5 Tips for Buying a Used Piano

1. Keys that don't play are usually not a big problem. In most cases, something has broken or come unglued, but a good tuning could fix that.

2. Look for notes that sound terribly out of tune when played by themselves. When the pinblock goes bad, it cannot hold the tuning pins tightly, and the tuning pins will slip. This leaves one of the three strings very flat to the others. A bad pinblock may very well be the end of that piano if it is not a good quality piano enough to warrant rebuilding. There are some stop gap repairs for loose tuning pins. Still, generally, it is not advisable to buy a piano with loose tuning pins except on high quality brands such as Steinway, Baldwin, Mason & Hamlin and a few others, which would warrant replacing the pinblock.

3. Beware of strange rattles or buzzes. The soundboard has ribs glued on it to strengthen it. Sometimes the soundboard gets cracks in it, and the ribs will come unglued as it vibrates. This will sound like a speaker distorting when it is played too loudly. Pianos also have a wooden bridge attached to the soundboard and have the strings running over it. The bridge was two pins for each string to hold the strings in place. Sometimes the bridge splits and allows the pins to become loose. Bridges are often made in sections that come unglued from each other, which may also cause buzzes and rattles.

4. Inspect the hammers for deep grooves caused by the strings. Layers of felt can be removed to restore the rounded shape to the hammer, but eventually, there is not enough felt left above the wooden molding to get a good tone. Hammer replacement is relatively expensive, and the piano needs to be of good quality to warrant this work.

5. Most important is to call a qualified technician to look at it before you buy it. You should look at the piano first and be sure it is something in which you are truly interested. Then contact us to inspect the piano to check out the structural condition of the piano. aAn investment of a service call before buying can keep you from buying and moving a piano that won't be playable. You don't want to regret such an important buying decision.