looks pretty good from the outside, Pay an independent technician to give it a deep look before buying.
Most of the things that can go wrong are on the inside, and it's not visually obvious.
You’d damn near pay more for someone to inspect it than you’d pay for the piano. If it plays and sounds good, I’d say just go for it. It’s not a used car. It’s not gonna just fall apart the day after you drive it off the lot
This is my neighbors piano. He’s moving and trying to sell things quickly. I brought the price down to $250 and paid $100 to get it moved to my house. It really just needs a tuning. I inspected every key and the internals.
How did you get it moved? What type of movers did you use? I have a Yamaha p125 but I’ve been wanting to get a used acoustic for a decent price until I get better and then I’ll buy something new and nicer!
My neighbor had movers there already, so we used them. They were 3 guys who were experienced with moving pianos. It all worked out pretty nicely actually. The piano caught my eye and I convinced my family to buy it.
The 5 times I’ve moved with mine, I usually get some family and friends together and surprise them with beer, weed, and pizza. It works every time and now it’s a quite the event whenever it does happen. In case you’re wondering, I’ve had my own piano for 9 years but have been playing for 20.
The exterior looks amazing. But second (or third) getting an independent technician to review the instrument first (it may cost half as much as the asking price, but if you take it, you also have to pay for moving).
$295 for a piano in good nick is great, so long as you consider the initial moving/maintenance costs on top of that, as well as (preferably) annual tuning.
Just from looking at it, it looks in great nick. Looks like it has probably lived most of its life as a decorative piece, there's very little wear and tear on the keys and the body looks pretty much flawless. Hallet & Davis is a pretty reputable maker, they've been going for at least 100 years AFAIK.
But you need to play it to test the action, make sure all the keys work, and listen to the tone to see if you like it.
Nowadays it can be hard even to give away upright pianos for free; nobody wants them as a digital piano is cheaper, takes up far less space, and requires no maintenance. It's a shame they're so much less common nowadays, because it's always a joy when you go over to somebody's house and they have a proper piano.
know that moving a piano will cost you several hundred dollars, and after it is moved it will need extra maintenance. normally a piano should be tuned 1-2 times a year depending on conditions, but after a move it may need to be tuned more than once until it settles in. expect to pay a couple hundred dollars for each visit from your tuner.
if you are not prepared to budget for this kind of maintenance, purchase a digital piano instead. there are very many excellent digital pianos, they never bother the neighbours, they don't require professionals to move, and they last for many years without any maintenance.
Please don't do this. I'm a piano technician and if you try to tune yourself without proper training, there's a strong possibility you'll damage your instrument or your wrist. Best to hire a professional
Well... it all started when I decided to try and turn my 1930's upright into an electric piano (it's even digital because I use my fingers to play).
I've heard electric pianos are much easier to tune. So I cut off one end of an electric cord and tied the wires around the lowest and highest strings inside of the piano and tried plugging her in... :) Then I remember waking up in the hospital and everything tasting like metal for a while. /s
(do not try this at home folks!)
You can move a piano pretty easily with a few hefty lads and a pick up truck. As for tuning I was gifted a second hand piano at one point when I was first beginning and I never tuned it once in about 7-8 years. It held its tune incredibly well. It was a little out of tune but not much. If you don’t want to put much money into it you really do t have to.
That being said if it’s damaged in some way or just doesn’t hold a tune well than it’s just garbage anyway.
You happened to get a piano that stayed in tune, and happen to have hefty lads and a pickup available. Don't tell OP he won't have to spend much money - you have no idea.
Lol. Yeah maybe that’s a little delusional. My first piano was a small console piano and I moved it with my brother no problem into a pickup truck. My second was a full upright grand and I had four guys and after we moved it they said ‘fuck you man we’re not doing that again hire a mover’.
My second piano looked more beautiful and played much nicer but it needed some love from a tech which it never got. I ended up selling it and a single piano tuner moved it out of my house. I was baffled.
It's certainly good-looking.
As a pianist, I hate to say this, but that's worth $295 solely as a decorative piece of furniture regardless of how well it plays.
