Deadly Traps to Avoid When Buying a Used Piano

Buying a used piano is a great way to purchase a nice instrument on a budget; however, it’s important to go into the process armed with some knowledge about how to avoid problems with the instrument.

When you’re in the market for a used piano, it is best to buy a piano from a reputable piano store. That way, you will have a guarantee that your piano will not have any serious defects, and you will be able to enjoy it for countless years with proper maintenance and tuning.

If this is not possible and you decide to acquire a piano from a private seller, there are several potential flaws that can make a piano completely worthless. Even if the piano is offered for free, moving it to your place is an expense of several hundred dollars. You don’t want to spend this money on moving a dud!

So, what do you need to look out for when purchasing a used piano?

A Cracked Soundboard

The soundboard is a piece of plywood located below the strings on a grand piano or behind the strings on an upright piano. Just like the wooden case of an acoustic guitar, the soundboard is responsible for producing a vibrant and colorful sound. A very common problem, especially with old pianos that were not regularly taken care of, is a cracked soundboard. Cracks in the soundboard can occur due to poor temperature or humidity conditions (for example, a piano standing next to a heat source) or from physical damage.

Before you buy a used piano, inspect the soundboard as closely as possible. Make sure there are no cracks! In addition to cracks, there are much less serious damages called “hairlines.” A good piano technician is able to easily tell the difference between a crack and a hairline. Basically, a hairline is OK, and a crack is not.

In addition to visually locating soundboard cracks, you can listen for changes in the sound caused by them. How do you listen for cracks in the soundboard? Play any scale from the bottom to the top register.If you hear a sudden change to a weaker and muffled sound, the soundboard likely has a crack.

Do not accept a piano with cracks in the soundboard, even if it’s free. It’s going to be extremely unpleasant to play on, even if you are a complete beginner. Replacing a damaged soundboard is often more expensive than getting another piano altogether, and it is difficult to get rid of later when you no longer want it.

Hammered Down Pins

The pins are the metal parts to which the strings are attached. Piano tuners rotate the pins with a tuning hammer to tune the piano. Quite often, the pins become too loose to hold the tune. There is a proper way to address this issue, and there is a cheap cheat—to hammer down the pin to prevent it from rotating loosely. If it’s done too much, the pins sink into the frame to such an extent that the piano can no longer be tuned.

Inspect the pins that are in the front on a grand piano and on top of an upright piano. If you see that the piano strings are touching the frame—in other words, there is no room on the pin between the wrapped around string and the frame—then it’s a problem.

Do not get an piano that is unable to be tuned! Playing on it will destroy your sense of pitch and will simply give you a headache.

Damaged Action

The action of the piano is its most complex part, with around 10,000 moving parts depending on the model. Most problems that occur with the action due to normal wear and tear can be fixed on-site or in a piano shop. The question is how much those repairs cost and whether it makes sense to get a piano that requires a lot of them.

See if the piano keys, both white and black, are on the same horizontal level. If some keys are lower than others, they will need to be repaired.

Check if all keys make a sound.

The entire keyboard might be too shallow, meaning that the keys don’t go down-up enough. Ensure that there is at least ⅓ inch of vertical movement for the keys.

Check that the keys don’t wobble sideways too much and that there are no huge gaps between any keys.

Missing Strings

Most of the piano keys are triple-strung, meaning that each piano hammer hits three strings at once. As the notes go lower, it goes down to two strings and then one string for the lowest bass notes.

Check if any of the strings are missing—you can easily see the pins with no strings attached to them. If it’s one or two missing strings, then, while it is a moderate expense, you can still acquire this piano. You can even leave it with the missing strings, but the sound will be much weaker on those notes, and of course, there will be no sound on the bass notes at all.

The most important thing when purchasing or acquiring a used piano is to have a piano technician inspect… it or to inspect it yourself!

If you are looking to buy a used acoustic piano for piano lessons in NYC, Riverside Music Studios can provide you with a piano technician who will help you by inspecting the piano for you without breaking the budget. If you are located elsewhere, it is still try to find professional help! If that is not possible for some reason, then please use the tips above.

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