Hello people, I am thinking on getting an acoustic piano but somebody told me that acoustic pianos are not a good choice because their lifetime is short and in a few years it will not sound good no matter how much maintenance is done. I don't believe that but I just want to ask before I spend a big amount of money, How long will I be enjoying my piano before having to replace it? of course with the correct maintenance and tuning... and also how expensive is maintenance for an acoustic piano? how much a year?

thank you!

leo C.

These are vague questions, actually. Most people will be able to use their acoustic pianos their entire life. However, after about 25 years, or depending on use, things like hammers and strings are deteriorating. Still, most people enjoy them longer than that without major repairs.

The first owner of my piano had it for just over 55 years, when he died. I have had it about 30 years, during which time I had it refinished and replaced the hammers and strings, as well as the felts in the action. I would not be surprised if that when I bought it, I paid as much as it cost new and most of the maintenance expense done on it up until then. It is probably worth more than it cost me and the restoration I have done on it.

Professional pianist still love playing it.

I am left wondering what people told the OP that acoustic pianos are not a good choice.

Would I be surprised to learn it might have been a dealer who sells electronic keyboards and pianos?

So the lifetime of an acoustic instrument is short compared to what......???

The lifetime of any mechanical items depends largely on how it is treated, operated, and maintained over the years.

Yes you get the usual deterioration of the usual components like BDB has stated, but your car, the boat and everything in your house does this....your computer you just bought yesterday is now obsolete this morning......what is the point you are trying to ascertain here?

Everything wears out. Even if you don’t use it the item will depreciate ...unless you are looking at a Van Gogh or a Rembrandt.....and I don’t think those guys make pianos........

So I suppose my 54 year old Hamilton piano should have been put in its grave something like 30 years ago? Or, do pianos typically hold up as well as my Hamilton has over the years (except for a small crack in one corner of the soundboard)?

Hey, that's great to hear. The guy who told me this actually believes that because someone else told him that in some conservatories the concert pianos are replaced every two years because the sound quality is so bad that they are no longer good for concerts. As I told you in the original post, I didn't believe him but I feel more confident now that you experts have confirmed that a piano can last as long as one's life if they are properly cared.

Now can someone help me with my second question? How much will I spend yearly in maintenance for my acoustic piano?

thanks for your replys

Leo C.

Concert pianos get a lot of use, and they are under a lot of strain just from their size. A digital piano would probably fare no better under the sort of use that they get. However, there is a place I tune at that has two concert grands, one from 1928 and another from 1907 (so I have heard). They are both on their second set of strings and their second set of hammers, plus some felt. They are used occasionally for concerts and still sound fine.

Actual maintenance costs will depend on the climate the piano is kept in, the amount of use, the amount of maintenance you do, and the local prices for service.

Leo, if you buy a new acoustic piano, you should have it tuned four times the first year. So figure maintenance cost being 4 times the going rate for a tuning. (Which I have no idea what it is in Mexico; in the U.S., in most areas tunings will run in the $80-$120 range.) After the first year, you should have it tuned at least twice a year. You will also need to budget money for voicing and regulation; how often and how much really depends on the piano in question and your own level of obsessiveness. But say every couple of years you'd want to budget another few hours of technician's time for such things. If you get a Dampp-Chaser installed on the piano, you'd have the upfront cost (in the hundreds of dollars, the exact amount depending on whether it's a grand or upright and how big of a grand) and then minor costs thereafter for the water treatment and replacement pads.

Monica, thanks for the excellent information, so if I buy a used piano maybe I will be spending about 400 USD yearly? of course I know it depends on many things but I want to have an estimate number in my head just for reference purposes. I know I will not spend like 20 dollars yearly but I suppose I won't be spending 1000 dollars either. Is $400 a realistic average?

thanks again for your help.

Leo C.

It's probably best not to publicly quote prices as each market will be different and may not fall within the range quoted above. The market determines price, not internet postings....

The best way to shop for prices is call some Piano Technicians or stores in your area.

It is only if you buy a NEW piano that it is recommended to tune it about 4 times the first year.
I find that most (average) players get their piano tuned about once (maybe twice) a year on average, depending on the particular piano of course.

realisticly, you'll spend no more then a 100 to 180 dollars a year on maintainence, but good accustis piano will last you a life time, plus any piano teacher or piano player would reccomend it over digital any time. electric pianos don't have same sound and touch quality and they become outdated every few years.Also, if they break after warranty, that's it, it's like tv for example. digitals make sense as a second instrument for recording or composing.

It astounds me that someone would say an electronic keyboard would outlast a piano. How long did your last PC or TV last? 3 years, 5 if you're lucky? For that matter, you're lucky if you get 15 years on major appliances like clothes washers, refridgerators, etc. Any well made piano will EASILY outlive these.

Nobody said a digital would outlast an acoustic.

My grandparents have a Yamaha CVP-50 (or something made around that time - it may not be that exact model, but I can't remember) that still works fine, and actually sounds somewhat good, even though it doesn't have the latest technology by any stretch of the imagination.

A piano is a live instrument, that vibrates from the strings, to pedals and keys.

I a digital the only thing that vibrates are the speakers.

Pianos will last for a hundreth years, more than a human life, we can not ask more.

Right now I am reconditioning an old upright, Chickering & Sons, 125 years old, which is in a very good shape.