"If you don't know pianos, know your piano store!"

The following is taken from the Pierce Piano Atlas, and while it
is perhaps a bit extreme in parts (even debatable), the message is a good
one to show consumers what CAN go wrong. Unfortunately, the most
detrimental problems with a piano are issues that cannot be seen nor
analyzed by a layperson, complicating the purchasing process.

• Facts to consider when buying a used piano privately:
  
  *If you don't know pianos, know your piano store!
  
  *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 judgement 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:

  1. Plate - may be cracked or broken which cripples the piano musically and renders it useless.

  2. Strings - bass strings may be "tired and tubby", totally devoid of tone.

  3. Sounding board - may be cracked or worse yet, may have lost crown to become tonally deficient.

  4. Ribs - may be broken or pulled away from soundboard.

  5. Bridges - may have lost proper bearing, be broken, split or cracked, necessitating a major expense.

  6. 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 pounded.

  7. Pin plank - may be split and is very costly to repair. since this is concealed, experienced judgement is required.

  8. 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.

  9. Hammers - may be worn out or improperly filed so as to require replacement - another costly repair.

  10. Trap work - the internal leverage controls of the expression pedals may need complete overhauling.

  11. 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.

roadcast, rewritten or redistributed
in any form without prior written permission from Chicagopianos.com - Cordogan's