electric or upright piano

[Ksandra]

Hey everyone,

So, we finally live in a place where I can have a piano again. I am debating on whether I should do an 88 key weighted electric piano or an upright. (Don't have room for a baby grand.)

Part of me feels like an upright will always sound better, and I should be able to find one for free. Downside is it is going to go on our stairs landing (it's really huge), so the costs of movers to get it up there and a tuner may make this super expensive.

Electrics don't sound as real to me, but I could probably spend less on a really nice one that is weighted with a pedal than I would paying for movers.

Thoughts?

I am not a great player, but I enjoy it thoroughly, and I am good enough to save us a little money teaching my kids the basics rather than paying for lessons. (With the cost of lessons nowadays, it wouldn't take long for the piano to pay for itself. @.@

I know shit about electric piano brands/models so if that is the route people think I should go, I'd love suggestions on what to get.

I won't be able to get it until our tax refund this year, but I have it on my mind as we are visiting in-laws and fil just got a keyboard. I spent an hour learning "Let it Go" for my kids. XD

[arus2001]

If you're pretty confident you'll stay in your home, I'd say to go with the upright. Should your kids wind up taking an interest and possibly even go onto recitals, it'll also be more beneficial than an electric. Also won't disagree that electrics do sound different, but I'd chalk that up to the likely poor quality of speakers. On the other hand, if you have a sound system, you could occasionally feed it to that and probably get a more accurate sound.

Edit: And when it comes to movers, do you have access to a truck of your own that it could loaded onto? If you think the cost would be bad, if your school has a football team or something you could even try to recruit some helpers in exchange for some pizza or whatever.

[BaneTheBrawler]

Tuning runs around $400-600. I know you know it's expensive, but this is a regular expense you'll have. Add onto that other kinds of maintenance (taking care of the wood and strings and whatnot). If you can afford it, I think the upright would be more fun. Thing is, do you really want to spend a TON of money on it, based on how often you'll use it? If the answer is "yes" then go for it. If it's not, get the electric.

[synistar]

Of the electrics I have heard on Twitch, they sound comparable to an upright. Aim towards used on those since something like a Yamaha P-115 runs $600 on amazon, and that's geared towards enthusiasts that want quality but don't want to break the bank with the P-255 model ($1300 + tax)

[Ksandra]

Tuning runs around $400-600. I know you know it's expensive, but this is a regular expense you'll have. Add onto that other kinds of maintenance (taking care of the wood and strings and whatnot). If you can afford it, I think the upright would be more fun. Thing is, do you really want to spend a TON of money on it, based on how often you'll use it? If the answer is "yes" then go for it. If it's not, get the electric.

I have never heard of tuning that high for an upright. They are usually $100-$200.


My biggest concern is the moving, and I'll try to call around for estimates.

[BaneTheBrawler]

Guess it depends on how many people have pianos near you. Apparently there aren't many around here.

[SephYuyX]

Yeah, i've never paid anywhere but a little past 100$ for a tune :E

[kuronosan]

Upright, and tuning isn't expensive.

[Brill Weave]

Pianos are for fucking losers that can't play a keytar.

[Zetanio]

[Silenka]

Definitely upright. I have a really nice full weighted (electric) Privia that I never play - well, it's no longer with me in my current location either. But even when I had it around something just felt so false about striking the keys, despite its attempt to emulate an actual piano. It's certainly serviceable and it can do a lot of things regular pianos can't, such as a built in way to record the songs you play straight from input, play music itself and sound like not a piano, of course, but I don't think anything can replace the true sound and feel of a real piano, especially for someone who is learning.

[Ksandra]

Aight upright it is. Gonna take me a bit to find the one I like. Thanks guys!

[kuronosan]

Steinway or gtfo

[SephYuyX]

Aight upright it is. Gonna take me a bit to find the one I like. Thanks guys!

Craigslist - used to be a ton of "free if you pay for moving".

[Yuri-G]

Aw. I was gonna vote electric. So much easier to move around, cheaper, and the sound quality can be pretty good. Plus lots of fun toys (like different sounds and the ability to record what you play), and you can also moderate the volume very easily as well as wear headphones (if someone is sleeping, for example).

I looooooooove my Yamaha <3 but I understand the desire for an upright. Ideally I'd want both.

Well. Ideally I'd want a $100k grand.

[Celebrindor]

Went to a Steinway school, of course that's the way to go. But Baldwin, Yamaha both make excellent uprights. I grew up on an upright Weber actually- wasn't performance quality but served me well.

If you're looking new, and buying local, shipping/delivery is often included. I'm now in the business of instrument repair, and let me tell you, setting up that initial relationship with a local piano shop can be invaluable- you'll probably score a lifetime cheaper rate on tuning and maintenance as well!

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

[Ksandra]

Craigslist - used to be a ton of "free if you pay for moving".

Yeah that's what I plan to do. But I want to find the look I like.

[Sepukku]

I have no recommendation cause ive played nothing but electric, but I did Piano Labs up through high school and plan on getting a piano of my own one day once discretionary spending allows. Just wanted to say rock on and enjoy your selection no matter what you pick.