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Original poster

Piano help

31 replies

Mn753 · 25/02/2021 18:27

Hello!
I have a question for any piano parents.
We have a nice old piano that is a tone below concert pitch (tuned regularly but not able to get it any higher).
Dd 7 is having lessons and teacher thinks this might be a problem as Dd has good sense of pitch /might develop perfect pitch so we could do with changing the piano.

Looking at affordable 2nd hand pianos at concert pitch, although I really hate any that sound 'honky tonk' even if correct pitch.

Or do we suck it up, sell a kidney and buy a new, or newish decent one? My Dh and I both play (not professionally but keen) so it will get used even if she and younger sister don't keep it up. Although we are a musical family so I'm guessing they'll have some involvement.

Any brands to recommend /avoid? We only have space for an upright I think.

Thanks so much.

OP posts:
bathorshower · 25/02/2021 18:38

Random thought: would you consider a (second) electric piano. Bonus feature: transposition at the touch of a button, so you could play both pianos together.

They are cheaper (new) than a reasonable acoustic piano. And they have a volume control.

Original poster
Mn753 · 25/02/2021 18:50

That is interesting, I'm not sure where I'd put it but worth a thought thank you

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BrigitsBigKnickers · 25/02/2021 19:03

I have a Yamaha digital piano with weighted keys ( bought in lockdown when I couldn't get my acoustic piano tuned.) It's pretty much like playing a real piano and never goes out of tune! I suppose it depends on what his teacher says but they are fairly reasonable in price and can be practised with ear phones and have a volume control! The Yamaha's can also connect to an app which has some cool features and if he gets into composing can be plugged into a computer.

Aahotep · 25/02/2021 19:10

We've got the Yamaha and it's fantastic

doesanybodyhaveamap · 25/02/2021 22:06

We have a very lovely Kemble upright. Not as expensive as a Yamaha or Kawai but very reliable and lovely tone. Originally belonged to a concert pianist friend who had had happily owned it for several years.

If you can stretch to it, the Yamaha silent pianos are amazing!

Original poster
Mn753 · 26/02/2021 16:59

Thanks all, have called a couple of local companies to discuss.

I reckon complaining about having to spend thousands on a piano because your young child is so talented is peak mumsnet 😂

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Devlesko · 26/02/2021 17:14

I do know that it's hit and miss with second hand Piano's.
You could end up with one that's untunable and then you've lost money.
Invest in either a didital, for reasons mentioned above, or go down the kidney route Grin I wouldn't touch second hand as could be a false economy.

BeyondMyWits · 26/02/2021 17:30

We have only ever had a digital piano. No room or money available for anything else. DD gained her grades with no problem. She says the tone is not as warm as a real piano, but it is not important for practice as she played the one at school before exams, to get her fingers used to the feel and her ears used to the music... (as she put it.)

lunar1 · 26/02/2021 18:09

I got my children a reconditioned Yamaha UX. it took me a long time to reconcile the cost but it's made a world of difference from the weighted electric one they had.

What is your budget? Ours was 4.5k by the time it was delivered and I had the soft close added to it. At least you are musical too, DH and I have had three recorder lessons between us as children 🤣

Original poster
Mn753 · 27/02/2021 06:54

Thanks all, I reckon we could probably stretch to £4k without selling a child so a newish one might be a possibility. I always coveted a shiny yamaha one as a child so I'm tempted.
Digital pianos are obviously brilliant but our lovely piano (80 year old, flat, cheap) is the centrepiece of one of our rooms so I want something nice looking to replace it really

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Mumdiva99 · 27/02/2021 07:04

Gosh with a budget that high you should be able to get a decent second hand piano. People struggle to give them away free as they are not favoured in modern homes as you can see by the comments above. Take a look on your local fb market place.

billybagpuss · 27/02/2021 07:05

Don’t get a digital, especially with that budget, you are both players and dd will progress much quicker with an acoustic. You really don’t feel the touch and you don’t get the harmonic sound with digital.

Where about s are you? Mickleboroughs in Bristol do rent to buy schemes and often sell off ex rentals at really good prices, you may find somewhere locally that does similar.

Yamaha’s are good, but I prefer the German makes, Zimmerman were bechsteins value range and they are lovely. I don’t think there are particularly any bad brands it just depends on your personal preference. Piano shopping is fun, so come April 12 go and play some and enjoy yourself, they may even take yours in part ex.

