Piano Buyer Guide?

[johncrow]

Hi, i am looking for good guide for newbie piano buyers.
Somebody recommend me https://pianopricer.com as good and almost only one.

Maybe someone already used it? I will be happy to get some words before buying it.

Thanks in advance!

[richard black]

Not sure I'm convinced by the marketing for that book, for a start. He writes:

If You Shop For A House, A Car, Or A Television, You Can Easily Find Pricing Information Freely On The Internet. But Not Pianos.

Why Is That?

Because the piano business is unlike any other industry. Pricing information can legally be kept under wraps. Dealers are allowed to set their own prices.

Well, a lot more houses, cars and TVs get sold than pianos so obviously there will be a lot more comparisons to be made, very easily. And in most countries of the world, dealers are allowed to set their own price for cars and TVs (and houses, to the limited extent dealers get involved). So what's the big deal? If you've a mind to, you can shop around and haggle on practically anything you want to buy.

So: what sort of piano do you want? For what purpose? What restrictions (price, space, access) do you have? Where are you?

[johncrow]

i am in US, NY

i am looking for something under 5k budget, not digital.

[richard black]

i am looking for something under 5k budget

OK, so you won't get a grand for that, or at least not one that's worth having, unless you're very lucky indeed. You could get quite a good second-hand upright, or a modest new one, probably made in China. The thing is, if you don't know much about pianos, enlist the advice of someone who does. This is really important. A piano tuner/technician, or an experienced pianist who knows a bit about the instrument, will instantly spot good and bad points to instruments that you might easily miss. I would seriously advise you to budget a couple of hundred $ to pay a tuner for his/her time. Don't be embarrassed about asking one to do this for you: it's a service most tuners do from time to time and they probably mostly have a standard fee for it.

Buying second-hand is a lot of fun if you've time for it. Do your own research as well (there are all sorts of piano-related sites on the web, for a start, and don't neglect to ask anyone you know who owns a piano for advice or comments) and look in stores, on ebay, in local advertising papers etc.

Buying new can also take time but probably less than the second-hand route. Just walk into a couple of piano shops and ask them to show you what they've got. They're no different from other stores - assume they'll take advantage of your innocence, try to sell you up to the next model and all the same stuff they do when selling you a hi-fi or TV, but basically most of them have a reasonable idea what they're selling. You'll soon spot the really good dealers, I promise you.

[gaest]

Hi, i am looking for good guide for newbie piano buyers.
Somebody recommend me https://pianopricer.com as good and almost only one.

Maybe someone already used it? I will be happy to get some words before buying it.

Thanks in advance!

Bah.  If you want info on pianos and comparisons as far as quality, definitely get Larry Fine's Piano Book, which is a necessity for a newbie piano buyer, since it also gives info on maintenance and various other details.

If you want to check out prices for some major brands of new piano, check out www.bluebookofpianos.com.  Many brands are represented, although not all of them.  This will show you the price of new pianos. 

Used pianos will vary greatly in price.  My best advice for you would be that if you're going to buy used, make sure you have a technician go with you to check out the piano and make sure it is worth your money.

[stars1234]

gaest is right.  Larry Fines book is unbiased, knowledgeable, very usefull.
Once you have that information, have found the piano brands that are in that price range, then grab a good technician and if you don't play well, get someone who does, to go with you, tell the salesman what you'd like to see, then ask him to let you try them out--in other words, go away, while you and the tech and the pianist talk about what you like and which piano best fits your kind of playing.

That works well for any new piano. For an older piano, it's the technician who will be most helpful.

I found a wonderful, 40 year old Mason and Hamlin, that cost $$,$$$, but would take an equal amount of $'s to put it into "working" condition. But then, the piano would be a quality instrument that'd cost about $60K to replace.

On an upright, sometimes you can find (not from a dealer) a nice, full-size one for a song (or if it's a dealer for much more than it's worth); then do an extensive rebuild/refinish and you will have a great upright.   

It can be fun to look for an old piano that this can be done to. However, with most of these pianos, to be honest, you'd need to pay someone to haul them to the junk yard.

Your best bet is to go with Larry Fine's book. Play lots of them, let the tech tell you what he thinks and why, then make a reasonable offer: if you like the piano, don't let the salesman steer you to something else. Stand your ground. If it is a reasonable offer for that quality piano & pays a little profit to the store, they will take it.