Purchasing a Piano: A First-Time Buyers Guide

Nearly everyone we spoke with mentioned the Yamaha U series when talking about uprights. Pianist and composerEric Christiancalls it the “best starter upright,” and Mark Ripatti, owner of Beethoven Pianos, says it’s the store’s most popular model. At 48-inches high, the company U1 is a good fit for small apartments. Jazz pianistHaim Cottonsays the Yamaha upright is “a workhorse” with “beautiful tone,” and Erica Feidner, formerly the top salesperson worldwide for Steinway & Sons and, since 2005, a freelance “piano matchmaker,” agrees that the piano’s reputation and best-selling status is “well-deserved.”

For under $5,000, you can get an entry-level piano from the Yamaha B series.Faust Harrisonfounder Sara Faust says her store sells a lot of B1 pianos, the brand’s smallest upright.

Like Yamaha, Kawai is a Japanese company making pianos that several of our experts, including Feidner, consider solid and reliable at a modest price. They offer a few uprights for under $10,000, among them the 45-inch K-200.

Designed in New York by Steinway engineers but manufactured abroad, Boston pianos come recommended by Dmitry Alexeev, founder ofRiverside Music Studios, as a less expensive alternative to the company’s main line. “Even though they’re slightly, quote-unquote,lowerquality, they’re still really great instruments,” says Adrian Cohen, director ofKeylabpiano school. While Steinway & Sons uprights start at $37,100, you can get one from Boston for under $10,000.

At five feet long, the Kawai GL-10 is one of the most apartment-friendly baby-grand pianos out there. (The definition of a baby grand versus a grand piano varies from brand to brand, but generally the former are no longer than five-foot-one.) Katrin Arefy, founder of theGolden Key Piano School, says she chose the Kawai GL-10 for each of her school’s classrooms because it’s “a reliable, well-built piano.” In her opinion, the sound quality is even “more rich” than a Yamaha’s.

Amalia Rinehart, a teacher atCity Strings & Piano, says Steinway grands are “the most gratifying to play,” and Martin Porter, a pianist and the manager of marketing and communications atBrooklyn Conservatory of Music, calls them the “American standard for grand pianos.” Several pianists mentioned the nearly seven-foot-long Steinway B (with a starting price of $114,300) as the ideal example of the brand’s craftsmanship, but for something more living-room friendly, pianistMark Bermansuggests the five-foot-seven Model M.

Also owned by Steinway, Essex pianos are priced even lower than Bostons but are still a top choice among teachers and performers like Christian, Cohen, and Alexeev. This mid-size grand is five-feet, eight-inches long and has an elegant design that makes it look much fancier than its sub-$20,000 price tag suggests.

“If you want a very-high-quality piano that comes from the place where piano making has been a tradition for centuries you want to look into European pianos,” says Arefy. It’s common to hear pianists compare Yamaha and Kawai to Toyota and Honda while calling European brands like the German Bechstein and Austrian Bösendorfer the Ferraris and Lamborghinis of the piano world. With pianos at this level, which can cost upwards of $200,000, Faust says you’re getting “more colors in the palette” of sound, allowing experienced pianists to create masterpieces with a full range of shades and tones. The smallest grand from Fazioli, an Italian line that only produces 140 pianos a year, will set you back more than six figures.

Tammy Ying, founder and head instructor of the Music Boxsays her silent Yamaha upright is “totally worth it,” especially during the pandemic when she’s been teaching lessons virtually and playing at all hours from home.

Advanced hybrids, such as the Steinway Spirio and the Yamaha Disklavier (starting at $29,099), add additional features like a player-piano function and the ability to record your playing. Mario Igrec, chief piano technician at the Juilliard School, says these pianos “offer the mechanical response of an acoustic piano action coupled with the versatility of an electronic instrument including multiple instrument sounds, sound samples, silent playing, and MIDI output all, with a diminutive footprint.” Feidner explains that the Spirio pianos come pre-programmed with 4,200 selections, let you record with the push of a button, and even come with an iPad that serves as the pianos’ interface.

A restored U1 from a reputable dealer, such as this 1980 model from Faust Harrison, is a good way to save money on the popular upright style. Ripatti says it’s a safe bet as Yamahas are “built to last,” and Porter likes that, because Yamaha uses standard parts, you’ll rarely have trouble finding a replacement for a broken key.

Manufactured in Massachusetts since the 1880s, Mason & Hamlin, like Baldwin, is another company with a lot of used inventory to be found. “Mason & Hamlin has made some really great pianos,” says Berman. “It seems like they’re always in circulation because people rebuild them and sell them, or move and sell.”

Steve Drasche, a fourth-generation piano technician, says that a Steinway piano from the 1940s or earlier that’s been expertly restored will “sound and feel better than anything [being made] today.” Similarly, Buishas says the 1920 to the 1940s was “the golden age of piano manufacturing.” Drasche compares the delicate work of piano restoration to gutting a decades-old brownstone while maintaining its exterior.

For a budget pick, piano teacher Andrew Hoepfner ofA Piano Grows in Brooklynrecommends this under-$300 keyboard with semi-weighted keys to his students because it has decent touch response, meaning it’ll sound louder or softer based on how hard you press the keys.

Porter calls the Casio Privia “a very solid starting instrument” for both kids and adults learning to play piano. It’s also a favorite of Berman, Alexeev, and Ying.

Even smaller than a standard upright, a continental, or console, piano takes up the least amount of space in a crowded apartment. PianoPiano’s in-house line, Avery Bond, includes this silent piano that’s especially convenient for apartment dwellers.

Mehta says that this piano, with its “gorgeous mellow tone,” is the one “most Juilliard and other conservatory students rent because of the heavy resistance in the keys, which experienced players like because it allows for a wider range of expression. By contrast, children learning to play may prefer pianos with lighter action that are easier for small fingers to maneuver.