Why you should buy a piano from a reputable dealer

BUYING FROM A PRIVATE SELLER OR AUCTION SITE 

It is advisable to not buy a piano from a private seller, especially one from an auction site. Reasons for this are that pianos can have over 12,000 individual parts, supporting six functional features: keyboard, hammers, dampers, bridge, soundboard, and strings. Many parts of a piano are made of materials selected for strength and longevity, but over the course of years, some parts will inevitably be needing to be replaced. In addition to this, a piano may not have been cared for properly. It is really important for instance that a piano is not placed near a source of direct heat or in a damp place. It is important to keep it at a stable temperature and to get it tuned regularly and regulated occasionally. 

 

UNFORESEEN PROBLEMS 

If you buy privately you are very likely to buy a piano with unforeseen problems including: 

 

worn parts 

old strings 

poor tuning 

damage that you can’t see 

When buying from eBay or privately you can never really be sure how it has been used, what kind of environment it’s been in and how often it has been tuned. All of these things will have a massive bearing on the quality of the sound and you may have to pay for repairs to get this resolved which really defeats the object of buying it at a bargain price. 

 

LACK OF WARRANTY 

Other issues include the lack of warranty with second-hand pianos on eBay and having to deal with the transportation yourself. Moving a piano is an art form in itself and this really should be left to the experts. Not to mention the damage you could potentially do to the cabinet whilst in transit. 

 

ADVANTAGES OF BUYING FROM A REPUTABLE DEALER SUCH AS SUFFOLK PIANOS 

By purchasing a piano from a respected dealer like Suffolk Pianos you will benefit from: 

 

Dealers warranty- each piano has a one-year warranty with the more expensive pianos having a 5 years warranty. 

More choice- each piano has its own individual tone and touch – at Suffolk pianos with over 50 pianos to choose from you can spend time choosing exactly the piano 

Expert tuning- our in-house tuner ensures each piano is finely tuned to concert pitch and if it has problems with the tuning pins, we replace the pins! 

Specialist Advice – we are very happy to give you our specialist advice based on 40 years in the piano trade. Our in-house technician/tuner is also on hand to provide even more technical advice. 

Professional Delivery- we use specialist piano movers. Let us know where you live and we can quote for our low-cost delivery price.