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Hi. We want to buy an inexpensive piano for our 7 year old to practice on. Our budget is very tight so we can pay a max of $500 (plus an additional ~$200 to have a piano delivered). In that price range we've mainly seen very old (1900-1930) tall uprights and mid century (1950-1970) (lesser brands) consoles and spinets. Which one do you think would meet our needs best and be the cheapest to maintain? I would prefer a mid century studio size, but they hardly ever seem to come around that cheap. Another alternative would be a new digital piano such as the Yamaha P-70, which would be ~$600.

Thanks,
Alice

Frankly, at that price you won't find much of a piano unless you're VERY lucky. Not to mention that before buying a used piano it's a good idea to have it looked over by a tech - and that would eat up a chunk of what you have to spend on the piano. In your circumstances, I would consider a digital. I have a Yamaha YPG-625 that serves me well. The YPG-525 is a good one in your price range as well. I've seen some bad reviews of the P-70.

Ken

I see Hamilton (Baldwin), Everett, and Kimball studio (45" tall) uprights for sale in that price range from time to time. These date from the 60s and 70s. They may be a bit worn, but if you can find a clean one, they are decent instruments. The less money you want to spend, the more work you need to do to find the piano. Consoles are easier to find in that range, but they are not as good pianos. Avoid spinets.

If you don't go digital, keep your eye on the want ads, Craig's List and read the content for estate auctions near you. It's a horrible time of the year for auctions but it's how I found my Kimball console. People almost never bid on a piano because they don't want to move it, or have no place for it, or didn't come there for the piano in the first place.

Mine is 1964 & I paid $50.00. We moved it ourselves. I felt like it was "meant to be" kind of thing as I hadn't had a piano in almost 10 years. The tuner thought it had most likely been "furniture" the exterior and insides were so pristine. Almost no wear on the felts. It needed a pitch raise and nothing else.

I like to dream about the kinds of pianos folks have here, but the truth is at my beginner skill level, it serves me perfectly. So, they can be found, it just isn't always easy.

Alice,

It's nice to see another North Carolinian on the board. Welcome! Regarding your choices, I seriously think you should look at some digitals. If you're in the Raleigh area, be sure to checkout Sam Ash Music, or Guitar Center. They'll have a good selection in that price range. Besides, you won't have to worry about maintenance issues.

Thanks very much for your replies! I really appreciate your taking the time to respond to my question.

I find it interesting that two of the four recommendations have been for a digital piano. I am concerned about maintenance and repair costs of an acoustic, so I was interested that you mention it. Also I am concerned that my daughter may not want to stick with the piano. It would cost a minimum of $300 just to get a piano in the door ($200 for moving and $100 for the first tuning). I wouldn't be able to recover that cost if I were to sell the piano. If we had to turn around and sell a digital piano, I don't think that we would take such a financial hit (and would save an annual $90 tuning expense). On the other hand, her teacher prefers, but does not demand, that she play an acoustic.

About the Yamahas: I thought that the P-70, http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D63175%252526CTID%25253D205900%252526ATRID%25253D20%252526DETYP%25253DATTRIBUTE,00.html, and YPG-625, http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D65229%252526CTID%25253D205200%252526ATRID%25253D20%252526DETYP%25253DATTRIBUTE,00.html, have the same "88 Graded Hammer Standard keys (A1-C7) with Touch Response." The P-70 currently has a $50 rebate and the DGX620, http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D451231%252526CTID%25253D205200%252526ATRID%25253D20%252526DETYP%25253DATTRIBUTE,00.html, which has identical specs to the YPG-625 and is on sale at Costco, are both ~$600. An alternative is one of the Casio Privia keyboards, which are slightly cheaper, and an open stock new Korg SP250 that I have found for $650. I have tried the Yamaha P-60 and the DGX620, which both seem ok, but have not seen nor tried the Casio or the Korg.

I did find a Hamilton studio at a dealer but they want $1100 for it. I have a feeling that the history and demographics here (Raleigh area) are not great for finding a studio piano. For that, things were better in the rust belt (Pennsylvania) (where there was a highter ratio of schools in the 60's to the current population).