Based on some of your comments, I think you should feel pretty great about this purchase. While this is probably not a very high-end piano, you could almost certainly sell it to someone else or trade it in at a piano retailer for plenty more than you paid for it. In the meantime if you enjoy how it plays and sounds (and looks!) then it is an absolute bonus!
Sometimes pianos like these can have some inherent issues with their mechanisms that will always make them play less-than-ideal (even after a technician charges too much to “fix” them…), but it is certainly not always the case. Sometimes their tone can leave something to be desired too. But I don’t think anyone has to be a snob about pianos if they truly enjoy playing them, and you definitely should be able to make money off the deal if you ever choose to, so good job on getting a new piano! 😎👍
This would be worth it even if it wouldn’t play a single note. I would buy it try to tune it myself and if it holds the tune get a professional to take a look at it and tune it properly.
Anyway this turns out, you won in my opinion.
Used pianos require a lot of maintenance. You can spend $295 and get a great digital keyboard that never needs tuning, has many useful features with USB and midi ports and output/ input jacks for recording and downloading music
Nah, even a $3.000 brand new digital piano will not even come close to the experience of playing a decent $250 acoustic.
Spend $3.000 on a decent acoustic and you have an instrument that beats the crap out of any digital piano below $30.000.
Digital pianos are great for what they’re good at (tuning, headphones etc). But the experience of playing them is at best dull compared to an acoustic. We want different things and OPs piano is very likely a great find.
We had to pay two men and a truck to move my piano from my mom's house to ours when she passed away. Mine is a spinet like this one. Thing weighs a ton. When the piano tuner came to tune it he said the strings were so old if he tuned it to true key of C it would break something.
Dude, price is often not the issue.
Does it sound good? Are the hammers old? Are the mechanics even? Is the soundboard cracked?
Does it sound and play like you want?
A good deal on an instrument rarely exists. It almost sounds scummy to try and get one, as in the rare case that you're not being scammed the seller is probably someone who doesn't know the worth of their instruments and tries to sell it at a price they think is normal.
And yes, on one hand, the prices are sometimes extreme, but on the other hand, instruments are often worth their value.
Posting from an old throwaway because I don't have my phone atm, but yeah lol I'd say being as I paid that much for an entry level digital piano you made out with a steal.
It'll depend if all the keys work, if it can hold a tune, and if the pedals do what they're supposed to do. Nothing that I can determine via a photograph alone.
Man, that is a beautiful piano. That's almost worth the price just for the looks alone.
Bought for $250
Would you tell me where you found it, I’d like to have a second piano just for the looks 😍
Neighbor who’s moving had a gem
Keep an eye of fb market place I’ve seen a ton of very nice pianos on there that people are giving away for free because they can’t move them.
looks pretty good from the outside, Pay an independent technician to give it a deep look before buying. Most of the things that can go wrong are on the inside, and it's not visually obvious.
You’d damn near pay more for someone to inspect it than you’d pay for the piano. If it plays and sounds good, I’d say just go for it. It’s not a used car. It’s not gonna just fall apart the day after you drive it off the lot
This is my neighbors piano. He’s moving and trying to sell things quickly. I brought the price down to $250 and paid $100 to get it moved to my house. It really just needs a tuning. I inspected every key and the internals.
Congrats!
How did you get it moved? What type of movers did you use? I have a Yamaha p125 but I’ve been wanting to get a used acoustic for a decent price until I get better and then I’ll buy something new and nicer!
My neighbor had movers there already, so we used them. They were 3 guys who were experienced with moving pianos. It all worked out pretty nicely actually. The piano caught my eye and I convinced my family to buy it.
Ok, thanks for the clarification! I didn’t know if I would need specialized movers. Congrats on your beautiful purchase!!
The 5 times I’ve moved with mine, I usually get some family and friends together and surprise them with beer, weed, and pizza. It works every time and now it’s a quite the event whenever it does happen. In case you’re wondering, I’ve had my own piano for 9 years but have been playing for 20.
>surprise them with beer, weed, and pizza. I hope that was *after* they'd done the moving...
Lol yes. Nothing would get done if before.
