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Buying a piano: The Big Issues
by OnlyPiano.com
So you want to buy a piano. Like everything nowadays, you have a potentially head-spinning wealth of options. First you need to make some big choices, then narrow in on specifics. To start off:
How much am I willing to spend? Only you know the answer to this, but the general consensus is that pianos are an important investment designed to last a long time, so err on the side of quality if you can. Better pianos create an all around more pleasing experience for the musician and any listeners, and can make the difference between a pupil sticking with it or giving up. Expect to pay a few thousand dollars for a new entry level upright, to sports car prices for a fancy concert grand. Of course you can get used pianos for less, but there are tradeoffs (see below).
Do I want a grand, an upright, or a digital piano? Grand pianos are generally more expensive than uprights of comparable quality, so your price range determines this to some degree. However, another important factor to consider is space. Even if you can afford a grand, do you have room for it? You need room for the piano to sit, and also to negotiate it into its resting place. Is the appearance or sound more important? Grands are generally considered more visually attractive and better sounding than uprights of equivalent quality, but if tone is your concern, you may be better off with a higher quality upright than with a lower quality or extremely short grand. Digital pianos have the advantages of being more compact and tranportable than either type of acoustic piano, and are generally cheaper. However they come with own set of unique issues.
New or used? The standard issues of new and used goods apply to pianos as well. Used are cheaper, but new are pristine. New pianos typically have a warranty, used typically do not (though there are exceptions if the warranty is transferrable). Just like with a car, if you go with used, it is a good idea to have the piano inspected by a piano technician to find out if you'll have to put significant work into it, which may affect what you are willing to pay. Be careful to discern whether the outer appearance accurately reflects the condition of the working parts. The tone and action do not necessarily correlate with the beauty of the casework. Often they do correlate, but gorgeous pianos can still sound awful, and ugly ones can sound great. Find out which is the case and decide what is more important.
Once you have these decisions made (or at least considered), you can begin to look at the subtle distinctions between pianos and how these correlate with different brands.
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