1000$ budget, I need a good piano, is it possible??

[canardroti]

Hi, I'm getting sick of  digital pianos and espeically clavinovas.
What kind of piano can i get for 1000$?  any specific brand for quality/price?
ANy help would be appreciated!

[iumonito]

Sorry, but generally the answer is no, it is not possible.

Under $3,000 there is nothing significantly better than the better digital pianos.  You may want to look for a new Breitman (the Chinese-made entry level upright of the Bluthner line) or a used upright Yamaha or Kawai, but generally the closer you get to 1k the more unacceptable the piano is.

In your position (and I have been there more recently than five years, even though with slightly different budget and piano quality parameters) I would say keep the digital and organize your finances so that you can strike the budget for the first acceptable piano you can [edit: take out unnecessary reference to what in my opinion is the minimum a piano lover should aim for to make it worth abandoning a serviceable digital piano].

Most people once they are ready to buy strech their budget a bit and get the next one over in terms of quality [take out unnecessary reference to happy outcome of piano search intended as an inspiration but coming off standoffish].

Good luck and job's patience.

[alzado]

If you are a young adult -- possibly a university student? -- bear in mind the expense of moving pianos.

A mid-sized grand piano -- moved from the living room to the dining room of my home, then back again a day later -- caused a bill of $375. 

To move a piano across town could easily cost twice that or more.

Anyone considering a large piano really needs to have a stable location and a minimal need to move same.

[donjuan]

$1000 isnt even enough for a decent digital, let alone a real piano.

Unless you get lucky and buy a used piano that someone is desperate to get rid of (for reasons not involving how crappy the piano is), you are better off saving up another $2000 at least and getting a used Yamaha upright.

[edit: said some stuff about iumonito's stuff, but it's all good now I pretty much second what he says now]

[iumonito]

[edited out my unnecessary childish post here].

[donjuan]

[edit: forgive and forget]

[rlefebvr]

You could buy a real good guitar....


Seriously. Ask around. It's possible someone is trying to get rid of a clunky old piano that's been in the family for years that no one plays. Offer a couple of hundred. 300 to move it and 500 fixing it. There, 1000 for an old beat up piano that can still play decent.

I know 2 people who got their piano that way.

[clef]

1000$ budget,  I need a good piano, is it possible??

short answer: yes, if...

long answer: no, but...

[cloches_de_geneve]

Suboptimal used piano: Maybe with some luck.
Good piano: No.

[jolly]

Hi, I'm getting sick of  digital pianos and espeically clavinovas.
What kind of piano can i get for 1000$?  any specific brand for quality/price?
ANy help would be appreciated!

Yes, it can be done.

In used pianos, condition is king. At this pricepoint, most people are as worried about the furniture aspect as playing ability.

Get in touch with a good pianotech in your area. They most often know where new pianos are going in, or where somebody wants to sell a piano because the kids no longer take lessons, etc. You want mechanically sound to take precedence over furniture.

[gyzzzmo]

It will be hard. Your only option is to look on ebay or other places where you can get used piano's....
A friend of mine bought a Steinway Grand with 'waterdamage' from a fire, for like 1000$. Turned up the thing was hardly damaged, and played like a Steinway should...
Lucky basterd


Good luck buying a piano, Gyzzzmo

[yamaha2006]

Impossible!

wait and save money....or rent one.

[andric_s]

Sure, its possible... I mean we're not talking a Steinway D, or anything.  But you should be able to find a piano with a pleasing tone, even action, and which holds a tuning for $1000.  I recently looked at an Aston-Weight from the 1950's, for a friend and her daughter.  The seller was asking $1000 and I thought it was a nice piano for a beginner/intermediate player.  It actually made me feel kind of silly for spending $16,000 on my grand (OK, I was starting to feel silly before that).

Whatever you do, don't get a spinet!

There is a certain amount of risk buying an old piano, or even getting one for free.  If it turns out that, say, the pin block is shot and it won't hold a tuning, you're stuck with a large, heavy piece of junk.


Oops, now I see this post is kind of old.  Well, maybe it'll be useful anyway.