Piano

Steph312

Hello

I want to buy a standard in tune upright acoustic piano
I know the electronic weighted key Yamaha ones (plus expensive) are liked and highly rated by many plus not needing re-tuning etc. but preferably I know in my heart I want an old fashion one. New or second hand does not matter as long as it in-tune and in a reasonably good condition.

Are there any trustworthy websites you recommend, or is it safer to purchase one in store. Thanks in advance for any advice

Masomnia

Especially if you're just starting out I'd look at freecycle, or local ads. A lot of people just want to get rid of them, and if you're willing to pay for the delivery will give them away.

Nile

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_Andy_

I'd echo the above. You could easily find a piano free, then invest in having it properly tuned etc. Would save you loads.

googler

You may well find a piano that's 'in-tune' when you buy it, but be aware that it will most likely need to be retuned after it's been moved to your home, and will most likely drift a bit after that as it acclimatises to your home as opposed to where it was before, so you should budget for at least a couple of tunings soon after you get it.

Much will depend on your budget, and your location. There's oodles of used and new pianos on eBay and Gumtree, but are there any dedicated piano retailers where you live? How much do you want to spend?

You really need to see the piano in the flesh and try it, to ensure that -a- you like the sound of the beast, and -b- that when you play, it has an action and response that suit you. You may well prefer a light action, and if you buy sight unseen, you could end up with a heavy, unresponsive brute. You may be a strong person and want a heavy, stiff action, and would hate a delicately-balanced piano that embraced subtlety. It's a personal choice.

You have to try it before you buy. You wouldn't buy a car without driving it, or one of the model type, before you buy, would you?

There's plenty of more specific music-based websites that offer more extensive advice than the above, and there's also the Haynes manual, which has some 40 or so pages on choosing a piano retailer, and the piano which suits you, as well as sections on looking after it once you have it.

It's unclear whether or not you play already - are you looking for an instrument as an adult learner, or do you have some background?

googler

Here's what you're likely to find at the larger retailers

http://www.forsyths.co.uk/pianos/32091-upright-pianos

There's over 400 used uprights on eBay, some of which start at £0.01, and which the owners will basically allow you to take away for nought. Do you really want to go to the trouble of hiring a piano mover to collect one of these, with no guarantee of condition?

malcumms7898

How difficult is it to learn to tune a piano? If you can get an out of tune piano for nothing and save spending a few grand on a new or better condition one, perhaps it might be worth trying to learn how to tune a piano.

googler

malcumms7898 wrote: »

How difficult is it to learn to tune a piano? If you can get an out of tune piano for nothing and save spending a few grand on a new or better condition one, perhaps it might be worth trying to learn how to tune a piano.

"Tuning courses at Newark - Musical Instrument Crafts - Piano Tuning, Maintenance and Repair (Advanced) - A course that will prepare each student to become a professional tuner or technician - The level 3 course is 2 years of full time study. Timetables run over 3 days per week."

The piano manual I mentioned above has a dozen or so pages devoted to the subject, but the author freely admits that the very first time he took a tuning lever to a piano for real, he broke a string. You need to understand equal temperament, some of the notes have to be slightly off for the whole thing to sound right.

I'm planning on getting a tuning lever to bring just one or two of the notes on mine back up to tune, but I'd fight shy of tuning the whole thing straight off. Besides which, the OP wants a piano to play, not one to learn how to tune on ...

You can perhaps judge how tuning expertise is valued by tuners' charges - a garden labourer charges £15 per hour, plumber £25-30 per hour, piano tuner £50 or so ...

googler

This music forum seems particularly bad for OPs who never return to the threads they started .....

Steph312

googler wrote: »

This music forum seems particularly bad for OPs who never return to the threads they started .....

Sorry

I'm based in London
I'd like to spend under £500
How much does it cost to tune a piano? where do you find a good tuner? I used to have lessons many years (8+) ago and got to only grade 5 piano. I have not played since then and all of a sudden i have this need. Even if just to pay to use one for a few hours maybe, not with a teacher just playing things I like in an isolated room.

Is it just me as electric yahmaha piano with pedals weighted keys etc i remember from music lessons in secondary school, was just not the same as an upright and nothing like a grand piano the students practised on at my piano lessons (there's something lacking in their sound quality), or are there ones that are more convincing now? I might be talked around into getting an electric one considering tuning costs, convenience for right now might be easier to move around keep in my room and probably be able to put headphones in and practice to myself without disturbing others which seems ideal really for now. Still ultimately at some point in my life I'd like to own a real piano.

PS: sorry i vanished mse is quite addictive needed to study and get work related tasks completed and to stop procrastinating.

googler

I'm in Scotland, and our tuner charges £60 for a standard tuning. I found him through internet searching, but you could ask for recommendations from anyone you know who owns a piano, from piano retailers, from piano technicians, etc. I would imagine tuners in London charge a bit more. A bit of googling or a browse through Yellow Pages, music magazines, maybe?

Electronic pianos have become more convincing, with high-end models offering simulation of half-pedalling, mock-ivory keytops, and other enhancements to mimic a real instrument, but I very much doubt you'll find the best of these at £500 or less. The only way to determine if a new £500 model will do what you expect is to find a stockist and try one. There's a few on Denmark Street, off Charing Cross Road, that I know of, and there's bound to be others scattered around London.

I'm sure there'll be places in London that would let you hire a practice room with a piano for a short while, maybe music colleges and the like? Phone around a few and ask. Maybe schools or churches who have a real piano might be open to this too.