PROFICIENCY LEVEL

Note on Used pianos that we sell: Offered at reasonable cost, our used pianos receive a detailed attention by expert technicians, and truly represent a result of the team-work! Carefully restored, they can provide beginner to advanced player with years of musical pleasure - all at the affordable cost!        

If you (or whoever will be the primary user) are a beginner, you may not want to invest a lot of money in your first piano. But resist the temptation to pick up an old, as-is piano. It's difficult enough to learn to play an instrument without having to deal with problems within the instrument itself, such as squeaks, rattles, and keys that stick or otherwise don't work properly. Children, especially, get discouraged easily by such annoyances and will be quick to comment on how different their piano at home is from the piano in the teaching studio, friend's home etc. In addition to sapping your motivation, this kind of piano may also sap your bank account with the necessity for extra tunings and frequent repairs. In our experience, in fact, some of the pianos that have been the most expensive in the long run were initially obtained for free or "just for the moving" because nobody would pay anything for them. Little did the recipients of these "gifts" know what they were in for! In general, it's a good idea to buy a piano of slightly higher quality than you think you deserve and then grow into it. If there are several pianists in the family, aim your purchase toward the most advanced. You'll be more motivated to learn because the piano will be more fun to play and also because you will have made more of an investment. Pianos tend to be excellent investments. If your attempts to learn to play don't work out, chances are good that you can sell the piano for close to what you paid for it, provided that you chose wisely to begin with and maintained it properly.  

SPACE

A vertical piano is about 5 feet wide and about 2 to 2 1/2 feet deep. Add to this about 2 more feet for the piano bench and room to sit at it. That makes a total of 5 feet wide by about 4 1/2. feet deep that should be allowed for a vertical piano, not including any space on the sides that you may want to leave. The height of a vertical piano makes no difference in the floor area needed. However, the height is proportional to the structural durability and does make the difference in the piano's tonal quality and volume. The width of a grand piano is also about 5 feet. The length will vary from 4 1/2 to 9 1/2 feet, depending on which you choose to buy (5 to 6 is best for most homes), and again, add 2 feet for pianist and bench. These dimensions indicate the least amount of floor space allowable. Grand pianos, especially, may need more space for aesthetic reasons; verticals can more easily be tucked into corners.

When planning the layout of your room, don't forget to take into account sources of heat and cold. Since they respond very readily to temperature and humidity changes and extremes, pianos should be placed well away from radiators, heating vents, direct sunlight, drafty windows and doors, woodstoves, fireplaces, and so on. Failure to heed this warning will, at the very least, make it difficult to keep the piano in tune. At worst, drastic temperature and humidity changes could lead to premature structural damage to the instrument.

THE COST     

Money is the biggest factor preventing people from getting the piano they want, and is the one about which potential buyers are the most naive. Piano prices vary widely according to size, brand, condition, location, and so on, but very generally speaking, a used old upright in half decent shape purchased from a private owner might cost from few hundred to few thousand dollars while a used grand in similar condition could cost few thousand and up. Used verticals of more recent origin, or older verticals that have had significant repairs, could be priced at $2,000 to $4,000, younger or better-quality grands from $4,000 to $6,000 (much more for a Steinway and certain other fine makes). New verticals of reasonably good quality begin at about $4,000, new grands at about $10,000 (and up, of course). The days when a good old upright could be had just for moving it are largely gone. On a daily basis, we receive numerous calls with used piano offers...After years of examining, analyzing ... we came to conclusion that many of the used pianos offered require so much work, so many new components (+ cost of labour), that we get them in very rarely, and only after a detailed examination of the critical components by expert technician, to begin with! 

While it's true that people still do sometimes find spectacular bargains, it's also true that for every person who pays $500 for a decent piano, at least hundred others pay much more for as-is old piano (sometimes nice looking!) that has little or no instruments value and requires extensive repairs. 

We strongly suggest that if you can't afford to buy a reasonably good-quality piano now and can't arrange a loan or credit plan, then save up for the piano you want rather than temporarily settling for a poor one. A poor-quality piano will cost you more in the long run for maintenance and repairs and will rob you of your enthusiasm, as mentioned before. While you're saving, see if you can arrange to use the piano at a relative's, friend's, a school, or a church, or rent a practice studio. 

If not buying a used piano from the store ( Warranty: All used pianos sold by Clarkson Piano Centre Ltd. come with strong, parts & labour warranty - 1 to 5 years), don't forget to set aside money for moving, tuning, and other maintenance. Generally a budget of about $250 to $400 a year will suffice for tuning and maintaining a piano in good condition in the home, if you are lucky purchaser of structurally sound piano. Pianos in schools and other institutions may require two or three times this amount (though they rarely get it), depending on the extent of their use and abuse. If you buy a used piano, it may initially require a larger expenditure to bring it into normal operating condition before this budget can apply. If you can't afford to maintain your piano, you really can't afford to buy one.

Remember: If you're buying piano for a child that learns how to play - piano becomes more then...another major purchase. To a piano pupil, piano is everything - no matter how good the  program or the teacher is (on average, student is at the lesson only for 30 or so minutes a week or about 20 hours a year), ...the practice time, at home on the good piano is essential.

How many gifted kids lost their interest greatly due to the practice on an inadequate instrument, such as the electronic keyboard or on an old piano with poor tone, slow/sticky keys...On a contrary side, by getting to your child the best piano you possibly can - you gave to your child a true boost on a path to improving and attaining that valuable skill of playing the piano - that is a skill for life! Plus, YOU demonstrate THE COMMITMENT by your investment in piano for your child and is nothing wrong to expect the commitment to be invested from child's side.

After all, piano training is a very special gift that provides multiple benefits for life! That gift can easily be accepted or ...rejected. The role of the piano itself is extremely important.

As teachers and parents, we all know that there are to many influences today our children are exposed to, and that makes it even more important to seriously examine all the aspects of your investment in learning music.  We do not wish to send a message that piano is the ONLY issue, however it is a top-priority issue. It does make a sense! 

FURNITURE ASPECT of my piano purchase

There's nothing wrong with wanting a good-quality instrument to look nice too. After all, piano often stays in home for decades, in many families gets passed on to the next generation...it is a musical instrument that becomes a true part of the home...a member of the family!

While the priority is always the tone, the touch, the overall strength and quality of a piano, we do pay great attention when selecting our new pianos to actual durability and quality of the casing, range and beauty of piano finishes. All our used pianos receive the cabinet restoration that ranges from finish-refreshing and touch-up to a complete cabinet refinishing that brings back the timeless beauty of quality wood and craftsmanship. The massive beauty of the wood, the thickness, the grain, ...charm and uniqueness of the old piano's case is, for most part, not found on new pianos made today. That is one more reason why we love our used pianos - and even more so our customers!