Musical mumsnetters! I need some help / suggestions re buying a piano

[Wilbur]

I want to get a piano but am not sure the best way of going about it. Obviously new pianos are v expensive and I am tempted to look on Ebay or other secondhand places and give an older piano a new home, but I have heard that buying a secondhand piano can be a bit dodgy. Someone told me that old pianos can need so much tuning and be generally out of condition that thay will cost you more in the long run than a new one. Does anyone know how I can avoid this? Are there reputable secondhand dealers? I have looked a bit on the net but they all seem to be way outside of London and I imagine the delivery to me in Balham will cost hundreds. Does anyone have any tips or recommendation about how I should go about this? I'd be very grateful.

Speak to a local tuner, see if they can recommend anyone. Mine was telling me recently about the times when people had bought pianos off eBay, then called him out to tune them and he'd condemned them. So, auctions probably to be avoided unless you know what you're doing, or know a man who does.

Tuners are always reliable sources of knowledge!

You could have a browse on here Wilbur:

Pianos

There is a good second hand dealer in London and I am racking my brians to remember the name

A tuner - that's a good idea. Funnily enough, I was sat on the train recently next to a real live blind piano tuner (you always hear about them, but I have never come across one). He was chatting away to a mate about getting around between jobs and one of his regular clients who was still nervous of his dog after 10 years of tuning visits. I should have asked him, shouldn't I? Will check out some local tuners now.

Right, have just spoken to a tuner and looked at a couple of website he has recommended - one of them the same as your marina, thank you! What I'm wondering is where I could find a list of piano manufacturers and an idea of which ones are good and which not so much. I know Yamaha, Steinway etc but there are lots more makers I have never heard of. It would be just my luck to find out I had bought the piano equivalent of a Lada.

I am going to ask my colleague about this Wilbur, will report back later

Oh gosh, not sure what to advise on brands! Try the tuner again?! I have quite an unusual one - Wahlburg, something like that (upstairs at the mo,, not sure of spelling!), but it's a fab little piano, so I don't think you have to just look at the well known makes.

I'm going to butt out now as I'm in over my head already, can you tell?! But I wish you success in your search. I'm sure that if you take Marina's advice, and maybe discuss again with a tuner, you'll find something suitable.

Good luck

hi Wilbur, colleague recommends Jacques Samuels on the Edgware Road.
Their website looks rather upmarket and glam but they do sell a good range of non-prestige makes as well as grands etc.
Colleague got a Petrof, a Czech upright, and he is very happy with it. Good tone and good customer service at the shop.
He also says there is a place in S Wimbledon but can't remember their name.

Hi Wilbur. I have a piano I don't want anymore. Very old and in desperate need of tuning. Any good?

I think the only way to really find a piano is to try it - find one you love. Definitely ask tuners about reputable dealers though. Don't know about London, but in SW, the Bristol Piano Company is very good.

Good makes are imo
Bluthner
Yamaha (good action, not so sure about tone, but that's a personal thing)
Danemann (earlier models, later ones had problems I believe)
Bechstein (my personal favourite - beautiful mellow tone)
I've got a Boston grand which I love - it's cheaper than a one-off Steinway, but designed by Steinway.

hi wilbur - where are you?
we bought ours from a nice family firm up in St Ann's Road (south Tottenham) - they buy old pianos and completely rebuild them, it was nice giving new life to an old English piano

She's in Balham I think.
Would that be J Reid bundle?

We bought a secondhand Knight piano from Sheargold's in Cobham. My father found it for us - and noticed that the top and bottom notes didn't seem to have been played. Obviously bought by a wealthy Surrey family for their DS/DD who gave up lessons after a short while.
It is very important to make sure that the sound board at the back is not cracked - if it is it will cost too much to repair.

ah yes marina, i think it was reid's, they were v nice and prefer giving cash to families iykwim.
hmmm balham, that'd be sarf of the river

we bought a piano from Morleys in Lewisham and they were very helpful and really nice. They took away our old one when they delivered it and also swapped our piano stool for free as the new piano was a different colour to the old one and they thought we would like to have a matching stool.

Thanks for all these suggestions - esp the s wimbledon one, I'm going to pop over there this weekend, pamina. Funny that you mentioned Sheargolds, lilymaid - I grew up in Cobham and they used to tune our old piano which sadly died of woodworm in about 1989 or I would still have it. I did look at their webpage first, for old times' sake, but of course the delivery up to Balham would be £££.

Also interesting was the Association of Blind Piano Tuners website which had a few 2nd hand ones for sale which presumably have been reasonably well looked after. There's one on offer near me which is a Berry - anyone heard of that brand?

I used to have a Challen which was sold to me by my piano teacher, apparently it is a very good make.

These days however I have a Clavinova as it is an all round easier option as I am not a serious enough player anymore.

Message withdrawn

Yes, snorkle - I have been doing some reading about buying 2nd hand and they all say get it checked out first. There was one very funny article saying that some piano dealers refer to old pianos that are beyond repair as PSOs, Piano Shaped Objects, in that some people like to have and attractive old piano as a piece of furniture because they look lovely, but don't play it so it doesn't matter that it sounds terrible. Anyway I have spoken to a local tuner and will get him to look first and give me an opinion.