Category Archives: Second Hand Pianos

Buying a Piano: New vs Old?

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Considering buying a piano and wondering whether to buy a newer vs an older one given the options? Buying a newer piano versus a Victorian-era piano (built roughly 1837–1901, so about 120–190 years old) in the UK involves weighing factors like condition, sound, maintenance, cost, and suitability, with UK-specific considerations such as climate, market dynamics, and regulations. Below is a concise comparison tailored to the UK context.

Newer Piano (Built in the Last 20–30 Years)
Pros:
1. Condition: Made with modern materials and precision manufacturing, ensuring durability, stable tuning, and minimal wear.
2. Sound and Playability: Bright, clear tone and responsive action suit contemporary music. Consistent key feel benefits beginners and professionals.
3. Low Maintenance: Needs tuning 1–2 times/year and minimal repairs. Parts are easily sourced from UK suppliers.
4.  Warranty and Support: Typically includes 5–10-year warranties. UK dealers (e.g., Steinway & Sons, Jaques Samuel Pianos) offer delivery, tuning, and aftercare.
5. Technology: Some models include digital features (e.g., silent practice, MIDI), ideal for noise-sensitive UK urban homes.

Cons:
1. Cost: High upfront cost (£2,500 for entry-level uprights to £40,000+ for premium grands, based on 2025 UK estimates).
2. Depreciation: Loses value quickly, reducing resale potential.
3. Tone: May lack the warmth of aged pianos, as wood and strings are still maturing.
4. Mass Production: Budget models may compromise on craftsmanship.

UK-Specific Considerations:
– Climate: The UK’s humid climate (50–70% humidity) is piano-friendly, and newer pianos handle fluctuations well.
– Market: Abundant availability via dealers like Forsyth in Manchester or Besbrode Pianos in Leeds. Popular brands include Yamaha, Kawai, and Bösendorfer.
– Regulations: Comply with EU/UK environmental standards (e.g., sustainable wood), which may raise prices.

Victorian Piano (Built 1837–1901)
Pros:
1. Historical and Aesthetic Value: Ornate designs, rare woods, and craftsmanship (e.g., rosewood cases) make these pianos decorative or collectible. UK brands like Broadwood or Collard & Collard, and European ones like Bechstein, are highly valued.
2. Unique Sound: Aged wood can produce a warm, rich tone, ideal for Romantic-era music or vintage aesthetics.
3. Investment Potential: Restored, high-quality Victorian pianos may retain or appreciate in value in the UK’s antique market.
4. Lower Initial Cost (Sometimes): Unrestored pianos can be found for £500–£5,000, though restoration is costly.

Cons:
1. Condition and Restoration: Significant wear (cracked soundboards, loose tuning pins, worn actions) is common. Full restoration costs £8,000–£25,000+ in the UK.
2. Maintenance: Frequent tuning and repairs due to aged components. Custom parts are expensive and hard to source.
3. Playability: Worn actions or non-standard keyboards can feel uneven, limiting suitability for modern repertoire.
4. Risks: Hidden structural damage (e.g., cracked frames) may make restoration uneconomical. Requires expert inspection by your Leeds Piano Tuner.
5. Climate Sensitivity: Susceptible to the UK’s damp climate, needing humidity control (40–60%).

UK-Specific Considerations:
– Climate: The UK’s humidity and temperature swings can damage antique pianos, requiring dehumidifiers or climate control.
– Market: Victorian pianos are plentiful due to the UK’s piano-making heritage. Available via auction houses (e.g., Bonhams) or restorers like Shackleford Pianos.
– Regulations: Ivory keys (common in Victorian pianos) are regulated under the UK’s Ivory Act 2018 and CITES. Legal sale requires certification, impacting cost and paperwork.
– Restoration Expertise: The UK has skilled restorers (e.g., in London, Oxford), but labor and material costs are high.

