Purchasing a Grand Piano.

[zeal5050]

Just wondering if any fellow BGers have experience purchasing a grand piano. I'm interested in picking up a middle range used/reconditioned grand. Looking for input on manufacturer, size, year, price. I currently own a Yamaha 88-key Electronic Keyboard, but I wanted something more substantial, real sound, real action etc. My price range is flexible, with a cap of around $20,000. The room it will be situated in is approximately 16'x30'.

I've been searching classifieds/craigslist but the selection in my area is limited.


Any information would be helpful, and greatly apreciated.

[Boyiee]

Considering the occupy wallstreet thread is 180 pages long, I'm not too sure you're going to get much advice on a $20,000 piece of furniture for your mansion.

[Tyche]

If his livelihood relies on music, $20,000 for a grand piano isn't an egregious purchase.

[zeal5050]

Considering the occupy wallstreet thread is 180 pages long, I'm not too sure you're going to get much advice on a $20,000 piece of furniture for your mansion.

Considering the plight of the children in the Horn of Africa, the fact that you ate lunch today is appalling.

[zeal5050]

Just kidding! more piano talk okay! :D

[Ksandra]

I would say if you really want to put down on a nice piano like you said, I'd avoid craigslist. Rather, go to a piano store and test out a bunch of nice ones around your price range. If anything, that will let you compare sound/feel between brands.

[Seanr]

Although BG has a lot of folks with vast knowledge in many areas, why not check out a grand piano type forum, do some more research there. I'm sure they a forum for that shit, there's a forum for everything

[kuronosan]

When it comes to buying used, you want to know three things:

1) Who made it.
2) What condition the body is in
3) How much work it needs

If the frame and soundboard are in great condition, everything else is just like fixing up a car. Get the keys tuned, get the body refinished, and get the hammers reweighted/touched up and you should be good to go, regardless of where you got it.

The next most important thing is testing it and making sure it sounds like it can be worked on. If the keys are out of tune that's easy enough to fix. The hammers and keys can be worked on, so their condition isn't nearly as important.

Basically, so that I don't ramble, the most important part is making sure the soundboard is good and intact (it's what the keys and strings are tied to, similar to the body of a guitar or a harp). If it isn't, move on to the next.

Brand is all a matter of opinion. Baldwins and Steinways are great but tend to be expensive. Yamaha tends to be cheaper but it tends to have a less rich sound.

edit: Also, price is relative to brand and type. If you want a baby grand, expect to pay anywhere from $600-3000. For a full grand, you'll pay at least $5000 for anything worthwhile. Just pay attention to the condition of the soundboard and be prepared to put money into it.

[drwaffles]

It really is just a case of finding a piano that feels good under your fingers and sounds good. The obvious choice would be a Steinway that falls into your price range; I'm sure you could find a decent-sized reconditioned Steinway baby grand for around $20,000 if you look hard enough. If not, you could always look at models like Bechstein (a sort of early Steinway incarnation), but as I said the main thing to consider is how comfortable you are playing it.

When I was 13 my family bought a good-sized reconditioned Broadwood grand (very old London-based manufacturer) for under your quoted cap. It's a gorgeous instrument with a great sound (sadly it now sits largely un-played in my dad's house ), however I wouldn't recommend it for someone who isn't in possession of or looking to develop a strong technique as the action makes it comparatively difficult to play. Again, it all comes down to what you want out of the instrument .

[zeal5050]

Thanks, all. Lots of info to keep in mind. Any opinion on German vs. American made pianos? Or is it all personal preference?

[Tekki]

My brother went through 2 craigslist pianos before finally putting serious money into one from a shop

[bechyni]

http://www.steinway.com/

Use this site. They have pretty much the best piano I have ever played on (we use them at our school of music). This site has a pretty good guide for what to look for when buying a piano as well.

[zeal5050]

This site has a pretty good guide for what to look for when buying a piano as well.

Fantastic, just what I was looking for. Thanks.

[Despain]

$20,000. For a piano?

...

[zeal5050]

$20,000. For a piano?

...

Hate to break it to you, but $20,000 is below mid range for a decent grand piano. It's not uncommon for pianists to pay upwards of $70,000 for a grand piano. Many of them are hand made by skilled artisans. I think Steinway only makes 1500 pianos a year? For me, it's worth the money. If you heard the difference in person, I think you would agree.

[drwaffles]

$20,000. For a piano?

...

The difference in sound quality between a good-quality Steinway/Boston/Bechstein/Bosendorfer/Broadwood/whatever grand and a bog-standard Yamaha upright (to give an example that many will be familiar with) is absolutely enormous. That said, you obviously have to be very serious about playing if you're going to spend the money. Either that or very rich, but no one cares about people who buy a fantastic instrument just to have it sit unused in their lounge.

[Kaylia]

Before you get a grand piano, make sure it's what you are looking for. If you place one in a room with shitty acoustic, it might end up sounding worse than a cheap piano in another corner of the same room. Lot of people seem to think that buying great instrument is going to turn your house in a concert hall, but that's rarely really the case.


Secondly, if you plan to move in the close future, you might want to delay that purchase a little, because its a pain in the ass. I'm assuming you have a lot of money already if you're willing to spend that, but its still something you might want to consider.

If you got the money, the room, and you're actually planning to play it, then good luck. I have no clue where I would go to get the best deal on one.

[Despain]

I actually appreciate the explanation... I'd never pay that much for a piano, but then again, I'm not a pianist >_>'

[SephYuyX]

This is your first real piano.

Even if you know a great deal about them I would avoid diving in head first with even a below mid range piano without first owning one where you dont have to dump a lot of money in to it.

Finding the right piano isnt always about "what best company makes what bestest ever piano". Pianos very greatly between manufacturers, years made, brands, etc, no one is ever made alike, etcetc.

While one person will love x make/brand, you may hate how it sounds personally.


This is not an easy decision to make, especially one of this calibur.
My recommendation is to buy one of the pianos on craigslist.
You can honestly find some decent quality ones for "free, but you pay for moving" and sub $1k.

If this is really your first time owning a physical piano, let alone a grand piano, it's best if you find a junker so you at least get the feel of it first, so that you can make a more of actual buying decision. You may even be ok with buying a cheaper older large upright piano.

Once you have that piano, get the feel for it, do some research on what kind of tones, vibrations, sounds, etc you want. Make a lot of trips to different music stores, check out all the different brands/models and see which you like best. Find some piano concerts and see if any of those suit you.


Honestly though, the worst thing you want to do right now is jump in $20k deep without have a VERY firm grasp of what you want. Buy a cheapy, then find what you really want, and then go above and beyond $20k. If youre real serious about wanting a real piano, dont both with middle of the road, go for the top.

[solanis]

make sure you factor in the cost of transportation and the internal humidifier system, as well as the cost of refurbishing if you buy a used piano. the above poster is correct in that you should definitely get to know various different pianos in person before you make an investment. idk if 20k is a lot of money to you, but to most people on these forums it's more money than they'll ever have to spend on a single item.