needing a new piano

[liszmaninopin]

How does one tell if one needs a new piano?  I suspect that mine is getting worn out, but what are some signs to look for?

[schnabels_grandson]

How old is your piano?  What kind/style is it?  If it's not more than 40 years old, you could have a technician look at it and give you an estimate of the cost of reconditioning the parts that may be worn out.  If it creaks a lot or falls out of tune quickly, it needs help.

[liszmaninopin]

I think it's something like 20 years old.  It's a used Jesse French, a brand I have never even heard of outside of having one in my living room.  I would really like to replace it with something better, but I can't convince my parents to buy a good one; and they love their tv too much for me to rent a grand-they are convinced it will be too loud.

[nad]

i had a piano for 9 years and at that time it was 100 yrs old! lol  

[schnabels_grandson]

Ah, I have a solution.  Buy your parents headphones.

[liszmaninopin]

I don't think that will work.  They want to watch TV, and don't want to have a grand in the house because they think it will disrupt their TV watching. (the same goes for my siblings, only more so)

[Plaz]

They want to watch TV, and don't want to have a grand in the house because they think it will disrupt their TV watching. (the same goes for my siblings, only more so)

That is really tragic.  TV is such a WASTE of time, and the fact that your parents are choosing that over giving you the opportunity to expand your musical horizons is painful to hear.

That being said, you may or may not need a new piano.  If the one you have still sounds good, it may just need a tech to give it a good going over to bring it back up to snuff.  However, if after it's been serviced, you think it's limiting your ability to fully play and enjoy music, then it's time for a new (or at least different) piano.  I hope that your parents eventually come around to their senses and turn off the TV.

You may find a grand will give you better control over dynamics and tone than what you're currently playing.  Then again, you might not notice enough of a difference to make it worth it.  It all depends on how/what you like to play.

In the interim, you might have luck finding a piano to play/practice on at a local university.  Maybe one of your friends would allow you to install a piano and practice at their house .

[eddie92099]

TV is such a WASTE of time

Actually, no,
Ed

[liszmaninopin]

How much would it normally cost to rent a piano?  Please no Euros.  Actually, I hate to sound dumb, but is the UK using the Euro?

[eddie92099]

Actually, I hate to sound dumb, but is the UK using the Euro?

Firstly, how exactly would one sound dumb? By remaining silent? Secondly, no it is not using the Euro yet (but should be ),
Ed

[liszmaninopin]

I guess to remain silent would be to remain dumb, but that seems like a fact people should know.

[Axtremus]

Agree with Plaz about consulting a tech on whether your current piano can be brought back into shape. It may simply be a matter of re-filing/voicing the hammers and doing some regulation. Explain to your tuner/technician what is it that you think are the piano's deficiencies and see if s/he thinks those problems could be fixed.

[buck]

Depending on the model of the piano, it might/might not be worth the trouble to recondition.