Key Decision Factors
1. Budget: Newer pianos have high upfront costs but lower maintenance. Victorian pianos may be cheaper initially but require significant restoration and upkeep.
2. Purpose and Skill Level: Newer pianos suit beginners, students, or professionals needing reliability. Victorian pianos appeal to advanced players or collectors valuing vintage sound.
3. Sound Preference: Newer pianos offer bright, versatile tones; restored Victorian pianos provide warm, unique character.
4. Maintenance Commitment: Newer pianos need minimal care; Victorian pianos demand regular, specialized maintenance, especially in the UK’s climate.
5. Space and Environment: Victorian pianos need humidity control, critical in the UK. Newer pianos are less sensitive.

Practical Steps
– Newer Piano:
– Test models at UK dealers (e.g., Chappell of Bond Street, Roberts Pianos) from brands like Yamaha or Steinway.
– Compare uprights vs. grands (uprights are popular in UK homes due to space constraints).
– Confirm warranty, delivery, and included services (e.g., free tuning).
– Victorian Piano:
– Hire your Leeds Piano Tuner to inspect soundboard, pinblock, and action.
– Verify ivory key compliance with CITES/Ivory Act documentation.
– Check provenance and restoration history, especially for brands like Broadwood or Bechstein.
– Budget for restoration (consult UK restorers like Piano Workshop) and ongoing care.

Conclusion
– Choose a newer piano for reliability, modern sound, and minimal upkeep, ideal for UK urban or educational settings with a higher budget.
– Choose a Victorian piano for historical value, unique tone, or collectible appeal, if you’re prepared for restoration costs, maintenance, and regulatory compliance (e.g., Ivory Act).
– Test or have your Leeds Piano Tuner assess the piano, and align your choice with your musical goals, budget, and ability to manage the UK’s climate and regulations.

If you’re considering a specific piano in the UK or need local resources, please give me a call or an email!

Re-stringing a piano

Piano cleaning, Piano maintenance, Piano restoration, Piano strings, Piano Tuner Bradford, Piano Tuner Harrogate, Piano Tuning in Leeds, re-stringing, Second Hand Pianos

A frequently asked question by many of my clients during a piano tuning is “will my piano ever need new strings?”

If a string snaps during the tuning process a small charge is made for a new string around £20 for a new string if it’s in the bass (a bit less if in the tenor or treble section) and £20 labour to fit the string. Putting a new string on takes me about 20 minutes. I would say a string breaks in about one in every hundred jobs so it’s not uncommon, but not something to be unduly concerned about.

If a string is missing from a piano it isn’t ideal, but one string missing isn’t going to effect the overall tension enough to cause problems. It can take between a week and a month for a bass string to be remade and sent back to me. If it’s in the very low end of the piano then the note won’t strike as the hammers for those keys only strike one string each. The upper bass the note will sound slightly weaker as the hammer will hit one string instead of two.

In the middle and treble sections things get a little more complicated and regular piano wire is used up here. Some of them are connected to the hitch pins with a coil at the other side of the string. Most of them wrap around the hitch pin meaning that if a string snaps in this section the hammer effectively hits two strings or one string depending on which string has snapped.

Re-stringing a whole piano is expensive (£2000+), but if it was part of a restoration process for an old but high-end piano, it might be worth it if done in conjunction with the replacement of a dried-out wrest plank and loose, rusted wrest pins. As a general rule, most pianos on the market would not benefit enough from such a process to be worth such an expenditure. I have found that many of the pianos I’ve encountered while piano tuning in West Yorkshire have some rusty strings and while this will negatively effect the tone, there are other much worse factors in tonal degradation. Rusty strings can also be cleaned on request, though again, much care has to be taken with health and safety plus the fragility of certain strings.

