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I am trying to decide which piano to buy: a 1954 Knabe spinet or a 1965 Cable-Nelson spinet. Both are in very good condition, very well maintained and similarly priced.

Anyone has experience to be able say which one is a better buy - which one plays better, sound, quality, durability, holding the tune, etc.?

Why would you want either when there are so many better pianos out there?

A Yugo in good condition may be better than a Fiat in lousy condition, but you would not want either of them for everyday driving.

Because of the price and because these two are in good shape. These are the two decent pianos that we have found that are in our price range. We are not professional players, just want to have a piano at home to train on. Just that we need to decide which one to go for. I'd appreciate any advice...

Go by whichever one sounds and plays better to you, and internals deemed to be in workable condition by a technician (no broken action parts, and making sure the piano will actually hold a tune- you can't judge that as a layperson just by looking at it). Are there significant cracks at the bridge pins, missing strings, soundboard issues, stuck keys?

Very well-maintained means serviced at least annually by a tech. Can the seller provide receipts or the contact info for their technician? It has been my experience that everyone always says their piano is in "good condition"...

Otherwise, I'm with BDB; or if you're really so strapped for cash, an 88-key weighted hammer action digital may be better. Note that some stores do rent upright pianos out for a reasonable cost as well.

Thanks for the advice!

We considered digital, but decided to go with acoustic - don't want to train on a digital. And don't want to rent..

I know that the Cable-Nelson has been serviced annually so far and was being played regularly until recently. The Knabe, not so much.

Wait for something better. These are like a 45 year old car that has 400,000 miles on it versus a 56 year old car that has 5,000 miles on it. Neither condition is desirable.

You realize that you have not given any real information about these pianos, or yourself. If you tell us where your local Craigslist is, I could probably find you a better piano within a month.

I see nothing wrong with buying a spinet piano. Yes, there are many better pianos out there; even an upgrade from a spinet to a console is a big difference from what I understand. My first acoustic piano was a spinet, and I still have it. Thats basically the piano I learned to play on, and still practice religiously with it. Sure the action is noisy, and probably a bit uneven, but it still holds a tune. I also own an 88-key full weighted hammer action keyboard, and would take my sloppy spinet's action over the keyboard's any day....Although the grand has both of them beat by far....just my two cents.

I am buying the piano for my children to learn on. This is going to be our first piano. And, I want to get this done in a day or two, rather than waiting.

There is not much more that I know about these two pianos, just that the Knabe looks much prettier as a furniture, but I don't want that to be a factor. Both are being sold by the original owner.

This isn't the answer you're going to want to hear, but it's just hard for us to know. You are doing the piano equivalent of choosing between buying a 12-year-old Cavalier and a 12-year-old Escort. After 12 years it doesn't matter what Consumer Reports said which one was better when it was new. What matters is how well it was cared for over the years. This choice is the same thing. Find out who was servicing the Cable-Nelson, call him up and ask him if he remembers the piano and what he thinks of it. Or spend the $100 to have someone look at each of them for you and tell you which one is the better choice.

Odds are you could just flip a coin and pick one, and it won't actually make very much difference. Most spinet pianos were not intended as high quality musical instruments even when they were new, they were built to a price point for family musical enjoyment. If anyone gets serious enough with the piano to realize whether one would have been a better choice than the other, you'll understand you need a better piano than either of them.

pd1500,

I think that is a very valid answer and it makes a lot of sense to me. Thank you very much.

1500 what, dollars??

It was a reply to the member "pd1500".

Danad,

Are you SURE the Knabe is a spinet? While most of the Cable Nelsons from the 1960's were plain old spinets, I'm not so sure about the Knabe. I can really only recall Knabe consoles from this period.

Normally I would choose the newer piano but I really think you might be looking at a Knabe console, even though the cabinet is compact and may not appear to be much different from a spinet.

Thanks,

Nick

Nick,

Yes, it is a spinet, 1954. It is 39'' tall - that makes it a spinet for sure, right?

Not necessarily - I never remember seeing a 36" Knabe, which is the standard height for spinets.

Based on the height alone, get the Knabe. There is a chance it could have a drop action but I don't think so, or if it does at least it is taller.

I just can't remember if the Knabe 'console' had a drop action or not. In any case most would not classify it as a spinet by virtue of its height.

The more I think about it, I'm quite certain that the Knabe is NOT a spinet.

Here is an image, this is not the piano that I am looking to buy, but it looks exactly the same: http://www.onofriopiano.com/images/To%20Post%20Piano%20Pics/Knabe%2040in.jpg

You could examine it technically to make sure, but still in terms of size and cabinetry I'd say it's superior to a 1960's Cable Nelson - unless that's a console, too!

Thanks, Nick. Both sellers also say that the pianos are spinet, but perhaps they are wrong.

I also read that Knabe pianos were being produced by Aeolian, under the Knabe name, at the time that the Knabe piano I am considering was made (1950s), and that Aeolian made pianos are no good. Any ideas?

I believe that most of the decline and eventual demise of the Aeolian brands including Knabe occurred after 1959, which is when Aeolian was acquired by the Winter Piano Co.

Before 1959 you should be in good shape!

Also, console owners do often refer to their pianos as spinets by mistake.