5 things to look for when purchasing a used piano
Are you looking to add a piano to your home? We understand that pianos are an expensive instrument, more so if they are brand new. Living in NYC, you’ll come across MANY giveaway / ridiculously low-priced pianos on craigslist, facebook marketplace, and classified ads. But how do you know they are worth the purchase or costs in moving the piano? Firstly, we recommend hiring a piano technician to look over any used piano you are purchasing. Pianos sold at stores go through a rebuilding/refurbishment process before being sold and come with a warranty for peace of mind. Here are few tips when purchasing a used piano from a piano store or from a private seller.
Most pianos that are listed on classified as private sales are over 50years old. Every piano comes with a serial number, which shows when the piano was built, much like the serial numbers of a car or electronic devices. http://www.bluebookofpianos.com/pianoage.html lists many brands and years of make that could come in handy. Does age matter? Yes. Unlike some instruments, a piano requires refurbishment every 20years or so to keep it in shape. This is where private sales become an issue. Most pianos that are sold privately haven’t gone through a refurbishment process (that costs anywhere from $500-$2000). When purchasing from piano stores, make sure you ask when the piano was refurbished. Used pianos go through a refurbishment process to be sold at piano stores and come with a warranty.
An acoustic piano has 88 hammers inside for each note on the keyboard. The hammers hit the strings (designated to each key) to produce sound. The hammers are covered in tightly wound felt that deteriorates and establishes deep grooves over time, from continuously hitting the metal strings.
There are several options when this happens- if the hammers aren’t too deteriorated, the felt can be shaved down to create a smooth surface. If the hammers are very deteriorated, the felt will need replacing which can get costly. Open the piano lid and take a look inside at the hammers to see if they are worn-out or in good shape. The felt is not all, there are thousands of parts that make up the hammer action of a piano that may need to be replaced.
The steel strings in the piano (3 strings per note for 2/3 of the piano, 2 strings per note for a handful, and 1 thick string in the bass) rust over time. There are several factors that contribute to the rust: water/humidity damage, or bare fingers touching the string. If the strings are rusted, it’s only a matter of time before they will break one-by-one, whether it’s while you are playing or when a piano technician is tuning your piano. Like hammers, replacing strings can get costly- not only due to the cost of strings and work by a piano technician to install them, but when a new string is installed the instrument will require several visits in order to keep the strings from going out of tune.
The soundboard, a big slab of wood in the back of an upright piano, or on the bottom of a grand piano, is the heart of the instrument. The soundboard amplifies lower-frequency sounds and cuts off the higher-frequencies. Made of spruce (most often the Alaskan spruce), this particular material effectively absorbs the higher overtones and transmits round/rich sounds.
If the piano was not taken care of well by a private seller, or exposed to drastic humidity changes, the soundboard often cracks- the biggest fear of all piano lovers and technicians.
When checking the piano, ensure that the soundboard is in good condition as replacing a soundboard can be the most costly.
All acoustic pianos consist of a pinblock that holds about 224 tuning pins. The pinblock, usually a piece of laminated wood is extremely important as it tensions the strings.
The problem with older pianos is that the pinblocks wear down over time and with humidity fluctuations, and the pins break loose. In other words, the piano can slip out of tune immediately or become worse than before. Replacing a pinblock involves taking the piano apart AND replacement of all the strings- and again, can get extremely costly.
