Piano dilemma

July 31, 2005 2:18 PM

My two daughters (ages 10 and 8) take piano lessons. The old Baldwin spinet they've been practicing on has a few bad keys (they don't spring back up when pressed) already, and I was wondering whether it would be worth getting the thing repaired. If not, what would be the best value in new or used pianos for this purpose?
posted by Finder to media & arts (10 comments total)

If there are only a few bad keys it shouldn't be too expensive to fix, but you might want to call a piano tuner or repair shop and ask on the phone.

Without knowing where are you are, it's hard to say what would be the best place to go for a new piano. Piano factories may have exchange programs and/or "reconditioned" used pianos (this is how I got my Steinway years ago). If you live in a fairly large city, I would start looking on craigslist or in newspaper ads and see if you can find anything there, then call piano shops and see if they sell used pianos. A lot of people just want to get rid of their piano and will be happy to unload it for cheap if you'll figure out how to get it out of their house. I don't think buying a brand new piano is really a good idea. Pianos settle a lot and may change over time, and they can be considerably cheaper used, especially spinets. I also wouldn't pay much attention to brand name for a spinet - Yamaha, for example, makes some excellent pianos but sometimes gets a bum rap, and there are lots of perfectly good piano manufacturers if you're not looking for concert quality. Find something whose sound and touch you and your daughters like and that should be perfect.
posted by walla at 3:00 PM on July 31, 2005

Your piano is probably fixable.

Be very careful with used pianos... If you get one with a warped soundboard or other such problem, it will never be able to be tuned or voiced.

Speaking as a pianist, Yamaha makes some of the best machine made pianos on the market. They're not like buying a Young Chang or something.
posted by mosch at 3:30 PM on July 31, 2005

It's definitely worth getting it repaired. My younger sister has been taking piano lessons for about, um, 14 or 15 years and is 18, now. My folks have a piano in the basement that used to belong to my grandparents. It's a compact, upright piano and they've managed to take very good care of it.
It's a pretty common occurrence in pianos for them to slip out of tune or for keys to go dead like you describe. Not only is it less expensive to have it tuned and maintained by a professional (piano tuners do housecalls and it only takes a couple hours), but you also don't have to deal with the hassle and expense of moving the old piano out and a new one it.
Have a professional stop by and take a look at it. The chances are, more likely than not, that it's an easy, standard problem to fix. If the piano turns to to have more involved, expensive problems and you've got to replace the whole thing, you've wasted nothing by having a pro examine it.
Piano Tuners should be in the phonebook, if not online.
posted by Jon-o at 4:22 PM on July 31, 2005

By the way, if you want your piano to stay in as good of shape as possible, locate it in a room with very few climate changes, nearest to interior walls. If this is possible, it will stay in tune for a significantly longer period of time and the wood is less likely to warp and cause future expenses.
posted by mosch at 7:14 PM on July 31, 2005

Honestly, the best value IMO is an electric piano, like my Yamaha P120 (which I recommend to anyone). The feel and sound is better than any real piano in the same price range. Go to a music store and try one out, see if you like it. :)
posted by knave at 7:31 PM on July 31, 2005

Yeah, I second the digital option. The expensive ones come with weighted keys that feel a lot like a real piano, and if you're kids get serious about music they can use the thing as a MIDI input.

I remember when I was growing up my mom had this huge old upright piano in our living room, we got the thing tuned every 6 months or so.

We ended up getting a super-cheap keyboard (we were poor) so that my sister could practice her singing. Using a slightly-out of tune piano to practice with would have been bad for her.
posted by delmoi at 8:47 PM on July 31, 2005

i agree that it's worth your while to get it repaired if it's a good piano ... and you'd be surprised ... if you look long enough, you may be able to find a decent piano for minimal price ... or even just the willingness to move it yourself
posted by pyramid termite at 8:54 PM on July 31, 2005

I'm afraid I have to disagree with the digital option. Unless space and sound (like apartment living) are issues, it is very important for beginning pianists to learn on an acoustic instrument.

It's also important that the instrument be in tune and in the best working condition possible.

Now to your question: yes, it can likely be repaired. Baldwin are good instruments. Should you decided to purchase a new instrument buy the best quality instrument you can afford. A really good quality piano, well maintained, will last for generations.
posted by cptnrandy at 7:22 AM on August 1, 2005

Great big thank you to all who answered--I'll have a professional look at the beast first.
posted by Finder at 4:50 PM on August 1, 2005

honestly, the best value IMO is an electric piano

I disgree very, very strongly.

Digital pianos are great if you have space considerations, volume issues, or want to use them as a digital controller. If those aren't in play, it's hard to come up with a reason to use them.
posted by mosch at 12:16 PM on August 2, 2005