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Buying A Piano
Quality Pianos at the guaranteed lowest price.
Our Chapel Hill Blvd location is only minutes off I-40. We having been serving
Raleigh piano customers as well as Durham and Chapel Hill piano customers for
over 50 years.
Advice from the National Piano Foundation
| You've been looking forward to having a piano in your home and making music a part of your life. You're ready to buy a piano. How will you decide which instrument is best for you? A piano is many things - an instrument, a fine piece of furniture, an object of sentimental value and a long-term investment that yields musical dividends. Keep in mind that you'll be listening to and looking at your piano for a long time. The average lifetime of a piano spans decades, and you will probably own it long after you've sold your present furniture, house, and car. So buy the best piano you can afford. Don't economize on a piano, especially for a child who's starting lessons. Making music on a quality instrument is one of the best ways to keep your young pianist interested.
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Which Type of Piano is for You?
Vertical Pianos
The spinet piano was first produced in 1935. Its low cost and reduced height, between 35" and 39", made it a popular choice after World War II. Console pianos are 40" to 43" tall. This means longer strings and a larger soundboard that improves the tone. Generally, the larger the piano, the better the tone.
Studio pianos from 45" to 48" tall are often found in schools, studios and, increasingly, living rooms. The string lengths and soundboard size are comparable to those of small grands. Professional upright pianos are those ranging in height from 49" to 52" and offer the most power and tone in a vertical piano.
Grand Pianos
Grand pianos designed for home use have enjoyed an increase in popularity in recent years. They start at under five feet. If space is a major consideration, use a paper pattern on the floor to measure - you may be pleasantly surprised to find you have room for a larger piano! Five and a half foot grands have a more pleasant tone. Six food grands are a popular choice for piano teachers and serious amateurs. The largest grands in the seven to nine foot category are used primarily for public performance, and are found in concert halls, churches and auditoriums.
Once you've chosen the piano that's right for your space, aspirations and pocketbook, decide on the styling. Many verticals have elegant cabinets and are adaptable to different decors. You'll find that most pianos are more conservative than other kinds of furniture. Look at the music rack and leg design to determine whether the style will be compatible with your furnishings. A piano cabinet that contrasts can be just as attractive as one that matches.
The Piano Inside and Out
A piano is a marvel of engineering that depends on top-quality materials, impeccable craftsmanship and unflagging care to produce good music. The piano has profited greatly in tone and performance as a result of technological improvements, and modern pianos are far superior in many ways to their predecessors.
Piano strings are made of high grade steel drawn to exact sizes. The bass strings are wound with copper or copper-clad wire to add mass for lower tones. The plate is made of cast iron and is bolted to the frame. It anchors most of the 20 tons of pull exerted by the taut strings. At the top of the plate, the strings are wound through and around tuning pins. These are set into the pin block, constructed of layers of carefully seasoned hard wood which grips the pins in place for better tuning stability.
The soundboard amplifies the vibrations of the strings. It is made of fine, straight grain spruce in many top-quality instruments. The hard maple treble and bass bridges transfer the vibrations of the strings to the soundboard. These assembled components are called the strung back.
The playing mechanism of the piano is called the action. As many as 9,000 parts play a role in sending the hammers against the strings when the keys are struck. Grand pianos have horizontal actions, and upright pianos have vertical actions. There are two kinds of vertical actions: "direct blow," which pushes the mechanism that controls the hammer, found in most consoles, studio pianos and professional uprights; and "indirect blow" or "drop" action, which pulls the mechanism in spinets and some consoles.
Piano hammers are made from sheets of felt molded around a wooden hammer under tremendous pressure. A 12-pound hammer refers to the weight of a sheet of felt used to make the hammer, not the weight of the hammer itself.
Today, piano keys are almost never made from ivory. Instead, piano manufacturers us a fine molded resin that won't crack or turn yellow. The black keys are made of a similar material. Each key is balanced by a center pin, and "bushed" with fine wool for proper clearance and quiet operation.