You should be able to find something nice for about half that. When I looked for mine they had refurbished Yamaha U1 for around £2.5k

billybagpuss · 27/02/2021 07:08

@Mumdiva99

Gosh with a budget that high you should be able to get a decent second hand piano. People struggle to give them away free as they are not favoured in modern homes as you can see by the comments above. Take a look on your local fb market place.
Sorry @Mumdiva99 with that budget avoid fb marketplace.

Free to good home or cheap locally advertised pianos are very hit and miss, more usually miss. You’ll end up with similar issues to what you have. I will often go with my students when they are doing that to make sure they don’t end up with a dud

lorisparkle · 27/02/2021 07:31

When looking at pianos we were shown one that was a tone out, I found it very strange to play so I would look at getting a new one.

Our local piano shop was offering interest free credit at the time and bought a lovely piano. We have a very experienced piano tuner and we asked his opinion on any pianos we looked at.

We had been given one free but he said it was not suitable.

It might be worth asking your piano tuner whether they know of a reputable place to get a good quality but good value piano from.

On a personal note, the feel of the piano is really important to me so I have never liked an electronic keyboard.

Mumdiva99 · 27/02/2021 07:42

I know what you are saying @billybagpuss. But with a decent budget they can get it checked out before being bought...they can pay for a person like you to view before purchase.

Original poster
Mn753 · 27/02/2021 09:17

Thanks all, it's not exactly a budget, more of a guess of how much we need to spend to get a decent one.

Our first was £500 so I don't want to spend £1500 on something that won't do the job either, would rather buy one that will last. We have an old house which is not the least damp in the world so it would really need to hold its pitch. I don't mind scratches etc as I'm sure my kids and their friends will add some!

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minniemoocher · 27/02/2021 09:20

I would suggest just looking around on Freecycle - we got our for free years ago and turned out to be a good one. Get an overstrung one for quality (no idea what this means my piano tuner told me mine was and that was better) 100+ years old and still in tune

minniemoocher · 27/02/2021 09:21

Or speak to your local piano tuner, they often know of ones for sale

Emmelina · 27/02/2021 09:36

What about a yamaha clavinova? :)

Original poster
Mn753 · 27/02/2021 13:59

Thanks I think we want the full piano as we all play, more now we're working from home and my husband plays in his tea breaks!

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KittyOSullivanKrauss · 27/02/2021 14:13

We have a Yamaha digital piano with weighted keys but after DS did G2 his teacher strongly encouraged us to invest in an acoustic. We have a Yamaha upright and that DS fell in love with in a shop and it's beautiful. He says its much better and feels he's made more progress than if we'd stuck with digital only. We have excellent support from a piano tuner and it holds really well. If you both play as well it sounds well worth it. It might be worth trying Mark Goodwin pianos seeing as shops won't be opening for some time. He was recommended to me by a piano tuner and mainly sells Yamahas.

CoteDAzur · 28/02/2021 14:29

If you are serious about music, get an upright acoustic piano rather than an electric one. It's nothing like a real piano, even when the keys are weighted - after a certain level, especially when keys are weighted.

Ask your piano teacher if she would come with you to the store to help you choose a second hand piano within your budget.

Pianos don't lose their values much from 2nd to 3rd or 4th hand, so it can be a very good investment. 2nd hand pianos can even be better and noticeably more pleasant to play, since many good brands have moved their production to Asia in recent years and the pianos they produced in Europe 10 years ago can be much better in quality and sound.

Original poster
Mn753 · 28/02/2021 16:35

Yes I can see they don't seem to depreciate that much. Have made a few enquiries and will go out and see them when the shops reopen. A few seem to offer rental too so that might be an option if we're not 100 % sure. We have a German piano at the moment and we love the tone so a yamaha might be a bit too bright for us maybe.

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Fifthtimelucky · 28/02/2021 16:46

Yamahas are too bright for my taste. I second someone else's recommendation of a Kemble. I bought a new one about 20 years ago and was very happy with it.

Even though they had by then been owned by Yamaha for a while, the pianos didn't sound as bright as Yamahas. They are no longer made in the UK though, so not sure if that has changed.

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 28/02/2021 16:51

We bought a proper electronic piano when ours died (not a ‘keyboard’). It’s fantastic.