What Kind Of Used Piano Should I Buy?

Restored, Reconditioned or Refurbished?

Some people use these terms interchangeably but strictly speaking:

Restored – a piano that has had the cabinet re-polished, the frame re-gilded, the strings and tuning pins replaced, the hammers and damper felts replaced and the rest of the action stripped down and rebuilt with replacement components where necessary.  Effectively, this is equivalent to a new piano in playing terms even if the original instrument is antique.

Reconditioned / Refurbished – the cabinet has been improved by cleaning/light re-polishing, the action has been stripped and rebuilt but major components such as strings, pins, hammers etc. may not have been replaced.  This is generally done for newer instruments that don’t need restoration, or for older pianos that are not worth restoring (because of the original quality of the instrument).  Sometimes this is undertaken rather than restoration to keep a instrument at a price point – for example a reconditioned piano may cost £2,000/$3000, but if it was fully restored that price would be about three times as much.
Refurbished or reconditioned pianos from a reputable dealer are definitely worth considering because they will be tuned and well regulated but will be less expensive than a comparable new or restored instrument.  I sell reconditioned Yamaha U1s and U3s which look like new but cost less than half the price of new ones.

Second-hand Yamaha U1 or U3

And talking of Yamahas, there is a buzz on the internet around the need to replace looping cords on Yamaha uprights – it is said that if you’re considering buying a pre-owned Yamaha you should not touch one that hasn't had these replaced.  I'm fairly sure that Yamaha would not be in business today if their pianos had poor quality looping cords – why would they not have addressed this issue years ago?
I understand that it’s possible that a few very early Yamahas (early 1960’s) may occasionally have had a problem with these cords – but they are replaceable.  Later instruments are as sound as any other brand.
We have never seen a Yamaha that needed them replaced.
We do replace looping cords on older (non-Yamaha) instruments when we recondition them but we are talking about instruments that are 70 or 80 or more years old.  So don’t be distracted by this issue.

Where to buy a used piano

A second-hand piano, bought from a retailer, should have a warranty or guarantee, should have had any repairs undertaken and may be anything from a few years old to antique. A used piano bought privately will probably not have a warranty (they are often not transferable, or the piano may be out of warranty), will need cleaning and regulation unless very new and may well need some repairs.

If you are considering a fully restored piano it may well be antique by definition i..e. 100 years old or so, but is to all intents and purposes a new instrument in terms of the parts that count.

Generally speaking a second-hand piano will be better value as it will be cheaper than a comparable new one, having already lost much of its depreciation.  This is also true of restored instruments, as they will cost less than an equivalent new model and have the cachet of their antique status.

Pianos that have elaborately carved or decorated cabinets (art case pianos) generally command a premium on the price to reflect the workmanship, unless the style is very unfashionable.

In my next post I'll be showing you what to avoid when considering a piano offered on an auction or classified ad site.