In this fifth installment (See Part 1) I am going to concentrate on what to look at when buying a used piano. I should also qualify this by saying that a piano is “in the eyes and ears of the beholder.”

It’s Free and Looks Good . . .

I have to come down to earth and recognize that a free instrument like a piano may be a godsend to someone without money. Many people who get a free piano or one for a couple of hundred dollars may not care what it looks like or even if the action is stiff. Others don’t even mind mind if a couple of notes sound like barbed wire hit with a hammer.

Jazz great Oscar Petersen once told a story on CBC radio that, starting out, many of the pianos in the halls where he played were out of tune and in various states of repair. Some even had maybe a half-dozen white keys missing from F below middle-C to E above high-C. He simply learned to improvise around these spots. When he was young a piano player had to have many of the skills of a piano technician.

What to Look For When Buying A Used Piano

1. Check the Appearance: If it’s banged up then any idiot can see it’s been moved a few times and not gently. As well check for fading. It may have been sitting in the sunlight for a long time which could mean it’s dray and the soundboard may be cracked.

2. Play It: If it doesn’t have a good feel and the notes don’t play, the viewing is over.

3. Open Up the Lid: Check for dirt build-up, mouse nests, cobwebs, missing hammers, missing felts. Does it smell of mold?

4. Open the Bottom Board: The lower part of the piano is accessible by a couple of clips. (Look online for a diagram before going out to see the piano.) Sames as #2 check for those things and everythng else!

5. Check the Soundboard for Cracks: This is a very big one! Some pianos with cracked soundboards sound like the song is being played through a snaredrum.

6. Cracks in the Frame: This is even worse! Run away!

For more indepth information and diagrams visit: Concert Pitch Piano Services