Buying a piano/keyboard

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Forum -> Hobbies, Crafts, and Collections -> Music and Performing Arts

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amother

Wed, Feb 11 2015, 4:38 pm

What is the least I can expect to spend for a decent piano or keyboard? What are the must-have features? This is for a child beginning lessons, so no need for a fancy Steinway.

doctorima

Wed, Feb 11 2015, 4:58 pm

I'm confused, do you want a piano or a keyboard? Even a basic piano is going to cost you a lot more than a good keyboard.

amother

Wed, Feb 11 2015, 5:06 pm

If keyboards are cheaper, we will go with that, unless there's a reason not to.

cbg

Wed, Feb 11 2015, 5:50 pm

I heard of people giving away their old pianos for free if you pick it up.
Check Craig's list and see if anyone in your area is giving away a piano
Also, I would ask the piano teacher which beginner keyboard to buy.

nyc123

Wed, Feb 11 2015, 5:57 pm

The costs of moving even a free piano could be more than the cost of a keyboard.

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Feb 11 2015, 5:58 pm

Sometimes you can get an old piano for cheap or even free but they need to be tuned at least once a year and cheap ones usually have problems like sticky keys or broken strings. Uprights hold their tuning better than spinets.

Digital pianos don't go out of tune easily and you can use headphones, but the tone is not as good as a real piano.

In a digital piano, look for fully weighted keys (makes it feel like a real piano and is much better for learning to control volume), full-sized keys, and at least 64-tone polyphony (the number of tones it can produce at the same time, important when using the pedal).

I have a Casio Previa PX-350 for performances. Their less expensive PX-150 bottom of the line model can be found for less than $600 including stand and bench: http://www.kraftmusic.com/casi.....w_wcB
Chuck the pedal and buy a better one. The PX-150 and PX-350 are both excellent pianos for the price.

oliveoil

Wed, Feb 11 2015, 6:28 pm

I would say buy a really cheap keyboard (you can get them for about $80) until you see if it's working out, kids enjoying, going to continue etc.

THEN, look into the privia series.

Rubber Ducky

Wed, Feb 11 2015, 7:18 pm

oliveoil wrote:

I would say buy a really cheap keyboard (you can get them for about $80) until you see if it's working out, kids enjoying, going to continue etc.

THEN, look into the privia series.

There's a lot of merit to this approach as a short-term see-if-they like-it-and-will-practice solution. Just keep in mind that the cheapie keyboards aren't meant to produce real... music.

amother

Indigo

Sun, Jul 17 2016, 7:37 pm

I inherited my mother's piano about 6 years ago. I haven't used it, hoping my kids will one day. So, I've never had it tuned. Is that ok? Or, the longer it sits, am I damaging it?

Ashrei

Sun, Jul 17 2016, 9:36 pm

We have a Previa PX-850 and would totally recommend it. The hammer back feel is a must for someone learning piano (imho). Sounds and feels real to all but the most sensitive professionals.

Rubber Ducky

Mon, Jul 18 2016, 4:52 am

amother wrote:

I inherited my mother's piano about 6 years ago. I haven't used it, hoping my kids will one day. So, I've never had it tuned. Is that ok? Or, the longer it sits, am I damaging it?

Pianos don't get better with disuse, so have it tuned sooner rather than later. Pianos need upkeep. Find a good piano tech and see what s/he says.

smarty skirt

Tue, Jul 19 2016, 12:35 am

I am a female frum piano tuner and technician w experience. This is what happens when you don't tune a piano, it goes out of tune! It doesn't damage the piano, however, this is what happens when you tune it: It will drop in pitch 50 percent!Why? Because construction wise they cannot handle such an increase in pitch I.e. tension. Solution: We techs do a pitch raise or two, it drops then we tune it. Result: Piano that is in tune but less stable than the piano tuned once a year. I have also been a professional musician and play keyboards and am happy to help anyone in their purchase, even a small one. I am available to repair, regulate, anything to do with one's piano. Oops, if you have a piano w rust on the strings, usually seen near the pin or is quite old, there is an increase in the risk of a string breaking during tuning. But this fixable, not an inordinate expense by me. So yes, tuning regularly is best but I will say that it is amazing how good a piano can sound that hasn't been tuned in 25 years, and still it isn't often a string would break....

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