Grand Pianos

Acoustic grand pianos (inclusive of "baby grands", which are simply smaller grands) are a major accomplishment of musical engineering -- peerless in all of the families of instruments. A grand piano consists of over 10,000 moving parts that work together to make an extraordinarily complicated and rich sound. It has more moving parts than your car engine, and in fact will likely be the most complicated piece of machinery in your household!

When you have the opportunity to view a piano "hospital" such as the one at our Geneva facility, where you can you see pianos undergoing various surgeries, you can't help but marvel at the instrument and its ability to survive well over a century in its modern form without any significant improvements.  It's really a treat for the whole family and a great opportunity to gain an appreciation for the largest item that will soon become a part of your home!

Grand pianos have a rich history all across the world and their popularity endures. So long as there is an interest in music, there will be the grand piano. What other product could you have at home that could be over 100 years old and still have several thousand people in the country trained to make repairs with readily available parts? So how do you actually choose one? Please view our “FAQ’s about Buying and Selling” and “Buying Tips” for candid buying information.

Grand pianos differ from vertical pianos in several ways.

1)   Grands obviously look different and usually rest on only three legs.  There is an important advantage to this simple design feature.  The floor underneath a grand piano can be uneven and a grand piano doesn't care because it comes to rest on only three points.  The iron frame inside the grand piano which houses 20,000 lbs. of tension basically floats on those three points and remains unaffected by an uneven surface.  Add a fourth leg, and the 500-900 pound piano would ultimately need to twist and give in until all four legs touch the floor.  Vertical pianos often rest on four points, so the tuning stability of a vertical piano can be affected more by uneven flooring.

2) Grand pianos are horizontally designed and the sound is more open.  Direct sound comes through the top and through the bottom of a piano.  It comes out the front, the back, the sides. it reflects of the rim and lid - basically everywhere.  It's a piano in 3-D! The sound of a vertical piano is boxed in, only coming out the back, which is usually only inches from a wall.  Not the best situation for sound quality, but verticals certainly take up less room!

3)    The design of a grand piano action is superior to the design of a
vertical piano action. In a grand, the hammer strikes the string from below and gravity is on your side to help bring it back to rest.  In a vertical piano, the hammer strikes the string like a woodpecker strikes a tree.  It's not as desirable of a design.  There are many issues related to a pianist's command over the keyboard that drastically favor the design of a grand piano action. It is important to distinguish however that all grand actions are not better than all vertical piano actions.  A vertical piano action from a top level piano maker can easily perform better than the action of a low quality grand piano.

4)   Grand pianos typically cost several times more than the same brand's vertical pianos.

Cordogan's carries grand pianos made in every corner of the globe, ranging in quality level from that which will "fill a bay window" and comfortably get a student started with lessons.to the highest performance pianos on Earth. Our west suburban Geneva showroom/warehouse is almost 30,000 sq. ft. - the largest in Illinois, and several times the size of most stores. We have a selection of new AND used grands that is unmatched!

An important consideration when choosing a dealer is to find one that is truly in the new AND used piano business.  Cordogan's is as active in the used piano business as we are in the new piano business. This is an important distinction.  Strip mall piano stores are clearly in the business of selling new pianos or even simply "pushing boxes".  Used pianos in these stores are often just shills - intentionally never brought up to their full potential because the pianos are really just there to help sell the new pianos that can easily be reordered.  If you're in a piano store and you don't see a full restoration shop, they're not really in the used piano business!

To truly be in the used piano business, a company needs to have (and you need to be able to SEE) a full restoration shop with work benches, hoists, machines, a refinishing booth, and most importantly, skilled employees to work the above! Armed with such a facility, Cordogan's actively buys and restores pianos every day to offer a wide selection of new AND used pianos. Salespeople at Cordogan's remain unbiased when making comparisons about new vs. used, passing along the virtues of each and letting you decide which is right for you!

For the budget minded, new baby grands have retail prices beginning under $10,000. Cordogan's often buys bulk quantities though which results in sale prices much lower -- lower than anyone in fact -- and we guarantee that. We are Illinois largest piano store because we offer the best value for your money on EVERY instrument we sell, without the gimmicky advertising, misinformation or high pressure sales tactics that unfortunately often taint the piano industry. Price ranges of used grand pianos is a difficult topic to briefly discuss, given a couple hundred years of production from thousands of manufacturers. If confined to one sentence to establish a price range? Answer: "free, on up."

