A Message from the Publisher
WELCOME TO THE FALL 2020 ISSUE of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer, an online publication devoted to the purchase of new, used, and restored acoustic pianos and digital pianos. Published since 2009, Piano Buyer is the successor to the well-known reference The Piano Book.
Buying Guide
The Prodigious Power of Piano Playing
The author, an executive of a major piano manufacturer, discards the old adage “practice makes perfect” in favor of an updated version: “practice makes prosperous.” He boldly declares that those who play the piano are far more likely to flourish, thrive, and experience success in life than those who don’t.
Acoustic or Digital: What’s Best for Me?
Should you buy an acoustic (traditional) piano or a digital (electronic) piano? Many factors play into this seemingly simple decision, some practical, some not. Careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of each will probably quickly reveal which will be best for you.
Piano Buying Basics: Introduction
The purpose of this article is modest: to provide an overview of the piano-buying process, with an emphasis on the decisions you’ll have to make along the way, and on the factors that will affect any acoustic piano purchase.
The New-Piano Market Today
This article summarizes the history of U.S. piano sales, manufacturing, and imports over the last 50 years, and describes today’s global piano industry, including which brands are made where and by whom, and the effect of globalization on quality and selection.
A Map of the Market For New Pianos (‘Ratings’)
This chart and commentary are intended to provide the newcomer to the piano market with a simple summary of how this market is organized: If a dealer carried every brand, how would he or she position those brands, in terms of relative quality, when presenting them to prospective purchasers?
Staff Picks (Recommendations)
We feel we owe some specific recommendations to the many readers who have requested them, in part to simplify the buying process for shoppers who lack the time, ability, or interest to intensively research and shop for a piano.
About Piano Prices
The subject of piano pricing is difficult, complicated, and controversial. One of the major problems is that piano dealers tend to prefer that list prices be as high as possible so they can still make a profit while appearing to give very generous discounts. Honesty about pricing is resisted.
Five Mistakes First-Time Piano Buyers Make
Having sold pianos for more than 50 years, and helped guide thousands of piano shoppers toward wise and well-considered purchases, I’ve also seen my share of costly mistakes. Here are the five most common.
Buying a Used or Restored Piano:
What to Buy
A Historical Overview
Though in each decade both good and bad pianos have been produced, and each piano must be judged on its own merits, this brief historical overview may give you some idea of what to expect to see as you shop for a used piano.
Buying a Used or Restored Piano:
How to Find a Used Piano
Finding a used piano essentially involves networking, a concept very much in vogue these days. Some networking can be done by computer, and some with old-fashioned phone calls and shoe leather. Here are some of your options — you may be able to think of others.
Buying a Used or Restored Piano:
Buying a Restored Piano
Three terms are often used in discussions of piano restoration work: repair, reconditioning, and rebuilding. There are no precise definitions of these terms, so it’s very important, when considering restoration work, to find out exactly what has been, or will be, carried out.
Buying a Used or Restored Piano:
How Much Is It Worth?
The valuation of used pianos is difficult. In this article, I’ve tried to assemble some information and tools to help buyers and sellers understand the appraisal process and determine the value of a piano within a reasonable range.
Advice About Used Pianos
For Parents of Young Beginning Piano Students
There are many common misconceptions about buying pianos for young students, and one of them is that a suitable piano can be had for only a few hundred dollars. The truth is that, to progress, young students need better pianos, not worse.
The Uncompromising World of High-End Pianos
Because of the extraordinary prices these instruments command, novice buyers sometimes question whether the prices are justified — or are just the result of the clever marketing of well-known brand names. In this article, I explain what sets high-end pianos apart from less costly ones.
Buying A High-End Piano
Many shopping for a piano all but ignore higher-end models, considering them beyond their needs or means. But for more than a few of these buyers, a better-quality piano may prove the better fit and value.
Buying Pianos For an Institution
Regardless of whether you’re purchasing a piano for a church, school, performance space, or another institutional location, you need to start with some basic questions that will help identify the piano (or pianos) that are appropriate for your situation.
Piano Maintenance in Institutions
The maintenance of pianos in institutional settings differs from the typical service needs of the home environment in two major ways. These pianos will require more frequent service by technicians with special skills, and greater attention to climate control.
Caring For Your Piano
A piano may look large and imposing, but there is a great deal inside it that is delicate, and sensitive to use and changes in environmental conditions. This article describes the major types of regular servicing that pianos require: tuning, regulating, voicing, cleaning and polishing, and humidity control.
Benches, Lamps, Accessories & Problem Solvers
This article describes the different types of benches, lamps, and other accessories available for pianos, as well as devices for solving problems with heavy touch.
Ten Ways to Voice a Room
Have you noticed that your newly purchased piano doesn’t sound quite the same as when you tried it in the showroom? Not all problems with piano tone are best solved by voicing the instrument—it may be your room that needs voicing.
How to Buy a Digital Piano
If, after reading “Acoustic or Digital: What’s Best for Me?,” you’ve decided on a digital piano, the next step is to select the right model for your needs. There are currently some 200 models of digital piano on the market. Narrowing the field requires exploring some basic issues.
My Other Piano Is a Computer
Introduction to Software Pianos
If the digital piano is thought of as a complete instrument, piano software can be thought of as part of a “piano kit.” If you have a digital piano (or an acoustic with hybrid features) and a personal computer, you already have most of the ingredients of a software-based piano.
Hybrid Pianos
A hybrid piano combines electronic, mechanical, and/or acoustical aspects of both acoustic and digital pianos, in order to improve or expand the capabilities of the instrument. A hybrid piano can be created from an acoustic or a digital piano.
Buying An Electronic Player-Piano System
As with so many other devices, technology has revolutionized the player piano, replacing the pneumatic pressure and rolls of punched paper with electronics, smartphones, iPads, and MP3 files. Today, nearly one out of every four new grand pianos is sold with an electronic player-piano system installed.