New strings do have an impact on the sound of a piano but there are so many other factors that contribute to good tone. And do you know what the most important one is? You guessed it: having your piano tuned and serviced regularly. Please get in touch with the Leeds piano tuner today to book your piano tuning: 0754 266 7040

The Leeds piano tuner’s workshop

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Firstly, if you live in Leeds don’t worry – I’ll still be piano tuning at least four or five days a week in Leeds and Bradford – that won’t change. However, I will also be spending at least one day a week in my workshop down in the Ranmoor area of Sheffield, where I will be focusing on piano resoration as well – something I enjoy and find more rewarding than piano tuning. The workshop has been purchased but won’t be in operation until at least August of 2019, as I am in the process of buying the piano restoration tools I need. I also need to make sure it’s well-stocked with woods, polishes, action parts (different sized hammers, flanges, jacks, whippens, screws), piano wire, piano key coverings and so on, all of which will ensure I can carry out a full, thorough and first-rate restoration job on every piano that comes my way.

If you have a Leeds piano you’d like to sell or donate, I will accept pianos on the following brands for a restoration:

  • Bechstein
  • Bluthner
  • Bosendorfer
  • Challen
  • Chappell
  • Ibach
  • Lipp
  • Schiedmayer
  • Steinway
  • Welmar

If you have a high-end piano of a different brand, I might be interested anyway. I am unlikely to accept a overdamped piano and will certainly reject straight-strung pianos (they’re not worth the cost of new parts) even if they have sentimental value to the customer. Piano restoration is a painstaking and arduous job, but when you bring a 100-year-old Bechstein back to life, it is certainly worth the effort!

– Richard, Piano Tuner Leeds.

What to look for in a used piano

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On eBay and Gumtree I often see pianos that are overpriced, but also see many that are a great deal. Keep in mind that many piano sellers don’t know the worth of what they’re selling, so if you’ve done some reading up on the subject you probably know more than they do. I’ve seen completely worn out, untunable pianos from the 1890s priced at £500 or more! They should be paying people to take them to the skip! Before forking out money for a second hand piano it is always a good idea to try it out for yourself and/or to call the piano tuner to evaluate it – I charge a £25 call out fee to inspect pianos in Leeds or Bradford.

A common problem in old pianos is tight and loose centre pins. To see if the piano has this issue, press the sustain pedal and gently play several notes. If keys are sluggish or sticky there may be trouble ahead – with 264 centre pins in a piano, it could require extensive regulation work to bring it up to standard. I recently spent an afternoon after a piano tuning in Leeds replacing centre pins in a used upright and while it can be done, the more notes that are sluggish or sticky, the more work will be needed.

If the piano sounds relatively in tune with itself but one or more notes sound badly out, that’s a worrying sign of loose tuning pins. Loose tuning pins aren’t always a problem in themselves (there are fixes), but if there are a lot of them it’s a sign that the piano has not aged well (and an indicator there will be other problems). Also look for rust around the tuning pins, excessive rust could cause you problems down the road with strings breaking. If there are several or more strings missing that’s an indicator that the piano won’t be able to be brought up to concert pitch.

Take the front panels off and check inside. Check it’s not been ravaged by mice and that the pedals are working properly. Check that there are no cracks on the soundboard (the wooden area behind the strings which is the main resonator of the sound), as wide cracks will cause buzzing and tuning stability problems. Check the bridges (the part of the piano that the strings run over) are in good condition and that are no cracks (cracked bridges will ensure that the piano is out of tune again right away and causes buzzes). These structural problems will mean major repairs which often aren’t worth it on a cheaper instrument.

If you find the serial number, there are books and websites for you to date the piano. Sometimes the date of production is written on the side of the bottom key. I would advise against buying anything made before 1950 unless it’s a particularly high quality instrument  like a Steinway or a Bechstein that has had extensive restoration work (when buying a piano: the newer the better in the majority of cases).

You also need to use your ears and listen to the tone! Get an idea whether it’s an instrument you could fall in love with. If the piano is badly out of tune this will be harder as it’ll be difficult to hear past the horrible tuning. But if you get a feel for the instrument before its been moved, once its at your house and been worked on by the piano tuner, it will become one of your most cherished possessions.