Is anyone here a Piano Man?

[RyDogg66]

I might be buying a used piano. An Upright Belarus. Here is a picture of it. The guy wants $150.00. I want the piano for my daughter who might be taking Piano Lessons soon. I want it to look decent in the house (this one seems to be in nice condition), sound good (doesnt need to be great). Besides needing tuning, anything else I should know about purchasing a used piano?

 

http://images.craigslist.org/3nf3pd3lfZZZZZZZZZ94c0f8d9a365f1c168b.jpg

http://images.craigslist.org/3ob3pf3l1ZZZZZZZZZ94cbc9c059451101a20.jpg

[pitchleague]

as a music teacher, I would say definitely check each and every key to make sure it works properly (i.e. not sticking keys or knocking sounds due to the hammer and arms being mis-aligned). Tuning is relatively easy and cheap, depending on who you know.

 

Pedals aren't all that important for a beginner but you may want to check to make sure they work properly.

 

The pictures look great. Much better condition than my classroom piano ever was.

[craigharmann]

I'm a church musician, and am in total agreement with pitchleague. You've gotta check the action (the key actually hitting the string and making sound) and you should be able to get a piano tuned for under $100 if it's been taken care of. It looks like it's in good condition and been maintained, so if you can get it for $150, that's pretty good! Just make sure when you have it in your house, keep it on an interior wall so that it's not exposed to the weather changes as much.

[Hammer]

The advice from above is very good. Also, be sure to check the sound board (wooden panel at the back) to make sure that it is not cracked. This is more common than most people realize due to the fluctuating humidity in 'sconsin. Let me know if you need any other music-related answers as I had 16 years of piano lessons in the Fox Valley...