in the piano. They cost about $200 and up - installation included. If you MUST put the piano in too dry a place, you MUST put a humidifier in the piano or control the humidity in the room with strong humidifiers, especially during any fireplace use. As I said in my last article, I recommend piano dehumidifiers (ask your tuner) for all pianos on Long Island in houses without steady central air control.

8) So, Joan, How do I Get Started?
a) Ask your neighbors and friends if they know anyone selling a piano or if buying new, ask your teacher or tuner if she/he has any coupons or favorite reputable stores.
b) Ask your tuner or teacher if they have any favorite brands.
c) You can search online websites such as Craigslist, Back-page and any other site that has classifieds or even try your local Pennysaver.
d) If you hate the hassle of visiting people’s homes, you can stop into a piano store.
e) If you’re looking for high end pianos, your best bet is to ask your tuner for recommendations.
f) To be well-informed, borrow or buy Larry Fine’s Piano Book