Buying a Used Baby Grand - without seeing it?

[blancanieves240]

Hi everyone!  I am thinking about possibly buying my first Baby Grand piano (previously had a Yamaha Clavinova, and before that an Upright at my parents house). 
I have tried out pianos at several stores, and really like the YAMAHA GC1. 

I have two questions for the experts on here:

1. The piano would be in a 11.5 x 23 foot living room.  Will this reduced space affect the sound at all?  Is this too small a space for a Baby Grand?

2.  Is it OK to buy a USED PIANO online, if I already know what model I want and have a professional tuner go to evaluate it first?

Thanks so much in advance !! 

[dogperson]

I would not buy a piano without playing it first— even if it passed a tech inspection.  Why not?  Each piano may be slightly different in tone and touch even from models of the same year.  You won’t know if you like the particular piano until you play it.

The room is more than adequate for this piano

[ted]

I would not buy a piano without playing it first— even if it passed a tech inspection.  Why not?  Each piano may be slightly different in tone and touch even from models of the same year.  You won’t know if you like the particular piano until you play it.

The room is more than adequate for this piano

I agree, I couldn't do that, the whole experience of playing is far too personal. A friend has a Fazioli worth about five times my rebuilt Weinbach but I wouldn't swap with him. It isn't primarily about the value of an instrument or what other people think about it but concerns what sort of music I might produce on it, how it fits my psyche and how my technique might cope with it. Mind you, my experience of playing different pianos is limited so this view is possibly valid only for me.

[blancanieves240]

Thank you so much for your responses!!