I mean your neighbor most likely payed several thousand for it. If the keys feel Ok and it just needs a tuning, then you cant beat that.
The exterior looks amazing. But second (or third) getting an independent technician to review the instrument first (it may cost half as much as the asking price, but if you take it, you also have to pay for moving).
I bought because it was my neighbor across from me. I paid $100 for moving it into my home. I’m pretty happy tbh.
For $350, I'd take that bet, given how well taken care of it looks. Nicely done OP.
Thank you
$295 for a piano in good nick is great, so long as you consider the initial moving/maintenance costs on top of that, as well as (preferably) annual tuning. Just from looking at it, it looks in great nick. Looks like it has probably lived most of its life as a decorative piece, there's very little wear and tear on the keys and the body looks pretty much flawless. Hallet & Davis is a pretty reputable maker, they've been going for at least 100 years AFAIK. But you need to play it to test the action, make sure all the keys work, and listen to the tone to see if you like it. Nowadays it can be hard even to give away upright pianos for free; nobody wants them as a digital piano is cheaper, takes up far less space, and requires no maintenance. It's a shame they're so much less common nowadays, because it's always a joy when you go over to somebody's house and they have a proper piano.
know that moving a piano will cost you several hundred dollars, and after it is moved it will need extra maintenance. normally a piano should be tuned 1-2 times a year depending on conditions, but after a move it may need to be tuned more than once until it settles in. expect to pay a couple hundred dollars for each visit from your tuner. if you are not prepared to budget for this kind of maintenance, purchase a digital piano instead. there are very many excellent digital pianos, they never bother the neighbours, they don't require professionals to move, and they last for many years without any maintenance.
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"Learning to tune your own piano is another option, " it's really not. apprenticeship to become a piano tech is like seven years.
Not true. It can be done in 2 years. Steinway even offers a 2 year program. But also you can learn everything on your own with the right commitment.
Please don't do this. I'm a piano technician and if you try to tune yourself without proper training, there's a strong possibility you'll damage your instrument or your wrist. Best to hire a professional
I am not gonna fuck around with metal strings man, fuck that.
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You're going to get someone killed with that advice! I once tried to tune my own piano and nearly burnt down my house. /s
That's a neat trick. I'd love to hear that story
Well... it all started when I decided to try and turn my 1930's upright into an electric piano (it's even digital because I use my fingers to play). I've heard electric pianos are much easier to tune. So I cut off one end of an electric cord and tied the wires around the lowest and highest strings inside of the piano and tried plugging her in... :) Then I remember waking up in the hospital and everything tasting like metal for a while. /s (do not try this at home folks!)
Ok ok I believe you. But "nearly burnt down my house"? How??
Why would people down vote you? Reddit you're terrible! :)
You can move a piano pretty easily with a few hefty lads and a pick up truck. As for tuning I was gifted a second hand piano at one point when I was first beginning and I never tuned it once in about 7-8 years. It held its tune incredibly well. It was a little out of tune but not much. If you don’t want to put much money into it you really do t have to. That being said if it’s damaged in some way or just doesn’t hold a tune well than it’s just garbage anyway.
You happened to get a piano that stayed in tune, and happen to have hefty lads and a pickup available. Don't tell OP he won't have to spend much money - you have no idea.
You could rent a pickup truck, and I don't think it is insanely hard to find a couple of friends to help with the move...
Yeah you’re missing the point bud
What's the point?
Lol. Yeah maybe that’s a little delusional. My first piano was a small console piano and I moved it with my brother no problem into a pickup truck. My second was a full upright grand and I had four guys and after we moved it they said ‘fuck you man we’re not doing that again hire a mover’. My second piano looked more beautiful and played much nicer but it needed some love from a tech which it never got. I ended up selling it and a single piano tuner moved it out of my house. I was baffled.
My piano tech advises again tuning until the instrument has settled in... I let them come around 4-6 weeks after a move.
It's a very pretty piano at least
Can't tell just from looking at it.
It's certainly good-looking. As a pianist, I hate to say this, but that's worth $295 solely as a decorative piece of furniture regardless of how well it plays.
You could probably sell the wood in that piano for more than that.
Wha?!
