Facts to Consider When Buying A Piano
If you don't know pianos, know your piano
man!
Buying a used piano privately can be dangerous and costly.
What appears to be a rare bargain may prove to be a real liability.
Unless you are a piano expert, your best assurance is to rely on
the judgment of the most experienced dealer in your area with a
proven record of integrity and fair dealing.
It is unwise to pick up an old piano privately "to get started
with". A poor piano offers discouragement to the child and is at
best, a questionable investment for the parent.
Here are just a few of the many danger areas encountered when
a non-expert piano buyer buys a piano privately:
- Plate - may be cracked or broken which cripples the
piano musically and renders it useless.
- Strings - bass strings may be "tired and tubby, totally
devoid of tone.
- Sounding board - may be cracked or worse yet, may have
lost crown to become tonally deficient.
- Ribs - may be broken or pulled away from soundboard.
- Bridges - may have lost proper bearing, be broken,
split or cracked, necessitating a major expense.
- Tuning Pins - may be loose, may have been previously
"doped", may require oversized pins, may require new pin block.
Avoid like the plague any piano with pins showing evidence of
having been bounded.
- Pin Plank - may be split and is very costly to repair.
Since this is concealed, experienced judgment is required.
- Actions - may be literally worn out rendering piano
useless. If rebushing is required, this is very costly. A complete
regulation requires much time of an expert and is expensive
if properly done.
- Hammers - may be worn out or improperly filed so as
to require replacement - another costly repair.
- Trap Work - the internal leverage controls of the expression
pedals may need complete overhauling.
- Refinishing - many people learn to their sorrow that
refinishing a piano is not a home do-it-yourself project; that
it requires much hard work and know how best left to a skilled
craftsman. Good refinishing work is expensive.
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