Upright pianos August Hoffman for sale

Do you want to buy a used upright piano?

While looking for a piano for yourself, your child or students you will come across many used pianos for sale, various offers more or less attractive to you as a buyer. New instruments are flawless, so we’ve decided to advise you on what to look out for to have a very cool piano at home used in good condition. A piano is a complex instrument in terms of construction and you don’t need to know it exactly, so we will advise you on which elements to pay attention to, so that the seller takes you seriously as a seeker, so that you feel confident when choosing and buying.

Used upright piano - what’s worth paying attention to in the casing?

The casing is the most external element of the upright piano. It is what makes you see visually whether the instrument is taken care of or not. If the offered piano for sale has heavily damaged casing elements, e.g. damaged lacquer or decal veneer, has scratched or damaged lacquer on the sides of the piano casing, a worn out strip at the piano pedals or the pedals themselves look worn out - we recommend to pay attention to this. When choosing the piano, we also recommend that you look carefully at the piano accessories, i.e. the condition of the previously mentioned pedals, lock and hinges, as well as the condition of the upper and lower piano doors. Surely everyone wants to have a beautifully presented piano at home, even if it is in used condition, but not yet requiring a complicated renovation. If a dealer who offers an upright piano with the damage to the above mentioned elements but tries to convince you that the instrument has been restored, you will easily expose them.

Used upright piano - what should you know about its acoustics?

Another very important section in used pianos is the so-called acoustics. The acoustics are hidden inside the piano, i.e. in order to reach it, the salesman must show the inside of the instrument, we do not recommend to do it yourself if you have no experience in dismantling the piano. Here it is good to pay attention to a part of the piano acoustics called the tunic, it can be cracked and this will affect the quality of playing and sound in the used piano. Also, the so-called bottom of the piano may be cracked, and the bridge overlays on which the pins and strings are mounted are worth seeing. If you see rust on the strings and pins to which the strings are attached, it also does not bode well for the best condition of the used piano. The last acoustic element we recommend to look at is the surface of the paint on the piano’s frame, whether it is without any damage or whether the paint on its surface has cavities. Surely a careful eye of the buyer will find a taken care of piano for sale thanks to these tips.

Used upright piano - what should you know about the mechanism and keyboard of the instrument?

The last important issue for an upright piano seeker, is the examination of the condition of the piano keyboard, i.e. the black keys and the white keys. The condition of the plastic material used to make e.g. plexiglass or ivory overlays of white keys is important - you can notice it through careful observation. As for the mechanism of the piano, before buying, it is worth checking the condition of the so called hammers and their handles and the felt of the silencers, whether there is any dirt, e.g. mold, on them. The mechanism of the piano is also not visible at first glance to the buyer, but if it is neglected, it may not be a pleasant surprise for the buyer after bringing the used piano home, unpacking it after transport and looking inside the piano.

With these simple tips, as a buyer, you can easily feel more confident when visiting a piano store as well as a private seller and assess whether the previous owner took care of the piano. If you want to avoid the additional costs associated with additional repairs after purchasing a piano, we recommend that you prepare yourself for such a purchase, it will help you to really assess whether the offer is attractive and the piano is worthy of attention and price, and ultimately a professional and reliable and trustworthy seller.