Pianos may have two or three pedals. The sustaining, or damper pedal on the far right lifts the dampers away from the strings so that the notes will continue to sound after the keys are released. The pedal on the left, the "una corda" or "soft" pedal, reduces the tone by shortening the distance the hammers travel. In grands, the action shifts slightly so fewer strings are struck. Some pianos have a third pedal for sustaining bass notes only. On most grand pianos and some verticals, the third pedal is called a "sostenuto". It sustains selected notes at the pianist's discretion. Some pianos use the third pedal for sustaining bass notes only or for activating a practice mute.
Finally, there's the cabinet, that handsome piece of furniture that will take a prominent place in your decor. Modern cabinets are made of cork stock overlaid with thin veneers of fine furniture wood. Many grains and finishes are available and modern finishing techniques assure excellent appearance and easy care for years.
Ship Wisely: It's an Investment
Ask your friends and associates where they purchased their piano, and if they were pleased with the attention they received. Go to the show rooms of retailers you've selected and look at every piano in your size and price range. A qualified piano salesperson can be very helpful in assisting you to select the right piano for your needs.
If you decide you want a piano in the showroom that has not yet been tuned, don't hesitate to ask the dealer to do so before you buy. Besides tuning, final preparation before delivery should include a thorough cleaning and regulation of the action, if necessary.
Once you've selected a piano, inspect the warranty. A reasonable warranty covers a five to ten years period under one owner only. It does not cover tuning or action regulation, and may not extend to the finish. Find out if the purchase price includes the bench and delivery.
Another way to buy a piano for a beginner is a rental/purchase plan. Under this arrangement, you rent a new piano for a monthly fee plus delivery charges. If you decide to buy the piano, many dealers will let you apply to the purchase price the delivery and rental charge for a specified length of time. This is usually available on vertical pianos.
Buying a Used Piano
While finances will figure in deciding which piano you will buy, do consider a top quality new piano. The materials used in even the best older pianos are subject to wear, seasonal humidity changes and, occasionally, to incompetent service or neglect. Antique pianos such as "squares" and "bird cages" are limited by design as well as age and should be considered as collector's items rather than musical instruments. The best modern pianos are an improvement over their older counterparts in both design and materials.
Price is usually a fair indication of the quality of a new piano. The price of used piano, however, may not reflect its true worth since the condition of the instrument is difficult to ascertain. The finish and appearance of the piano, which consumers are more likely to judge themselves, may not reflect the condition of the action and strung back.
Although retailers and technicians may have some good buys in used pianos, you will likely be looking at pianos in private homes. Inspect the piano yourself and make notes about the condition of its appearance and sound. Write down the manufacturer name and serial number. Then have a Registered Tuner-Technician inspect the piano to determine its service requirements. Delivery should be by a moving firm that specializes in pianos. (Be sure to measure the piano against the doors it must pass through in advance, and notify the movers about any stairs!)
The Rebuilt Piano
The Piano Technicians Guild, Inc. has adopted the following definitions to help clarify the level of repairs on a piano:
"A used piano that has been disassembled, inspected, repaired as necessary with replacement of all worn or deteriorated parts reassembled, tested and approved to at least the tolerances of a new piano of like manufacture is said to have been rebuilt. A used piano that has been put back in good condition by cleaning, repairing and adjusting for maximum performance with replacement parts where specifically indicated is said to have been reconditioned."
The labor-intensive work required to rebuild a piano properly is not inexpensive. Therefore, a rebuilt piano should be purchased because of its merits, not purely as a money-saving measure compared to a new instrument.
Caring for Your Piano
Once your new piano is in your home, choose a place for it with stable humidity and temperature. Reducing seasonal humidity changes will greatly improve the performance and longevity of your piano. Ask your technician about climate control systems.
A piano's continued good performance depends on regular maintenance. After you move a piano to any new environment, wait a few weeks for it to become acclimated before having it tuned. A new piano should be tuned at least three to four times during the first year and on a regular schedule after that as recommended by you Registered Tuner-Technician.
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