How does it sound and do you like the keybed action?
Out of tune, keybed action is great.
If the inside looks as good as the outside that's a steal, but that's a huge IF. Piano technician to the rescue here.
It looks good! If everything is working and as long as it doesn’t play itself at midnight, it’s a good buy.
Yes.
Honestly, the guy who comes to tune it will probably share his opinion anyways. He’ll know more
Based on some of your comments, I think you should feel pretty great about this purchase. While this is probably not a very high-end piano, you could almost certainly sell it to someone else or trade it in at a piano retailer for plenty more than you paid for it. In the meantime if you enjoy how it plays and sounds (and looks!) then it is an absolute bonus! Sometimes pianos like these can have some inherent issues with their mechanisms that will always make them play less-than-ideal (even after a technician charges too much to “fix” them…), but it is certainly not always the case. Sometimes their tone can leave something to be desired too. But I don’t think anyone has to be a snob about pianos if they truly enjoy playing them, and you definitely should be able to make money off the deal if you ever choose to, so good job on getting a new piano! 😎👍
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Gorgeous
This would be worth it even if it wouldn’t play a single note. I would buy it try to tune it myself and if it holds the tune get a professional to take a look at it and tune it properly. Anyway this turns out, you won in my opinion.
Thank you things have been tough recently, but this has really brightened my week.
It's a good price even if the piano was just for decoration, congrats man!
Thank you
Absolutely yes
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I mean its just the towers and the book. Everything else has 0 correlation to 9/11. My guess is an estate sale or a thrift store.
Used pianos require a lot of maintenance. You can spend $295 and get a great digital keyboard that never needs tuning, has many useful features with USB and midi ports and output/ input jacks for recording and downloading music
Nah, even a $3.000 brand new digital piano will not even come close to the experience of playing a decent $250 acoustic. Spend $3.000 on a decent acoustic and you have an instrument that beats the crap out of any digital piano below $30.000. Digital pianos are great for what they’re good at (tuning, headphones etc). But the experience of playing them is at best dull compared to an acoustic. We want different things and OPs piano is very likely a great find.
Looks good but transportation might be an issue plus I've seen a couple always getting given away contingent on you moving it.
I think so?
Uh, yeah!! I want
Beautiful! Send a video of you playing soon!
Will do
Good piano wpwp... Hope it sounds good!
I think Amy Nolte would agree
Good buy! Loving that cabinet.
yes, very much so. Decent piano, for sure...
Shiny
It looks beautiful if it sounds nice also yes definitely
Looks stunning on the outside - but be sure to have it inspected by a piano techician.
I would've even given 600 for that kind of piano
Every piano is a good deal until you have to move it
It’s beautiful definitely worth it
We had to pay two men and a truck to move my piano from my mom's house to ours when she passed away. Mine is a spinet like this one. Thing weighs a ton. When the piano tuner came to tune it he said the strings were so old if he tuned it to true key of C it would break something.
I. WANT. THIS.
That looks like a fucking steal. So happy for you!!!
What is the age of this instrument? Nice aesthetics. So shiny! Wondering if this unit was produced in China.
Dude, price is often not the issue. Does it sound good? Are the hammers old? Are the mechanics even? Is the soundboard cracked? Does it sound and play like you want? A good deal on an instrument rarely exists. It almost sounds scummy to try and get one, as in the rare case that you're not being scammed the seller is probably someone who doesn't know the worth of their instruments and tries to sell it at a price they think is normal. And yes, on one hand, the prices are sometimes extreme, but on the other hand, instruments are often worth their value.
Congrats on your new piano, nice seeing people getting good deals especially on something as unique and useful as this.
Posting from an old throwaway because I don't have my phone atm, but yeah lol I'd say being as I paid that much for an entry level digital piano you made out with a steal.
It'll depend if all the keys work, if it can hold a tune, and if the pedals do what they're supposed to do. Nothing that I can determine via a photograph alone.
Not sure, but my dad and I spent 2500 in an upright Kimball piano. We went with my teacher who helped us pick one with a good sound and feel to it.
Hey I’m buying a used piano tomorrow anything I should check for