Questions to ask when buying a piano

No matter what piano you buy you will be making a significant investment.  So it is a good idea to arm yourself with good information before making a purchase of this size.

There is a rather "difficult" process to follow and a lot of education has to happen. Admittedly, most people don't even want to know all the in’s and out’s of buying a piano but are forced to educate themselves.  There are really 4 main questions have to be answered:

1. Acoustic or digital piano?
2. Upright or grand piano?
3. What size of piano?
4. What brand name?
5. New or used piano?

Acoustic or digital piano?

First: The initial cost of an acoustic piano is more than an electronic piano, however, after five years, your acoustic piano will be worth more money, and the value of an electronic piano will have depreciated to almost nothing.

Second: Children require the touch and sound of a real piano. Their brains are like sponges and they grow accustomed to whatever they are presented with. This means that they will begin to expect the lightly weighted artificial feel of an electronic piano, and when it comes time to complete Royal Conservatory examinations, they will have a very hard time adapting.

Upright or grand piano?

Upright piano advantages:

• Takes up less space, lower cost, easier to move.

Upright piano disadvantages:

• Musical expression is more difficult, action is not so advanced, repetition is slower, keys are shorter than on grand pianos (except the new Mason & Hamlin model 50), cabinet is less elegant.

Grand piano advantages:

• Sounds better, more controlled musical expression, better and quicker action, longer keys, aesthetically pleasing, easier to position because it looks good from every angle.

Grand piano disadvantages:

• Takes up more space, higher cost, harder to move.

What size of piano?

The answer is quite simple.  The longer the string, the better the sound.

Upright pianos:

• In the professional piano world anything under 48" high is not considered a professional sounding piano.

Grand pianos:

• Anything under 5'5" is not considered a good sounding grand piano. It seems the "break" for a good sound is a certain string length that cannot be had under 5'5".

When shopping for a grand piano it is good to know the sizes and the "insider" terms.

What brand name?

There is a lot of confusion out there regarding this subject. We can help only by giving you our own experiences and our suggestions (from best to worst)

• American made pianos such as Mason & Hamlin, Steinway & Sons are no. 1 choice
• German made pianos such as Seiler, Bosendorfer and Bechstein are no. 2 choice
• Japanese made pianos such as Yamaha and Kawai are no. 3 choice
• Korean and Chinese made pianos such as Pearl River,  Young Chang and Samick are no. 4 choice

New or used piano?

Most often a new piano of a good quality is priced at a level that makes most people uncomfortable. The reason is simple; does my child deserve such a huge investment? This is a very valid question and you as a customer must realize there is nothing wrong with a good used piano. The advantages are great, namely a used piano or used grand piano should be half the price of a new one, the wood on used pianos is already matured so the piano should be very consistant. If you purchase from a good  dealer like us you will find a used piano with a warranty equal to a new piano.