Reply With QuoteNo good advice other than strings can be very expensive so check they are intact.
Honestly I'd expect a lot of people might be prepared to give them away so long as you deal with removal.
I'm thinking of going to look at a second hand Yamaha upright piano at the weekend I saw in a private ad. I'm a bit of a novice and have never bought a piano before. It is quite an old model (1979) but looks in good condition. Any experts out there who have any wise words? I've had a good google round and have started to mass a list of things to look out for but there always seem to be knowledgable people here on a wide variety of subjects!
No good advice other than strings can be very expensive so check they are intact.
Honestly I'd expect a lot of people might be prepared to give them away so long as you deal with removal.
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
Yamaha uprights age well - it being from the late seventies is nothing in itself to worry about
If you're going to buy a piano, you're going to have to have it tuned. Find a tuner first, then ask if he'll take a look at your choice and advise you. He'll be looking at a new customer and won't want to get them into a deal they'll regret. He may even know of pianos that he's looked after that need a new home.
I've been in touch with a local tuner who has been helpful, he said the price wasn't unreasonable and if it was in decent condition would give many more years of service. I'll check strings and felt dampers etc. Moving cost is surprising, was quoted £200+VAT to move it 20 miles!
I'm from the late seventies too so am thinking we might be a good match:)
You may know what to look for, but your tuner will have done it before. Any chance of taking him along for a professional opinion, à la an AA car check? He'll even be able to play it so that you can assess the tone.
What model is it and how much are they asking? I bought a U3 about 10 years ago from a dealer - I went in to buy a new one but ended up playing two from mid 70s - one had aged v badly and one had aged so well it was nicer than a new one so bought that. It gets better and better
At the time it was from a dealer - so bit like cars - was easier than private ad. However my neighbours bought a U1 from a private ad which turned out to be a beautifully kept example
Ideally strings have to be in good condition as a previous poster said - however it has to sound good when played - the idea of getting a tuner to look was a good one earlier
It's moving the piano in and out of the house that's the bother, the distance is almost irrelevant.
I had to watch one being taken down some stairs the other day and it was frankly terrifying. Lots of sweating and some very filthy Polish too.
I had two very strong guys lifting mine up the stairs - amazing to watch :-) Cost 185 from a specialist piano-moving company about 10 years ago, to transfer 10 miles across London as a reference...Originally Posted by Der Amf
I've had some experience here and teach the piano privately. I have bought a Yamaha U3 recently too off eBay. Great bargain and a super piano. 36 years old. Cost me £90 to have it delivered to our studio and brought up to a first floor location.
Send me a pm if you want to chat things through. Happy to help.
Willdo jpj! I went to see it today and think it is a goer, 1971 U1(G). Plays nicely, looks decent. I'm no expert but I went to a piano shop too and played half a dozen other second hand ones and although the U1 is maybe a little brighter than I am used to it felt good. Will certainly keep me going for the next couple of decades! Will report back if/when it arrives/
BTW, first quote for piano removal was £200+VAT. It's only going 20 miles and no stairs at either end. I thought that was a bit steep!
I'm sure we had a recent thread covering this topic. A 1971 piano is almost 45 year old and will be worn, even if played little there will be natural deteriation of the felts, strings and particularly the tuning pins. Typically U1 are the mainstay of students who bashed them to death (me included). Many of these pianos are none uk import and were built for different climatic conditions which can be problematic, the serial number should indicate this.
Any piano can be made to sound brighter or mellower through voicing (to a greater or lesser extent) and, as a general observation, it is difficult from playing alone to judge the quality of a piano on the basis a good piano technician can make a poor instrument sound great. Conversely I have played new pre-prepped Steinways that were awful.
My suggesting is take a little time to educate yourself about pianos. It is a rewarding and interesting area in its own right. You may start by reading Larry Fine's book available on Amazon. Don't rush - U1s are extremely common although I have seen few good used examples. Finally consider a U3 which when new is a better quality instrument with longer bass strings giving a good sound for an upright.
From personal experience, check for massive hissing spiders before bringing it into your house.
Have you tried moving a piano yourself?
I may be out of order here but have you thought about a digital piano?
No moving parts to wear out, no tuning needed (?), light and easy to place in a room.
I'm not a player so I don't know about the nuances but a friend of my wife's who teaches piano has not long got a new digital after dumping the old mechanical version.
Cheers,
Neil.
Thanks for the advice everybody.
So I ended up going for the U1. Found some nice removals people who moved it in for me today. Glad I didn't attempt it myself, they made it look easy but suspect I might have struggled.
It's a great piano, nice to place, looks good too. Will let it settle in before getting it tuned, then get me some piano lessons!
Never buy one that has been in a cartoon. A ten story drop just plays havoc with the tuning.
hth!
Looking good. I managed to learn most of Chopin's Raindrop Prelude this evening!
You can't beat a real piano to learn on. Just finding chords and sounds with it is what I enjoy best.
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