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Kallie Swanepoel Piano Tuners

Kallie Swanepoel Piano Tuners
Piano Purchases

Buying A Piano

If you are like most other piano buyers, you will probably keep your piano for 40-50 years. Your piano will be an important part of the decor of your house and will reflect your sense of taste and culture. So it is most obvious that you should take a lot of care when buying your piano. Spend some time and effort, and do proper research before making such a large investment like purchasing a piano, rather play safe than sorry. From day to day, we see Used pianos that have been bought on the spur of the moment, by uninformed clients at an unreasonable high price, and a large majority need repairs or are beyond repair. Your best bet would be to get a piano tuner or technician to do a valuation on a piano that you are interested in purchasing.

Cost Of Pianos

In South Africa new pianos are much more expensive than used pianos, because of high import costs, and the fact that used pianos often are restored to its original state. You can Contact Us for price updates on new and Used pianos, or if you are interested in a private sale. You will find market related prices for used pianos in advertisements in your local news papers or on the piano sales section of this website.

What Brand To Buy

There are many reputable manufacturers who are providing high quality instruments to the piano playing community. The decision would be dependent on taste, and affordability. You can consult a few piano tuners or technicians about who they believe might be the best providers. Ask them if they might have contact with private sellers or if they could recommend a piano dealer. Try to compare and select a piano of which you enjoy the look, sound, and feel, more than relying on a popular brand name. During earlier years German or Austrian Steinweg (Steinway), Bechstein, Bosendorfer, Bluthner and iBach were the favourites, but companies like Yamaha and Kawai recently joined them.

Lifespan And Value Of Pianos

Pianos have a very long lifespan of at least 50 years, which make them keep their value relatively well. New pianos might lose some of their value after being purchased, but that happens over quite a long period in time. The quality of the materials used during manufacturing, the design and construction, and the conditions to which the piano is subjected, will determine its value and lifespan.

Buying A New Piano

If you find a reputable piano retailer, the purchase of a new piano will be fine. The quality of the piano you buy will be dependent on the amount you pay, and the choice of piano is yours. And if you are buying a new piano, you get a brand-new instrument, not a piano that has been used and possibly abused by other people before you. When purchasing new make sure you buy from a reputable dealer who support their product and make certain by checking out their background. Perhaps make arrangements with your music teacher or their piano tuner or technician to help you make a decision once you have refined your search. When you find a piano that you feel will satisfy your needs, purchase the one you have tried, it might be that another of the same make and model could be extremely different in touch and tone.

Buying A Used Piano

When buying a used piano, enquire about its history from the seller if it is a private sale. Most qualified piano tuners provide written information inside the piano on their card or inside the piano bench. If you buy from a reputable retailer, the piano will be professionally restored to its original state, or if it only needed minor repairs, that would have been done. Beware of dishonest retailers who only make pianos cosmetically acceptable, and then sell it as fully restored.

Upright Piano Or Grand Piano

The price and the space available will be the two main factors to be taken in to consideration when purchasing an upright piano or a grand piano. An upright piano will be much cheaper, and takes up less space than a grand piano.

Acoustic Or Digital Piano

Digital pianos are electronic devices that use sound chips and speakers to reproduce different piano sounds. Digital pianos have some advantages over acoustic pianos such as the ability to make other keyboard instrument sounds like the organ or harpsichord, and percussion to accompany playing, and the ability to record performance. Unlike acoustic pianos, digital pianos do not need to be tuned, and they are lighter and much easier to move or transport than traditional acoustic pianos. Less positive, digital pianos still cannot match the tone, touch, and sound quality of traditional acoustic pianos. Most music teachers require their students to practice on acoustic pianos rather than digital pianos as there are techniques that cannot be practiced on digital pianos to their full extent. A minority of music teachers are perfectly at ease with digital pianos. Acoustic pianos have the full range of black and white keys, up to eight octaves, whereas many digital pianos have only six or even just four octaves.

Overdamper VS Underdamper

In an overdamper action, the hammers cannot be seen from the top, for they are obscured from view by a wooden rail holding the dampers. They are also referred to as "bird cage pianos", because of the damper wires running vertically behind the hammer rest. This is an old action design, not very effective, for the dampers are situated to close to the bridge, and they have to fall back in position on their own weight.