Please feel free to call our Geneva location for information that will help you to learn more about the different manufacturers, their reputations, who makes what brands, etc. The piano industry is a tangled web of brand names, all stemming from a very small number of manufacturers -- including many recognizable American brand names that actually have far less American involvement than what you might think or aren't even made anywhere near America.

Once we help you effectively judge the quality level and help you put the brands in perspective, the motivational factors that help people decide when to call it quits varies widely.  Here are some considerations that may affect your purchase.

1)     Budget. If you have a set amount of money to spend on a piano, that's that. For you, we simply need to help you find the best piano possible for that amount of money.

2)     Performance.  If you play piano, you'll be able to use your skills to help decide at what point you've got enough piano in front of you.

3)     Pride. If you don't play, but you also don't want your sister-in-law with a master's in piano performance to scoff at your purchase, then we will lead you to the quality level that will keep your musical friends and relatives from whispering behind your back!

4)     Image. If the piano is being purchased largely for decorative purposes (musicians, please walk away from the computer for a moment), you may wish to consider the quality level of your other furnishings when considering the quality level of your piano.  Luxury homes with heirloom quality furnishings for instance might not be the best match for an entry-level grand piano, especially if you might have musical friends and relatives that may wish to log some time on your ivories.  :) Please let Cordogan's help you understand the various brands' images and what they might mean in your purchasing decision.

5)     Value. There are definitely situations where some pianos represent a better VALUE in the market.  Sometimes a particular economic factor (currency exchange rates) helps to favor a brand's value, maybe it's a distribution issue, a manufacturer's special offer, a design or engineering issue - whatever the case, our staff is certainly capable of helping you understand the value of the various pianos in the marketplace.

If you live outside of Illinois and are shopping for the perfect used instrument, Cordogan's can help you! We deliver pianos regularly across the U.S. and internationally, too! Please visit our used inventory pages for thumbnails and descriptions of pianos of every shape, size and finish. Call or email us for more information about any used piano we have in stock. If you're looking for a specific brand of used piano, such as Steinway, Yamaha, Kawai or Mason & Hamlin, call call Rick @ 630-584-5000 or email us and we'll open a dialog to see if can earn your business. If we don't have what you're looking for now, we can add your name to our database and we'll contact you when it comes in.

If Cordogan's could sum up the piano industry in one paragraph that would paint an accurate image for customers to begin their search and establish the quality level they wish to pursue, it is this:

The automobile industry offers American buyers cars from four major parts of the world: America, Japan, Korea and Europe. The reputation of the automobiles coming from those regions bears a striking resemblance to the pianos which come from those parts of the world. In recent years, we've seen pianos made in China and Indonesia flood the marketplace and quickly capture the largest percentage of the market.  Quality, durability, features, warranties, reputation, status, workmanship... are all closely tied to the place of origin. What makes the piano purchase more difficult however than say, an automobile, is that what makes one piano better than another hardly meets the eye. An accurate explanation of these differences is why it is imperative to find a dealer with a wide selection of new & used pianos, a knowledgeable staff and an excellent reputation. Cordogan's is confident you will have a pleasant experience on the phone or at our showrooms and that you will feel very comfortable with your purchase knowing you received the best value for your money.

If you are in search of the perfect used piano, Cordogan's maintains a wide selection of used pianos by Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Kawai, Yamaha, Baldwin, Knabe, Chickering, Sohmer and countless other brands. The "looks like new, but priced like used" pianos are Cordogan's specialty, generating customers from all over the country. Our warranties are generous and we provide the first free tuning in your home no matter where you are in the U.S.

Searching for a vintage Steinway & Sons? Cordogan's is one of the world's premiere rebuilders of vintage Steinways. Please email, call or visit us for information on our current inventory of heirloom quality pianos.

(If you’re not sure if you would like a digital piano or an acoustic piano, please visit our Digital vs. Acoustic page.)

Chicago Pianos.com: info@chicagopianos.com

America's #1 Online Piano Consumer Guide, written, hosted and maintained by:

(630) 584-5000
33W441 Route 38 (ship)
PO Box 514 (mail)
Geneva, IL 60134

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