One of my goals this year is to purchase a piano to replace the current acoustic piano in my studio. The current piano is a low-end instrument that is 30+ years old. Some of the repair work it needs now would cost significantly more than it’s worth, so I finally decided I better get serious about saving for a new piano. I’ve started doing some preliminary research and came across the Piano Buyer website. Larry Fine’s popular Piano Buyer Supplement can be read for free online! There are lots of other great resources on the site as well. A place I will undoubtedly be visiting many times this year!
I would love to have input from some other teachers on pianos. What brands and models do you really like? Which ones do you not like? Any other advice on choosing a piano? As much as I would love to have a grand piano, right now both space and financial considerations have limited me to an upright. I’ve heard that some upright grands are a close second to a real grand, so that’s what I’m hoping to find!
Wow, this is a great resource! I knew about the Larry Fine book, but I will be happy to share this site with piano parents.
I have a Charles Walter console that I bought about 20 years ago, and I’m very happy with it. I’d easily choose it over a budget grand. It’s built so well that it should still be a great instrument for my grandchildren one day. My only complaint is that it’s a little bright for my current tastes. I’ve had some work done to mellow it a little.
I recently (two years ago) replaced my “starter” piano – the one I had for 25 years! – with a beautiful Yamaha upright, as I also don’t have room for a grand. I got the higher-end YUS5 which is absolutely lovely, but any number of Yamaha models are really quite good. The sound and touch are the two things that count. Trust your ear and remember that the sound you like is a personal thing. Everyone hears a little differently.
This past summer I purchased a Boston Grand that I found… on Craig’s List! It was several years old but in fantastic condition. I purchased it from another teacher who was moving and could not keep it. So – you never know!
Prior to finding the one on Craig’s list, I went to a store to try out several, to see what tone and touch I liked the best. It was several months later that I found mine on Craig’s list.
I really love the sound of the Boston – both uprights and grands. I liked the sound of the Yamaha’s that I tried in the store, but I didn’t like that the sostenuto pedal was replaced by a “practice” pedal.
When you find it, I think you’ll know it’s “the one”.
Enjoy the search!
ps: Come tax time, of course it’s a nice deduction! After doing research, and talking with my Dad (a CPA), we decided to do a straight-line deduction over 7 years. Since there isn’t a category for musical instruments, we classified it as office equipment (I know, horrors!!) If you do purchase a “used” one, you’re not eligible for the big deduction up front that Turbo Tax may want to give you!
I grew up playing my parents piano – a grand yamaha – i think the model is C5 and I believe it is one of their top of the line pianos. (I loved it, had no idea what a treat it was to have such a nice piano!) My personal piano is a Kawai upright and it feels good to play. It is a little softer than I would like – but hey, I used to have a grand that I left on full stick! My Kawai is one of the nicer uprights I have ever played.
P.S. I am in New Zealand, so don’t know if brands in america are the same…
I just went through this process myself. The upright I had as a child finally “bit the dust” after about 40 years so I went shopping. I was completely overwhelmed! I thoroughly studied Larry Fine’s piano book so that I could be as knowledgeable as possible. I ended up with a new Ritmuller which I absolutely LOVE. Two things made the difference for me…my great piano technician who gave me lots of advice (and even checked out a couple of used pianos for me) and a piano store who’s practice is to go over each piano completely before it is sold. Those two things alone made a huge difference for me. I’ve had my grand for about 3 years and I couldn’t be happier! I tried several brands in several different stores. I fell in love with this piano one! In fact, my husband who came with me told me I should by this one as soon as he heard it even though it was more expensive than the upright we intended to buy!
My dream piano would be a Boston grand piano. Boston and Steinway uprights are great too.
Thanks for the resource, Natalie. I’ve read that book, too and feel educated enough to help students and families care for their instruments. Good luck finding a new piano. I hope someday I can replace my piano, as well.
I have a Yamaha. They are great for the price, and one of my favorite things about them is how consistent they are–every Yamaha plays the same and plays well!
They don’t last too much beyond 50 years, though, so if you’re looking for a generational piano, that isn’t the one. Also, there are definitely other pianos that exceed Yamaha in sound.
For the price, though, Yamaha is a great studio piano and generally plentiful on Craig’s List (just try to get one less than a decade old)!
After saving through my highschool years, I was able to buy a brand new, baby grand, 5’4″ May Berlin piano. Schimmel puts its stamp of approval on May Berlin pianos after inspecting them, and the parts are manufactured in Germany, even though the actual piano is built in China. I’ve fallen in love with it more and more every day; tone beautiful, finger response excellent. 10 year warrenty comes with it. May Berlin grand pianos are very reasonably priced, only a few thousand more than a decent upright piano (and well worth the wait!)
I am a professional pianist. I learned to play on a Steinway upright my parents bought new. No one ever educated me on pianos. My senior year in college, my piano pedagogy professor told me of a going out of business sale that many college students were taking advantage of at a local music store. I got hooked on a beautiful (looking) 4’10” Ridgewood baby grand. For the past ten years I’ve hated this piano because no one explained that any piano can be reworked by a tuner/technician to your specifications. I recently had the thinigs I didn’t like corrected (tone, touch, voicing, response) and I now love this piano. I got it for a song in 2001, only $5000. Although I would do it again if I knew then what I know now, I also would have researched buying a nicer grand and spending a little more. The piano was brand new, however I’ve never been able to get the store to give me the warranty in writing and the lower register of strings were bad when I got it, which has since been corrected for the most part without replacing strings. My dream is to upgrade to a Steinway grand before I die. I would look on craigslist and have your tuner look over any piano you’re seriously interested in. There are some great pianos for sale in this economy.
Natalie…Congratulations! Yamaha U-3′s are wonderful instruments, and definitely worth the investment. They are work horses and hold up well year after year. Enjoy!