Second hand upright pianos -- what to look for ...

[christaylor]

I'm looking at second hand upright pianos on eBay. I can get them for a very reasonable price as a lot of people are basically discarding them. What should I look for or be aware of when ? Any particular makes?

[john90]

It can depend on the music you want to play. Another thing is the weight! Some old upright ones are heavier to lift than baby grands. Ask lots of questions early on, get pictures of the inside.

Go and try a new Steinway in a store (not a used one, must be new). Play a few notes, loud and soft, try the pedals, listen, look inside. You need to know what a good piano feels/sounds like.
Look for a couple of months minimum without buying.

[aintgotnorhythm]

I bought a piano (as a 2nd piano) on ebay a few years ago. It was very cheap and in fact it cost me more in removal costs (it may seem obvious but don't forget about the practicalities of actually getting it to the room where you intend to play it!)

If spending more than not very much, then I would think about paying for your piano tuner to come with you when you go to look at the piano to give you a second opinion.

A few days after I got mine on ebay, the piano tuner came and needed a couple of hours to repair some of the sticky notes and get it back into shape. He had a book with him of all known piano manufacturers and our ebay purchase wasn't in the book!

Anyway I ended up with a piano with lots of character, not perfect but ideal for what I needed. It also has a much lighter action than my main piano so I tend to use it for those pieces needing more stamina than I actually have.

[john90]

If spending more than not very much, then I would think about paying for your piano tuner to come with you when you go to look at the piano to give you a second opinion.

I definitely agree. Without a tuner/tech, count on buying/being given a couple of duds, before you learn what you should be looking for. If you are having to pay removal costs, take a tech with you. I really loved my first dud. Parallel strung, terrible action, worn out hammers, original strings, half iron frame, circa 1880. £35. Gorgeous in a perverse kind of way. Managed to sell it for £50 to a dodgy dealer who said someone will buy it for twice that.