Hi to all Pianist,

Im going to enroll my kid for piano lesson, there are bunch of refurbished or used in the market.
What is the different? different brand different model
is it the more expensive the better?
Thought of getting one that can last her till grade 8 or further?
how to know if the piano is suitable for advance grade?

thanks alot

This post has been edited by dupe1: Dec 18 2023, 02:38 PM

As far as I know, each and every brand has their very own touch and finish.
Some brands have harder and sturdier keys, some have much lighter keys upon pressing.

Why don't you try visiting some physical shops to test the feel and then decide on which brand to get.
Survey some online refurbished shops as well.

crash course for u

two types of pianos in the market that can definitely last up to grade 8 or higher

acoustic and digitals

1. acoustic

to answer your question

refurbished = used pianos, but get touched up/repaired by the shop so it looks new, usually this is the safer option as they wouldnt take unrepairable pianos eg cracked soundboards

used = probably can get better deal but u better know what u are checking for, its like shopping for a used car, better get someone with knowledge to test the piano out

new = safest option but cost a lot more

acoustic piano comes in 2 variants

(i) upright/upright grands

as it name sake, what u usually see in many people homes, the cupboard like piano

it has two sizes which differs from the length of the soundboard held vertically

normal upright (cheapest and smallest) by height, the sound generally is thinner

upright grands, this is what i would recommend to get

(ii) grand pianos

the cream of the crop of the piano world, these pianos are what u normally see professional pianist playing, the soundboard is horizontal which makes them larger and unsuitable for small spaces

also comes in two sizes: baby grand and grand pianos

brands u cant go wrong: kawai or yamaha

price range: budget yourself around 10k for a proper one, dont skimp on the quality. a good acoustic can last even to your grand kids in a well kept condition.

2. digitals

digitals has 2 types: keyboard and digital pianos

what u need to know the difference are: keyboard has soft touch/action as opposed to a solid/harder action in digital which tries to emulate an acoustic as much as possible

if u are in the market for a digital, make sure to get a digital piano instead, when in doubt, ask the shopkeeper to recommend

brands u cant go wrong: casio, yamaha, roland

price range: 2-3k for an entry level and up to 10k for high end ones

pros: practice whenever u want, because the sound are sourced from high end piano, the sound quality is theoretically better than acoustics

cons: electronic stuffs dont last as long

This post has been edited by pipedream: Dec 18 2023, 09:10 PM

thanks...will do

at first was planning to get a digital one...with full hammer weight keys...but as you said...electronic cant last...it might failed anything after warranty period.
so the latest decision is on Upright piano...most probably will go for refurbished version...
was in dilemma cos I know nothing about piano....just wanna buy one for my kid that will start her lesson soon...
wan looking around kawai, yamaha...now the latest pearl river(saw alot good feedback about this brand)?
btw...is it better to get 3 pedals?
i saw some only 2 pedals...
which one is future proof for advance? for eg further grading usage...

TIA

pearl river is a china brand, not sure how good they are but i wouldnt recommend it

much like cars, japanese or european brands



usually the damper/sustain pedal is used. rarely, the other 2 pedals are used, personally i have never use the other 2

in many pianos, the 3rd pedal u are talking about is probably the practice pedal which mutes the sound of the piano so u can practice at night, good to have but not essential

in a nutshell, neither matter when it comes to pedals

alright..will take note on the piano brand...
thanks for the help really appreciate it

https://www.pianobuyer.com/post/a-map-of-th...ianos-ratings-1