What should I look for when buying a piano

What should I look for when buying a piano?

Are you looking for a piano for a beginning student? Remember: the newest student needs the piano that plays and sounds best. If you get an old clunker from somebody's basement, don't be surprised if your child gives up trying to make music on it.

With that said....

The easiest way to buy a piano is to go to a reputable music store and try out all their pianos. If you don't play, take along a friend who does. If you can't find anyone to go with you, ask the salesperson to play any and all of the pianos that might be of interest to you. If they won't do that, go to another store.

Music stores are almost always more expensive than private sales -- they have to be, to pay their staff and the electric bill. But when you buy a piano privately, you don't get a warranty and can't take it back, so you have to know you're getting something good.

The best way to do that is to take your piano technician with you to check out the piano. I gladly do that for my customers, because I want them to get the best piano they can afford.

If your tech can't or won't go with you, find out who has been working on the piano for its current owners, and talk to that person. The owners don't remember who tuned it last? They haven't had it tuned "for a while"? Ah, well now you know something very important about the piano you're thinking about buying: it has not been maintained properly.

That might not be the kiss of death, although it should make you much more cautious. Some pianos are so well-made that they can survive abuse and neglect. Others can't. So now you need to know how to tell the difference.

Here are some basic things to listen, look, and feel for when inspecting a used piano:

Feel the hammers for softness (if they feel dry and hard, the sound will be thin and bright) and look for wear. If the grooves are more than 1/8" deep, they can't be reshaped very successfully.

If there are no grooves in the hammer (if the strike point is flat and looks as though it has been shaved off), the hammer flange pin is probably loose and needs to be repaired.

Do the hammers look as though little bits of them are missing? Are there holes in the felt? If so, the piano has been home to moths at some time.

Watch for wobbles/bobbles in the hammers when playing softly. Not a good sign.

Listen for clicks and buzzes while playing at a moderately loud volume. Clicks can indicate loose glue joints in action parts. Buzzes can point to separated soundboard ribs (check the glue joints along the ribs).

Can the piano be played softly and consistently, or do some notes not play at low volume? If not, it requires regulation.

As you play from one end to the other, is the tone quality pretty consistent? That's what you want!

Is the tuning pretty consistent from one end to the other? Are the octaves tolerable? (Play the same note in four different octaves simultaneously to really check that.) Are there many notes that are badly out of tune with themselves?

Are any strings missing? Are the broken strings in the piano so they can be spliced back together? Reuse the old ones, if possible.

Do you hear a "zing" when you release the key? Often means that the dampers are hard and need to be reconditioned or replaced.

Can you move the keys sideways to the point that they hit each other? That indicates worn-out key bushings.

Do the wooden parts of the keys looks as though they have been chewed? Are there stains on the wood? The piano has been moused.

The Piano Technicians Guild has a webpage devoted to this kind of information, including several books and pamphlets you can buy. If you want to read more, check out

"Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding for the Professional, the Student, and the Hobbyist" by Arthur Reblitz
"The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano" by Larry Fine

(Check out "Books about Pianos...." to learn how to order these books, as well as many others.)

Larry Fine has also launched a free online database of reviews, prices, and related articles:

"What's going on in a piano?" includes more general information that will help familiarize you with the parts of a piano and how they (should) work. You can also contact me, and I'll be glad to talk to you about what to look for in a good used piano. Want me to go along? Just ask!

	Feel the hammers for softness (if they feel dry and hard, the sound will be thin and bright) and look for wear. If the grooves are more than 1/8" deep, they can't be reshaped very successfully.
	If there are no grooves in the hammer (if the strike point is flat and looks as though it has been shaved off), the hammer flange pin is probably loose and needs to be repaired.
	Do the hammers look as though little bits of them are missing? Are there holes in the felt? If so, the piano has been home to moths at some time.
	Watch for wobbles/bobbles in the hammers when playing softly. Not a good sign.
	Listen for clicks and buzzes while playing at a moderately loud volume. Clicks can indicate loose glue joints in action parts. Buzzes can point to separated soundboard ribs (check the glue joints along the ribs).
	Can the piano be played softly and consistently, or do some notes not play at low volume? If not, it requires regulation.
	As you play from one end to the other, is the tone quality pretty consistent? That's what you want!
	Is the tuning pretty consistent from one end to the other? Are the octaves tolerable? (Play the same note in four different octaves simultaneously to really check that.) Are there many notes that are badly out of tune with themselves?
	Are any strings missing? Are the broken strings in the piano so they can be spliced back together? Reuse the old ones, if possible.
	Do you hear a "zing" when you release the key? Often means that the dampers are hard and need to be reconditioned or replaced.
	Can you move the keys sideways to the point that they hit each other? That indicates worn-out key bushings.
	Do the wooden parts of the keys looks as though they have been chewed? Are there stains on the wood? The piano has been moused.

	"Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding for the Professional, the Student, and the Hobbyist" by Arthur Reblitz
	"The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano" by Larry Fine