An underdamper action has the dampers located beneath the hammers, is a modern, and much better design, and much more effective than overdamper actions, for the dampers are situated further down on the strings below the bridges, and they are equipped with springs so they don't have to fall back in position on their own weight.

Straightstrung VS Overstrung

In a straightstrung piano, all the strings run parallel to one another across the soundboard over the full range of the piano. An overstrung piano has the bass strings running diagonally across the piano, crossing over the treble strings. Overstringing is preferable, as the strings are longer than in a straightstrung piano of the same size, for they are running diagonally. This produces a much better tone. String tension is distributed equally across the frame of the piano, which support tuning stability.

Cast Iron Frame And Strings

The cast iron frame can be seen most easily in the bottom, in front of the soundboard of an upright piano, although it usually covers most of the area inside the piano if it is a full frame. A full frame is also a much better design than a half or three quarter frame.

The strings are attached to the hitch pins on the frame at the bottom and to the tuning pins at the top. In Used pianos, always look for rust on the cast iron frame or strings at the hitch pins at the bottom and tuning pins at the top, cracks on the cast iron frame, cracks in the wrest plank/pin block where the pins are inserted, tuning pins leaning or hanging down more than others, and missing and replaced strings (the new strings will be shiny and of a different colour).

Soundboard And Bridges

The soundboard is a varnished wooden panel and can be seen underneath the strings. The bridges are lengths of wood which are glued to the soundboard, into which metal pins, called bridge pins, are driven. In Used pianos always look for cracks in the soundboard and bridges.

Tone Quality And Touch

Make sure that the piano is capable of tolerating a large variety of different styles of music and players. Find a piano that possess a pleasing tone in the middle register with good balance in the higher and lower registers. Avoid a piano with a metallic sharp sound. Look for a piano tone that is uniform and balanced through its entire range. Find a piano that has an even action throughout the entire keyboard. Avoid pianos that have uneven tone or touch. Consult with your piano tuner or technician or music teacher that the piano has a consistent and even quality throughout. The piano should have a comfortable and even response.

Rent Or Buy

If you rent a piano you avoid spending a big sum of money upfront. If you change your mind, and decide that music is not for you, you can just return the piano to the rental company without a big capital loss. Keep in mind, however, that the monthly rental fee will not be your only expense. You have to pay the piano moving charges at delivery and collection, and most people have to pay for periodical visits from the piano tuner or technician. Renting a piano means that you are not investing in an asset which will finally belong to you. However, if you buy a piano, you are the owner of a long term investment.

Selling A Piano

Is your piano of no use to you, and you believe that someone else could enjoy more benefits from it?
Have you inherited it, or got it as an unwanted present, but you don't play the piano yourself, and would rather get rid of it?
The children are grown up and not living with you, so no one is playing the piano anymore?
Are you moving to smaller premises, but cannot take the piano with, and now you need to sell it?
Is the piano taking up some space that you want to use for another piece of furniture, so you need to get it out of the way?
Has the piano tuner told you on his last visit that the piano cannot be tuned without having some major repairs done which might cost more than its current value, and now you don't know what to do with it?
Are you perhaps interested in replacing your piano with one of a higher quality?
You probably want to sell your piano, and use the cash for something else?

If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, we might be able to assist you. We buy used pianos and pay market related prices. Contact us so we can visit you, and make you an offer you cannot resist.

You can advertise your piano on the piano sales section of our site, should you want to sell it privately.

This page is also available in Afrikaans

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Kallie Swanepoel Piano Tuners
Piano Purchases

Buying A Piano

Read more on

Cost Of Pianos

Read more on

What Brand To Buy

Read more on

Lifespan And Value Of Pianos

Read more on

Buying A New Piano

Read more on

Buying A Used Piano

Read more on

Upright Piano Or Grand Piano

Read more on

Acoustic Or Digital Piano

Read more on

Overdamper VS Underdamper

Straightstrung VS Overstrung

Read more on

Cast Iron Frame And Strings

Soundboard And Bridges

Tone Quality And Touch

Read more on

Rent Or Buy

Read more on

Selling A Piano