How to buy a Piano: Part 2

In the first post on how to buy a piano, I gave only some general advice on buying a piano. Here I will go into more details on electronic versus acoustic and cost estimates. All the information I have included here is meant to be used in conjunction with the advice you receive from your advisor.

So do you get an acoustic or a digital piano? There are benefits to both, but the preference most piano teachers are going to have is for an acoustic piano.

The benefits of an acoustic piano can be summed up simply: it is a real instrument. Acoustic pianos, if they are good quality instruments, will usually sound better than an electronic piano. They also provide a better incentive to practice, because the sound is more inspiring than most electronic pianos. Also, a greater amount of emotion can be put into the music being played. The downside to a real piano is the fact it will need to be tuned, and depending on the age of the instrument it might need repairs. If an instrument is inspected by a piano technician before you make the purchase, he can tell you what repairs might need to be made and what they will cost.

There are several benefits of an electronic piano. One of these is the ability to control the volume and the ability to use headphones. Also, it is never out of tune.  Another useful benefit is the ease of recording music. Electronic recorders can be connected to the piano, eliminating background noise. These pianos are also likely fitted with a Midi connection, enabling the user to connect to a computer. This can be a benefit to those interested in musical composition. Plugging a keyboard into a computer through a Midi connection can simplify the process for notating compositions.

There are some downsides, however, with electronic pianos.  Most low end keyboards do not have the same key action and pedal action as an acoustic piano. When a student who practices on an electronic goes to play on an acoustic piano, it can be more difficult to play because they are unused to the heavier key action and the different sound from the pedals. When learning, these issues can be overcome, but it takes extra thought and effort to do it. (While not a downside exactly, not all keyboards have 88 keys. You will want to make sure any you consider have at least 76 keys.) 
 

If you end up with a choice between an equal quality digital or acoustic piano (price being no object), I would choose an acoustic. However, I would choose a good quality digital piano over a poor quality acoustic piano.

I won't say much about the cost of acoustic pianos, since prices will vary from state to state, but I will give some general guidelines that should make sense.  The proverb "you get what you pay for" is most often true for pianos.  If you find one listed as "free" or at a very cheap price, have your advisor and a piano technician look at it. It is better to wait than to get one that is in poor condition and won't stay in tune. You should expect to pay several hundred to over a thousand dollars to get a good used acoustic piano off the private market, and it will be more if you go through a piano store or dealer.  New pianos will likely be over $5,000 to get a good one. If you go shopping at a piano store, take your advisor with you. They will be able to help you sort through the maze of piano models and styles. If you are looking for a digital piano, you may be able to find one used that might cost you a couple hundred dollars. If you are seeking to buy new, a good quality instrument will probably be about $1,000.