Piano Buying Guide
At Roberts Pianos, our goal is to help you—whether you’re an experienced pianist or an aspiring one—find the perfect piano to suit your needs. To assist you in this process, we’ve created this concise buying guide that highlights the key factors to consider when selecting a piano.
General Note
Buying a quality piano can represent a significant investment, as it’s something you’ll rely on for many years. For this reason, we strongly recommend having a skilled technician or tuner assess the piano before making a purchase, especially if you’re buying from a private seller. An experienced professional is more likely to identify potential issues that could lead to unforeseen repair costs down the line. If possible, seek out a member of the Piano Tuners Association (PTA); their fees are typically reasonable, and the peace of mind you gain could save you both money and headaches in the long run.
Essential Piano Knowledge
Unlike cars, computers, or digital pianos, quality acoustic pianos are built to last for generations and do not undergo constant technological changes. A well-crafted piano does not begin to deteriorate with use, as a car might. In fact, it will often improve in tone and playability over the first few years, as new hammers settle in and reach their optimal performance.
After 20 years of normal daily use (around an hour per day), a good piano may require light adjustments and hammer voicing by a qualified tuner. In 50 years, it might need two or three days of reconditioning, including possible replacement of hammers and bass strings. Throughout all this time, it is highly unlikely to encounter major issues, provided it is properly maintained. In fact, older pianos often came with lifetime guarantees!
Grand or upright?
If space is not a constraint, most professional musicians would recommend purchasing the largest grand piano that fits your room. This is because grand pianos offer superior action control to uprights, and larger models produce a deeper, richer tone. For more details, please visit our video channel and search for “grand piano.”
However, a high-quality upright piano can also deliver an excellent tone and touch, with several factors to consider. As a general rule, taller pianos tend to offer better sound, as they feature larger actions and longer strings. However, as we will explain later, other factors also play a significant role in shaping the tone and touch of a piano.
New or used?
Ultimately, the decision is yours, but it is worth noting that fewer than 10,000 new pianos are sold annually in the UK, while over 100,000 used pianos change hands each year (as of 2013). Only a small percentage of new pianos meet high-quality standards, particularly in the lower price ranges. In our opinion, many upright pianos from the Far East—especially those priced under £3000—suffer from poor quality. These pianos often have a harsh or uneven tone, unstable tuning, and are prone to significant mechanical issues after just a few years of use.
The new Yamaha GB1 baby grand piano, for instance, is in our opinion badly designed so we would recommend paying the extra for a C1, or buying a Kawai or Feurich, or opting for a reconditioned baby grand from the 1920s or 30s.
VIDEOS (for over 100 on various themes, please see our channel)
Quality of manufacturing at the start of the 1900s
Bechstein 7(1911)
In the early 1900s, when most households had a piano, the industry was much larger, competition was fierce, and the quality of good pianos for sale was extremely high. It follows that a good reconditioned piano from a top maker in the early 1900s is likely to be much better than a cheap new one. Also, the ‘modern’ piano dating from about 1960 to 1980 was generally better made than an equivalent new piano made today, as more skilled technicians were in the piano manufacturing trade in those days.
Buying guide
The make
Depending on why you are buying a piano, the make may be more or less important. If you are looking for a piano that will hold its value over time, then of course, the make is key. Well-known makes such as Steinway, Bechstein and Bluthner have an intrinsic market value even if they don’t produce an exceptionally good tone, and therefore will be easier to re-sell in the future. Lesser well-known makes of piano won’t hold their value as much in the long run even if they are well made instruments with a great tone.
To find out more about specific makes and models, we would encourage you to browse our Top Makes section or see our list of the most common piano makes in the UK which includes an approximate rating score for each make.
You can also visit our Youtube channel where you will find hundreds of videos on top makes of pianos and more.
Height/Length
Assuming the make of piano is good, the bigger pianos have a deeper and better tone and more responsive touch. Grand pianos are generally better than uprights as the grand action lifts the hammer to the very last minute giving maximum control whereas the upright action lifts and throws it towards the string. However top quality uprights can also be very sensitive, and very small grand actions can be quite basic (see grand and upright pages for more information).
Humidity – Very Important
If you live in a dry modern house, then you may need a humidifier. This will depend largely on the make and type of piano. Good makes are more resistant to changes in humidity. As a guide, try to keep the humidity between 45% and 70% and the temperature at no more than 21°C. Under floor heating can also ruin a piano if serious steps are not taken to compensate for it.
The Tone
Good older pianos generally sound more mellow and modern ones more crisp, though there are many exceptions to this. Classical musicians often prefer a mellow tone while jazz musicians a ‘cleaner’ modern sound. It’s down to personal taste; our advice is to try as many pianos as possible before purchasing. If you’re not confident to do this, take a good teacher or tuner with you when you shop. If this isn’t possible then we also have several staff who can demonstrate the pianos for you.
Touch Weight
Touch weight is to some extent a matter of personal preference, but a piano with too heavy a touch can be difficult to play expressively. On the other hand, too light a touch is not good for serious beginners as they will not develop sufficient finger strength, though a light touch is often preferable for occasional or older players. New pianos tend to be on the heavy side while some older ones (e.g. Blüthner patent action grands) have deliberately light touch.
Piano Stools
It’s important to have the right height of stool to suit the piano and player. Please see our piano stools page.
Leg room
Yamaha u3
Leg room on pianos varies from 60 to 70cm . Grands and small modern uprights are usually about 62cm from the floor to the under side of the keyboard. With grands, this can be increased by about 3cm by using glass caster cups; the angle of the pedals may then need adapting as these are raised up too. A Yamaha U3 upright has leg room of 62cm whereas a German Steingraeber 118 has 70cm and an older Bluthner 65cm. A small modern Zender has only 58.5cm!
Important advice
We advise you never to buy a piano without getting a technician/tuner to assess it. Choose a PTA (Piano Tuners Association) member. The charge should be modest, and could well save you hundreds of pounds! Thank you for reading this. If you’ve followed these principles, then your well chosen piano will bring life into your home for generations to come!
