Buying a second hand piano can turn into a very costly mistake. What can appear to be a bargain may turn out to be a liability. It’s unwise to buy an old piano for a child to “get them started” as a poor piano will only discourage the child.
Pianist who play or teach often don’t know anything about its action, sound board and frame. Pianos are constructed from between 8,000 and 12,000 parts including pieces of wood, glue, felt, iron, steel etc.
Here are a few of the problem areas that must be examined before you buy a second hand piano.
| ITEM | LOOK FOR | RESULT |
| IRON FRAME | hair line cracks and bubbles | this cripples the piano musically and renders it useless |
| STRINGS | rusty tired strings | often devoid the piano of tone |
| SOUNDBOARD | cracked or worse lost its crown | tone becomes deficient and causes annoying rattles and buzzes |
| RIBS | may be broken or pulled away | causes problems with the sound board |
| BRIDGES | lost bearing, broken or cracked | tuning problems |
| TUNING PINS | loose or glue doped | may require over sized pins, can be a problem for old brittle strings |
| PIN BLOCK | split pin block | costly repair since this is concealed |
| ACTION | needs to be checked by an expert | may be worn out. complete renovation is very expensive and timely |
| HAMMERS | may be worn out or improperly filed | need replacing |
| PEDAL WORK | pedals not working properly | may need overhauling |
| CABINET | check condition and for woodworm | may need touching up or re-polishing. if woodworm is found, do not buy |
