Beginners are always advised to buy a Used Piano, because it is more affordable. However, one
cannot buy the first secondhand piano that one sees. There are things you need to know and questions to ask about the used pianos before you make the purchase. Before you make an appointment to view them, you need to ask the sellers about the brand, model, year of production, and if it is possible, the serial number as well.
Below are several in-depth questions you should ask when you are looking at potential secondhand pianos.
Why are the sellers putting up their piano for sell?
I know numerous piano owners who sell their pianos for various reasons. Some of the common reasons are, “The piano is taking up a lot of space” or “I need the cash”. The former normally alludes to piano neglect, while chances are with the latter reason; they have not been spending much on piano maintenance. On the other hand, there are people who want to sell because they want to buy another piano. If that is the case, you should ask why they have a preference for a new piano.
How often do they tune the piano?
You need to find out how often the pianos are tuned. Ask if the tuning schedule is consistent, because it needs to be tuned at the very least, twice annually. If the musical instrument was tuned only once a year, or even never, then it could mean that you will have to pay additional cash for special piano tuning or other pertinent maintenance. If it is out of tune, my advice is not to buy it because there is no knowing if it is discordant due to severe internal issues. In addition, you have no idea if it is tunable or not.
Who carries out the maintenance?
Find out if the piano was tuned by a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) or by Pete who works in the local hardware store. No matter how kind Pete is, if he does not have the qualification, he should not be tuning the piano. Unqualified individuals have the tendency to make some mistakes while they tune the pianos and the mistakes can lead to an inundation of interior damage. Therefore, only buy a Used Piano if you know it was tuned by RPTs.
Where has the sellers been storing the piano?
You should beware that the piano has been stored in a public storage facility or a basement in a flood-prone region. These places lack climate-control and may have extreme temperatures along with humidity vacillations, and these can pose grave threats to the health of the musical instrument.
Has the Used Piano been moved around a lot in the past?
As the buyer, you need to find out how much stress it has endured and whether any preventative measures were taken during the move. Additionally, watch out for small staircases and tight corners leading to where the piano is located, as these might increase the total moving charges.
Who were the former owners or players?
If feasible and relevant, you should find out how many former owners the musical piano has had, and how well it was taken care of under their supervision. Bear in mind that the longer the history is, the longer you are going to be affected by it. It is highly recommended that you get to know the secondhand piano as much as you can prior to buying it.
Do you think it is a good idea to buy a Used Piano?