Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Musing on an acoustic piano

First of all, I'm not posting this in the piano forum because it's unknown territory for me, and then it's still just a thought, nothing concrete...

Once in a while I find myself thinking about acoustic pianos. I usually put the thought away because I like to play with the headphones on (I have a hard time concentrating and that helps) and then there's the tuning, etc. Still, I keep looking at classifieds, eBay, and the like. Last week I saw a very old German upright at a flea market, priced €600; apart from a broken key, it looked alright. And there was somebody nearby selling a Challen piano for €200!

On one hand, I'm tempted by these "bargains" - and old European pianos have a special charm in my eyes - but I'm aware that I'd probably end up spending much more to have it fixed. So I look at more recent second-hand Yamaha's and Kawai's, and I see that I could get a reconditioned U1 Silent for little more than €3,000. Or a non-silent model for less, all with a 5 to 10-year guarantee.

The acoustic would have to be placed in my house in the country. It's a terraced stone house and it's quite humid in winter - no heating system yet (I am slowly renovating it). There's plenty of room upstairs and a high wooden ceiling, so that even a concert grand wouldn't look out of place there, BUT there's just a narrow staircase to go up. I doubt even a small upright would pass through. And here my dreaming stops.

Still... I know I'll get one one day. Anybody would like to add some clarity - or more confusion - to my thoughts?

If the upstairs has a decent size window they can use a crane to get it in the upstairs.

The house was built in the 17th century and has small windows. There could be a way, actually, since part of the floor is currently missing in one of the rooms... but then this room has no doors to the rest of the house! I should have bought a piano before rebuilding the roof

How narrow are the stairs?....How high is the ceiling as you go up the stairs?

If you take the legs off the grand( which is often done for moving), then you could turn it on its side to go up the stairs. It is probably only about half a metre deep.

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I have a Yamaha Silent and love it.

I was just going to ask you about your piano! I would certainly get an upright, I could never justify the expense for a grand, although the esthetics would be great.

Mine is smaller than the "U" series - It is a P112N - which actually isn't made anymore! It would be similar to a B1 Continental Style (no legs in front). A B1 is 109Cm high, mine is 112 high.
I find it has a very full tone, much richer than you'd expect from such a small piano, and certainly more than enough for someone who lives in an apartment!

If you want to hear what the Silent feature sounds like, you can check out my previous submissions to the recitals,(Keep in mind that a better pianist would be able to make it sound even better. )

https://recitals.pianoworld.com/wiki/index.php/Category:CASINITALY_%28Cheryl%29

The ones that are from the Silent feature are

Nov 2010- Les Plaintes d'une Poupée
Aug 2012 - Rigaudon & Entrée
Nov 2012 Romanza & Little music box
Feb 2012 Soft Shoes Blues
May 2012 Kabalevsky Waltz



Mine has 2 jacks for output - nice for recording, as I can wear headphones and record to the computer, a reverberation dial and volume dial.

There are no extra "voices" only piano.

It`s amazing old (vintage) pianos go for so little. Other tiny stuff, like brooches or small furniture sell for loads at auction.

I bought an old Broadwood for £300. Too old to be used on top o` the line classics. But very serviceable, and fun. My Lady did Chopin on it, me Beethoven (easy version lol)

You will get back what you paid for it if you buy on ebay - as long as the delivery distance isn`t great! Try one out first. They are serious fun and steeped in history . . you`ll get a decent name on the lid as well!

You do know that when you start thinking about it you can't stop till you've got the piano, don't you?

That's why I will never start thinking about getting a grand ...

While I'd definitely look at the used/rebuilt market when buying an acoustic piano, realize that many pianos you'll find on classifieds sites aren't worth the money. That goes double for most "free" pianos.

If you are patient, you could definitely stumble across an awesome value, but to do it right, you should hire a piano technician to check any prospective purchase.

These ads almost invariably say something like "Just needs tuning," but the posters are usually not pianists and usually haven't kept the piano well maintained. A technician will be able to see if the piano is capable of holding a tune--the pin block might be shot, for instance--or if it has severe cracks in the soundboard/plate or if it is salvageable at all.

Your €300 bargain might end up needing €3000 of repairs to get to a playable state (above and beyond the €200+ you'll need to have the piano moved) and it suddenly won't be such a bargain. In the face of that, paying a tech €30 to look over your prospective purchase -is- a bargain.

I reckon if you get a cheap grand, you`d fix it yourself. Can`t imagine a named piano would be so difficult to patch up to a decent playing standard . . .Look at the adhesives we have now - you can repair ANYTHING!

And who knows? An old piano; an old violin . . .it`s in the sound. Even an old Stratocaster goes for a fortune . . .

Reconditioning a $500 piano is almost never worth anyone's time or money. Upright pianos, especially, are never worth the effort when they reached their time. They are machines with maximum useable life of 40 to 50 years, and meant to be replaced.

Unlike a grand piano, an old upright does not have any part worth saving that contribute to the performance as an instrument. To restore and replace all the old parts by hand cost far more than buying a new upright, and not much could be helped by any amount of reconditioning for something so old that is only worth $500.

There is definitely a price point where a digital is better than acoustic. I think $500 digitals are far and away better than any $500 acoustic, but at $5,000, not so much, and at $10,000, not at all. Unless you have the budget of at least $2000-$3000, the digital has completely taken over that end of the market because they are clearly better at that price range new or used.

I just know that your second story with that big room needs a nice big balcony. Of course, a nice big patio door going out.

Then you can get yourself a nice Kawai KG2. It is true that many a nice grands have never been played much.

Don't forget the dehumidifier.

Since it is just thinking aloud, why not consider a bigger house, preferably with ocean or mountain views to see from your new grand piano

We added an upstairs deck with a patio door in order to get the bathtub I wanted.

In fact, one of the main reasons for getting the house in the first place was to have a better place to play the piano!

Getting the piano into the house is a onetime thing--humidity is forever. And humidifiers/dehumidifiers are a pain.

We have dry winters and humid summers and a house with an open floor plan, which would mean whole house humidifiers/dehumidifiers. But I'd still love to have an acoustic.

Well then I'd love a farm in Scotland... talking about humidity!

I would fix the house first before getting a piano, at least the place where the piano goes. Heating, humidifier etc.

I suppose you can make a hatch in the wooden floor?

The house is actually two adjacent houses that will have to be joined by a door somewhere, one is habitable (I live there 5 months a year), the other not yet, and my plans change by the hour... but the piano is definitely a factor I am keeping in mind. Then once in a while I also think I'd like to move abroad, but then this house was my grandfather's grandfather's house so I will always keep it even if I don't end up living there for good. It's complicated...

As a Scot now living in the very agreeable Australian climate I can attest the only reason the human body is "waterproof" is so people could live in Scotland.

Please next time you post a recording include a spoken part, I love the Scottish accent! I got married in Glasgow. And yes it was raining