Hi all, I'm looking to buy a used piano for my son. I want to keep it around $5-6 grand. I've been debating getting a grand versus a vertical. I have room for either so that's not a concern. Verticals are cheaper so I could get a better one around that range I think. Grands in that range are just okay from what I understand but I also want a furniture piece so the look of the grand is important. Any thoughts?
Be careful and have any piano you purchase get checked out by an expert. Just like cars, you can buy lemons and be stuck with them. You will also need to consider additional costs such as moving fees, maintenence fees, and tuning fees.
Get the vertical so that when your kid stops giving a crap about piano lessons around 14 or 15, it's easy to remove. I remember my parents going to H&H at San Jacinto back in '85; after perfecting Under the Bridge and Hava Nagila that thing became a mantle and TV tray.
Are you going to be moving it from Ducking Falllas to Austin?!?!? Because... Don't forget the Piano Lessons: <object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/r6skO1zrnt0?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/r6skO1zrnt0?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object> Dude, this made me LOL... woke up the missus here... :grin:
Most of this goes without saying, but open it up, look at all the strings, check the action of all the keys, and make sure the pedals do what they are supposed to. If you don't play, get someone who plays at a decent level to test it out for you; they might be able to pick up potential problems (e.g. sticky keys) and give their opinion on tone quality and key action. Just for playing around the house and practicing, it doesn't need to be a concert stage-quality instrument, but it doesn't need to have obvious problems (or be out of tune/ easily get out of tune) or else he will not want to spend much time with it.
Get a skilled man to play it, thats the only way, though everyone has their own prefered sound, how tight the keys are etc.
Why not get a really pimp out keyboard? Like the kind you see in concerts and such? They're pretty portable too. This. My dad went crazy with the piano and bought 2... my older siblings are adults and don't give 2 ****s about piano now. I hardly play. Piano lessons are a pain if you force it on your children.
I do plan to get a Registered Piano Tech to check it out for me, whether I buy it from a store or a person. I've also debated getting a digital piano since it can do things other than sound like piano. My son has a keyboard right now but it's a cheaper one with only 66 keys or so. When did you guys start lessons and for how long? Did both of you stop around your teens? My son started around 5 and he's 8 now, so roughly 3.5 years. We do make him go to lessons but we don't push him to practice 3-4 hours a day with the expectations of Julliard or anything. Only 30 minutes a day. He seems to enjoy it and was the one that requested a real piano, mainly because the keyboard is limiting him with the amount of keys it has. He says he likes the piano but who knows 7-8 years from now. However, if he can play even that long I'll count that as a win.
Since he does seem to be into it for the (semi) long haul, I would recommend a real piano over a digital. Definitely need the full size keys and keyboard, but the key action on real pianos is usually a lot tougher/ harder to press down. If he doesn't spend at least a good percentage of time on real pianos, it may be hard to get used to. But if he has access to practice on them sometime, even if not at home, it might be enough.
Thanks. He gets to play on a real piano during his weekly lessons but of course daily he only plays on the unweighted keys of his keyboard. So I do know it's important for that step up.
seems like a lot of cash for an 8 YO's piano...esp if he's not some highly focused prodigy. Our 9YO's been playing since he was about 5. We bought a yamaha digital piano -- 88 keys, fully weighted -- which works really well. I think they retail for about $2K and we bought it used for about $500. Not as funky in your living room. And maybe not as 'good' as a real piano -- though it doesn't seem any lesser to play on then his grandparent's 'real' one, and his teacher plays amazing music on it. A good digital piano, from what I'm told, should not hold him back. The pianos in his school are all digital. This isn't simply a keyboard. Advantages include: cost; space; headphones (if needed ); a few gizmos -- different sounds/playback etc -- which he likes sometimes, without the full on distraction that a keyboard's options provide. Good luck -- just some perspective from our experience.
I take what I said back if your son seems to be into it. I was forced into it early on around age 7-8. I hate anything that was forced unto me so that never caught on even until high school. You're son is going to be pretty good when he's in his teens. Plus my private teachers tell me piano is like the base of all instruments. Once you learn that, it'll be much easier to pick up others, partly because of the ability to read both clefs. But you probably already know that. Why not just go with a vertical for now? I also agree with what bnb said. Get him a grand piano when he turns pro
If I were looking for a used piano these are some of the things I would be looking for: How in tune is it. If it is way out chances are it needs work and at the least has been neglected for a while. How level are the keys? If they need to be re-leveled the whole key assembly goes into a jig and is retracted for key leveling before being replaced. Are there any broken hammers? Are there any missing or broken strings? Are there any cracks in the cast iron frame? How is the spruce soundboard? Any cracks or splits between joints? Do the pedals work? do they work well? Brands make a difference. You can find good deals on Wurlitzers and Kawais that are excellent pianos and generally well cared for (dunno' why). When talking soundboards, generally the larger the soundboard the more the tonality will be closer to a grand. However most of the larger soundboard uprights are complete pieces of junk that are worth nothing and needs lots of money invested in them in order for them to function. The little console Wurlitzers are a good bang for the buck and easy to move. Good luck, Roboto
oh yes - and the condition of the felt on the hammers and whether the keys all have tops on 'em. Although you can find some good deals on older pianos that just have some cracked or missing ivory.
Probably a good deal here. This poster knows the power of the four-wheel dolly... http://houston.craigslist.org/msg/2705605453.html
My son told me to get something not too expensive... he just wants 88 keys. lol.. love that boy. So I think I'm going to scratch the grand piano idea and now focus on either vertical or digital piano with weighted keys, etc. Thanks everyone for their advice so far.
