Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum FAQ - Piano Forum Assistance please! Need to purchase a piano

Hello,
I have 3 children that play. My eldest loves the piano and is getting quite good. Unfortunately for them I still have my upright Yamaha from the very early 80s. While it was fine for a while, I feel the eldest needs an upgrade. She is getting frustrated with practicing on our piano and then playing on the teachers piano.

Can someone give me an idea of what route to take? I can not afford a new baby grand, so it would have to be used. There are so many manufacturers. After my reading I think I have narrowed it down to Yamaha, Kawai and Kohler, Knabe, but not at all wedded to these!

IF anyone could please give me some direction on what pianos to look at, model years that would be ok, or any other info, I would appreciate it. I have heard nothing older than 20 years, then I have heard nothing older than 50 years. I have heard only buy from a piano store and I have heard a private owner is great too. I really don't know where to start and I would really like to get my eldest a piano.

I can go to about 5'5" and probably no more than $7000.00

Thank you in advance!
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Hi Ken, your daughter is very fortunate that you are taking her musical education so seriously. I was similarly fed up with my old digital back in the day. It was so discouraging to practice at home then feel totally off when playing on real pianos that I eventually quit before returning ten years later.

In my opinion you should not think too much about particular brands or models to look at. There are so many that, like me, you might get more confused before you find clarity. The budget will be a more appropriate filter.

First off, I recommend taking your kids to visit some local piano showrooms that offer used pianos. Not only is it a real treat for anyone who loves piano, you will be able to see the price point to expect and be able to compare many pianos side by side. Some dealers have instruments in your price range and if you can find something there then that would be the best low-headache option. There are many great dealers in your area so try calling some and explaining your interests and budget. If they have anything in stock that works in your budget they will be happy to have your business. If what they have available doesn't sound/feel good enough, try asking if they can service it beforehand to get it better, just be specific with pointing out exactly what you don't like. If it is a "feature" of the piano, like maybe you don't like the overall key weight or all the keys feel "slow", then there's no helping that because it would involve adjusting the entire action. However if it's just one sticky key or a rattle, it's possible to easily fix. Dealers are interested in improving their inventory marketability and if it's something simple that will sell them a piano, they will definitely do it.

There are more options in the private market, however you will have to put in some legwork to find the best fit instrument and there might be more service costs later down the line. If you have not already, I suggest reading up on what to look for when buying an old piano. These signs tell you whether the piano is in truly good condition or if there are red flags that could cause problems down the line. There isn't really anything unfixable for pianos, the only question is whether it's worth the cost. If the Deer Park in your location is in NY, then there are many low price old grands from private sellers in your vicinity (pianomart) that you might want to check out. It is hard to tell whether a piano is good or not just by price and photos; you must play them. The absolute age is not as important as the piano's environment and past usage, but checking them in order of reverse age is not a bad start. You should take your daughter along when piano shopping so she can test the actions. Basically if it sounds in tune and feels good to her, ie comparable to her teacher's piano, it's fine. Anything else would require some servicing from a technician which will incur additional costs and make the piano out of budget. Don't forget to factor the moving cost as well.

Since the budget is low (for a piano), the objective would be to get the most value out of what you can get as long as possible and not worry about things like resale value or getting/keeping it in perfect playing condition. It is not the dream piano (though the chance is not zero!), it is the used car you buy to get your kids their licenses.

Apologies for rambling on so long, I just really like pianos. I hope you find something helpful in this essay!

HI,
Thanks for your time! We have gone to 2 different piano stores and found it completely overwhelming. I thought it was worse than being a woman and trying to go car shopping alone! They focused so much on the look of the piano and if it would fit my decor. While I would like it to look lovely in the house, I want to get my kids a good piano to play! We will try again...maybe this weekend.

Thanks again!

Hi Ken,
First of all, welcome! And I recommend that you re-post this in the main PIANO forum (not FAQ). You will get a lot more traffic there, and people will definitely offer you a lot of advice.
I think that with the combination of your size and budget, you have considerable constraints and parameters in terms of what to look at. This should narrow the range of possibilities considerably.

Regarding feeling overwhelmed, I would encourage that you start the process in a learning mode and not feel like this stage is about arriving at a purchasing decision. Rather, the initial stage is about learning about pianos and defining what your daughter likes more and less about different pianos. Take lots of notes, and try to see what patterns emerge. What does she like (or not like) about the action and the tone of different pianos? I think this will help to narrow the options and better define the pianos that you are looking for. This may take some of the stress out of it and may make the process more enjoyable. I would try to make it clear to the salesperson that you are interested in an instrument for your daughter to play, not in a piece of furniture.

Generally speaking, pianos smaller than your upper range can have significant compromises in terms of tone, so if possible, I’d be looking most closely at 5’4”/5’5” pianos. But there are always exceptions, and each piano must be judged on its own merits!

I would also consider the following: your Yamaha may have some trade in value that could potentially increase your budget a little bit. It may be doing a bit of research to try to figure out what you can expect to get for it. If you ask this question in the Piano forum, you will certainly get opinions (but please provide the model and some information about the condition of the piano—and restate the age).

Here is one more thought: if your piano has never undergone a regulation, it is possible that this could considerably improve its playability. On the other hand, it’s 40 years old and may be quite played out. However, it may be worth inquiring of your tech whether he/she believes a regulation would significantly improve the playing experience. If you are very set on a grand piano, I don’t think I’d bother with this, it’s just something to consider if you’re not sure about getting a grand piano.

I hope this helps! And again, I would encourage you to post to the main Piano forum. Good luck!