Toronto Piano Tuning by Jamie Musselwhite

Buying a Piano

The best piece of advice that anyone can give you before you shop for a new piano is: Prequalify yourself first! Know what you want, based on what you need the piano for, and know how much you are prepared to spend.

Few people would buy a car without having some prior experience in cars. You would also test-drive it, and perhaps have it safety checked. Many people also research possible choices, read a "Lemon-Aid" guide, or talk with friends who own the model you are interested in. Buying a piano should be approached in the same way.

There are however, major differences between a car and a piano. A car has a limited useable lifetime, whereas a piano can last for over a century, passed down from generation to generation. A car loses a substantial amount of its value the moment you drive it off the lot, a Piano holds, and in some cases, increases in value. Therefore, buy the best instrument you can afford, and take care of it. Someday, your great-grandchildren may play it and think of you.

It is an unfortunate reality that today; the market is flooded with cheap instruments that are a detriment to the budding artist, while decent pianos are out of reach of the ones that need them.

Personally, I would like to see more good old uprights rebuilt and put in the hands of future pianists, and all new pianos built to a high quality level. But this isn't going to happen. People will continue to buy what they are buying, dealers will to continue to sell what people want, and children will continue to struggle with instruments that do not permit them to learn. To suggest a change to this system would be as anarchistic and as futile as suggesting communism to die-hard capitalists.

Realistically, I can only suggest five things to the prospective first-time piano buyer:

1. Purchase the very best piano you can afford from a reputable dealer that has the facilities to honor their offered warranty. (See below!)

2. Make sure that your new piano is properly serviced* before delivery.

3. Have your piano tuned TWICE a year.

4. Be attentive and involved with your children as they learn.

5. Be willing to reward their progress into the higher levels with an instrument that is suitable for their ability.

Every piano should be receive some level of service by a dealer before it is delivered to you. This "Pre-Delivery Service" should ensure that the piano has no correctable faults, and plays the way the builder intended. Even new pianos need some adjustment!
Take a look at this article from the Toronto Star.

Allow me to elucidate. It is safe to assume that the more money you spend, the better value you will receive. It is my observation that too often, a family buys low because they are unsure as to whether or not their children will stay with the piano. The result of this is that children play on their teacher's piano at their lesson, and then practice on a piano, which sounds and feels very different at home. They become frustrated with this incongruity and become discouraged. The parents are then saddled with a piece of furniture, and find it difficult to get their money back. If a decent piano had been purchased in the first place, it may be that their children would have found the practicing easier. If the piano did end up being unused, it would at least have a decent resale value. To avoid being saddled with an unused musical piece of furniture, follow the above rules, and find a dealer that will buy-back the piano. Buy-Back? Yes, a few dealers will offer this option. Ask your dealer if they will, if they believe in their product, they probably will.

Need more information? Here's another article from the Toronto Star. It has some very good advice for the piano buyer.

How can you tell if you are dealing with a reputable dealer?

1. A new pianos' warranty should be included with the invoice, and the dealer should state in writing that they are prepared to carry out warranty repairs themselves without a third party, and without you having to pay any money out yourself. (Some dealers ask you to pay for warranty repairs, and then for you to try to collect from the manufactuer directly.)

2. A used piano should come with a warranty, be clean inside, and in-tune before it is delivered. Any repairs that have be done to the piano should be inspected by you before delivery.

3. Be very wary of "hole-in-the-wall" dealers who only carry used pianos, or new pianos with unknown names. A sure-fire sign is to ask where the pianos come from. If they say they have a supplier, or that they recieve a "truck-load" every few months, run away and don't look back.

I can't stress too much the fact that it is all too common for me to see pianos that should never have been re-sold, and repairs that are un-professional and counter-productive.

Important rules to know before you buy a used piano:

It should be clean inside.
The hammers shouldn't be grooved where they hit the strings.
If the hammers are new, they should be perfectly aligned and evenly spaced.
The black keys should not be worn down so that they are rounded, and you should see a tiny flat edge at their front edge, just above and perpendicular to the white keys.
The white keys should be straight and even (look along their tops from the side of the piano at eye-level)
When you play the keys, there should be no clicks or buzzes, especially in the bass section.
Play a handful of white keys quietly and then quickly lift your hand. There shouldn't be any clicking noises. (small "thumps" are normal)
The tone should be even, and the piano in-tune.
Ideally, it should be a recognizable name. (This is important if you want to re-sell it in the future.)

Please remember the following:

It is extremely rare for an old piano to be valuable. Pianos are not "collectible" items. "Antique" is usually a dirty word. Pianos changed greatly after the First World War, and it is highly unlikely that any used pianos made before 1917 would be a good buy. Even if they have been restored, most of these old pianos have limited value as musical instruments.

The words "Refurbished", "Reconditioned", "Rebuilt", and "Restored" are used very loosely by sellers, but have specific meanings to a qualified technician:

"Refurbished and Reconditioned" are words used to describe a piano that has been repaired to a sellable (and playable) condition. This usually means that the piano has been cleaned, regulated, and tuned, and any broken parts repaired.

"Rebuilt" means the above, plus all worn parts replaced with new parts - including Strings, Tuning Pins, Hammers, Dampers etc.

"Restored" means that the piano has been restored to like new condition in every way.

If any of these phrases have been used by a seller to describe a piano that fail any of the nine above rules, it is a sign that you should walk away, and look somewhere else.

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