Used Pianos - Separating the Good from the Bad

In the majority of cases, any used piano that is actually purchased will look reasonably good and play reasonably well if the buyer gets a technician to look at it first and the price agreed.

What Factors to Consider

• In this world the bottom line in life seems to be money. So if the piano looks ok and sounds alright, the decision to be made is simple. How much should anyone pay for a used piano? The answer is to shop around and take the average.

• People looking to buy a used piano usually consider a combination of three issues. Will it stand the test of time as a good long-term musical instrument; will it look good in the home as an acceptable piece of furniture; and is the price right?

The Technician

• Just behind the wonderful woodwork of a used piano is a complex mechanical system controlled by eighty-eight keys and the ability to separate the good from the bad used piano lies firmly in the experience of a piano technician.

• As the mechanism begins to wear out, replacement parts can be very expensive. The older the piano, the more chance of it behaving like an old car. It invariably behaves inconsistently to the touch, meaning that the keys played respond differently by needing different amounts of pressure, introducing inconsistent noises. This is because the strings in a piano create a lot of stress causing the soundboards, bridges and pin-blocks to wear out in much the same way a car depreciating in age does naturally. All used pianos are in some stage of this process.

• Just as no one should buy a car without looking under the hood, buying a used piano and separating the the good from the bad requires a fair price and an eagle-eyed technician.