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Original poster

Buying a piano (any piano teachers out there??)

13 replies

camembertandcranberry · 10/03/2009 11:12

We want to buy a piano and are hoping to spend around £500 on a decent quality second-hand model locally.
What should we be looking for??

How much does it cost to get a piano mover in to take one say a few miles as most of the ones I've seen on preloved and gumtree require the buyer to arrange delivery!

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smellen · 10/03/2009 14:26

It's about £100 to get a piano moved For such reasons, I've considered buying a digital piano, for £500 you could get a really good one. Clavinovas are supposed to be good, but there are lots of websites that review them. Volume control would be great for practice when the darlings are in bed.

Original poster

camembertandcranberry · 10/03/2009 15:23

Thanks Smellen.
DH (the musician of the house!) is determined it's got to be a clavinova or a proper piano not a keyboard though.

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Original poster

camembertandcranberry · 10/03/2009 17:12

bumping for the late afternoon crowd...

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newpup · 10/03/2009 17:51

Hello. We have just bought a piano. Well, we are renting it for 6 months first and then buying it. It cost £170 for delivery/removal and for the first tuning. The cost of the actual piano is £1250 though. I have seen the same piano on e-bay with a starting bid of £300 but did not see how much it went for. It is a good quality second hand one. We have been told it would see the DDs through to grade 5 and then we would need something better. I went to piano shop that was recommended by several people and they gave us good advice. I had looked on the internet and in the paper for second hand ones but to be honest I had no idea what I was looking for and needed some expert help. Renting for 6 months seemed like a good option for us. As, we could see if the piano was right for us and if the Dds got on with it.

handbagqueen · 10/03/2009 18:02

There are loads of people trying to give away pianos - I've seen at least 3 on freecycle in the last month, and at playgroup there were 2 people trying to give pianos away. So it may be worthwhile asking around as many people don't always have the space for them.

We ended up buying a digital piano for DD (she's only 6 though) and it seems pretty good cost around £400 including the stool and was highly recommended by the piano shop as a good one to start with (the guy who plays the paino for DD's ballet class also said he would buy a digital piano over an upright as they are easier to maintain and the sound is very good)

Hope this helps.

Original poster

camembertandcranberry · 11/03/2009 09:24

Thanks - it does help.
It's so difficult as I don't know enough about it all. DH is a grade 8 musician on another instrument and now wants to learn to play piano so wants something to last through to a decent level but then again I don't really want to cough up say £1000.....can't win really.

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Original poster

camembertandcranberry · 11/03/2009 14:44

Have any of you heard of the brand 'royale' - I've found one in about the right price range online (obviously would need to see it etc) but when I googled the brand nothing comes up at all which is strange.

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FAQinglovely · 11/03/2009 14:53

where abouts are you?

I have a piano going free to a good home. It does need some TLC - but I'm positive that it won't cost you anywhere close to the £500 to bring it back up to it's once loved condition.

Hulababy · 11/03/2009 15:02

We bought DD a digital piano at Christmas. On following advice we got her a Casio PX-720. She has piano lessons as normal, and it dsounds veyr good. Was about £600

Original poster

camembertandcranberry · 11/03/2009 17:37

What a shame FAQ as I'm absolutely nowhere near you (checked in your profile).

DH really doesn't want a digital piano - will consider only a clavinova or a proper piano....I have to defer to him as the proper musician in the house on this one I guess (although he's not a pianist, well not yet!)

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Hulababy · 11/03/2009 17:42

Have to admit that I am bit clueless about it all.

I thought a Clavinova WAS a digital piano - a brand made by Yamaha. Or is this incorrect?

12341234 · 11/03/2009 17:53

I bought one off ebay for £500 - its about 50 years old but had been completely refurbished. I went to see it before I bought it, and it was brilliant! So I gave them the cash there and then and they ended the auction, then arranged a mover (this was croydon area). Refurbished are really good - my parents have one too. The free / £100 ones aren't really much cop generally, you often end up with ones that won't keep their tune. If you don't play and need an opinion look in yellow pages for a piano teacher or piane tuner in the area, they will probably do a visit out to a piano and give you a verdict - a piano tuner is probably a better bet than a teacher. You're looking for overstrung underdampered I believe, but check on the internet! A piano teacher has since seen mine and said it was a bargain, so don't just go for the first one you see, keep looking if its not perfect. Good luck!

Original poster

camembertandcranberry · 11/03/2009 17:54

It might well be - I am a bit clueless too

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