Thanks,
Alice

You will not find a deal on a studio piano in a store, but the fact that they have one for $1100 means that they paid about $500 for it.

If you buy a new digital piano, expect that you will lose at least 30% to 40% of the value walking out of the door with it, just as with anything new. It would also depreciate faster due to obsolescence. A used acoustic from a private party would lose the least value.

I would assume that a decent acoustic would hold it's value. It's just that if I paid $500 for it plus $300 for moving and tuning, that would be $800. If I sold it later for $500, then I'd be down $300 (38% of $800).

Assuming that I hold out for an acoustic for $500 or less and were forced to choose between consoles, would you go for fewer years on it or particular brands?

Thanks,
Alice

I'm primariy reading the Raleigh Craigslist, http://raleigh.craigslist.org/search/msg?query=piano&minAsk=min&maxAsk=600. If anyone feels like coaching me about possible pianos from the list, I would certainly appreciate it. Maybe a private message would be better.

Thanks,
Alice

Alice, this is probably the safest bet on the entire list:

1956 Everett

Everetts were some of the sturdiest pianos built in their time. You should have a tech check the piano over, but it ought to be a safe bet it won't need restringing or other major work to get it playable.

OperaTenor,

Thank you very much for the information about the Everett piano. It's a little far (60 miles) but I'll look into it.

Thanks,
Alice

This looks good.
Or maybe this.
If you can go a little higher, this is great! Or make an offer.

BDB's third pick, the other Everett is the other safest bet on the list - I hadn't noticed it earlier. It's actually a better piano, being a studio rather than a console, an excellent piano at that price.

Splurge!

BDB and OperaTenor,

Thanks a ton! I sent inquiries about the Baldwin and the second Everett and I'll follow up by phone tomorrow. If you want, let me know if you see anything else.

Thanks!!!,
Alice

I have an appointment on Saturday to see the Everett console or studio, http://raleigh.craigslist.org/msg/489250149.html It was made in 1983. Is this a good age for this piano? It is ~47" tall so does that make it a studio? It doesn't look like it has the toe blocks, which I'm used to seeing on a studio.

The Baldwin was no longer available.

Thanks,
Alice

Hi Alice,

Yes, I think that qualifies it as a studio. IIRC, there wasn't really a bad Everett studio ever made, so that age shouldn't be much of a concern. It would be great if you could have a tech check it out when you go to see it, but that will cost you money.

Good luck, and I hope this turns out to be a winner for you.

OperaTenor,

Thank you very much for the help. I am reading The Piano Book and have my fingers crossed. I would love a tech to inspect it, but since it is such a drive, that would be pretty expensive.

Thanks,
Alice

Alice, you could always find an RPT in the city where the Everett is located. An inspection will still cost you in the $75 - $100 range, though. Whether it's worth it depends on how risk averse you are and how upset you'd be if, hypothetically, you bought the piano only to discover the pin block is shot and it won't hold a tune.

Good luck!

Tone...

If the piano is out of tune (probably) listen for tone from bottom to top - even if you can't play. Do the low notes produce a note, or is it a dull "thunk"? Can you hear a clear pitch at the top? Are there any single notes that sound like two notes playing together?

These can all be warning signs - hopefully this will be a good one! At this price range, (if you don't like this one) it's best not to be in a rush. There are always more pianos out there.

Hi Alice,

In my quest for a good used piano I came across this info on upright sizes:

Spinet – 35” to 39”
Console – 40” to 44”
Studio – 45” to 47”
Full-size upright – 48” to 50”
Professional upright – 51” to 54”
Older upright grand – 55” to 60”
(All sizes approximate, of course)

Also, that Everett Studio looks like a nice deal to me, if it checks out Okay.

I paid $600 for a 1968 model Kohler & Campbell 46” Studio in great condition, played the heck out of it for a year and sold it for $650.

Hope this helps and best of luck with your piano search.

Rickster