• Discover Types of Pianos

• Pick a Piano Maker

• Evaluate Pianos

• Find a Piano on eBay

• Buy a Piano With Confidence

Discover Types of Pianos

Discover Types of Pianos

Before you choose between a small or large piano, an upright or a grand piano, consider where you'll keep it (e.g. your family room, an auditorium, a church) and how much you're willing to spend. These factors will help you set some parameters and narrow your focus.

Upright pianos vs. grand pianos

Upright or vertical pianos generally cost less than grand pianos and take up less space. The tallest upright pianos can reach 58 to 60 inches. Remember that it’s possible to get the same quality of tone with an upright piano as with the largest of grand pianos. In fact, a taller vertical piano will sometimes produce a better tone than certain baby grand pianos.

Select an upright piano

Upright pianos are differentiated based on their size.

• Spinet pianos: Spinet pianos are usually around 36 inches tall.

• Console pianos: Console pianos are approximately 40 inches tall.

• Studio pianos: Studio pianos are around 45 inches tall.

• Professional pianos: Professional pianos are 48 inches tall and higher

The taller the upright piano, the greater the action (i.e., the number of moving parts) the piano provides. An upright piano has around 5,000 to 6,000 moving parts, whereas a grand piano has an average of 10,000. Because of this distinction and other construction techniques, grand pianos are often found in the homes and studios of more serious piano players.

Play in style with a grand piano

Grand pianos come in many different shapes and they run in size anywhere from 4 feet 6 inches to more than 9 feet long.

• Baby grand pianos: The term baby grand generally refers to any grand piano smaller than 6 feet.

• Concert grand pianos: A concert grand piano refers to the largest of grand pianos (9 feet and above).

The majority of grand pianos today have a conventional wing shape, with a curved side on the right and a flat side on the left. The main difference between shorter and longer grand pianos is the quality of the bass tones, the quantity of sound it can produce, and the overall quality of sound.

Experiment with digital pianos

Digital pianos offer a new twist on traditional acoustic pianos. Digital pianos include sound chips and speakers to recreate piano sounds and have some unique advantages, like being able to make other keyboard sounds, such as the organ or harpsichord, or background music. They also can provide the ability to record your performance. Major brands of digital pianos include: Alesis, Casio, Daewoo, Kurzweil, Roland, Suzuki, Technics, and Yamaha.

Enjoy player pianos

If you’d like the beautiful sounds of the piano drifting through your home whenever you desire, perhaps a player piano might be the way to go. The most commonly found older player pianos are pneumatic, meaning they are powered by vacuum (via foot pedals or electric motors), and contain a mechanism controlled by a paper music roll. Newer models use magnetic tape to record and play back the music.

Pick a Piano Maker

Pick a Piano Maker

It’s a little-known fact that pianos made in different countries have entirely different sounds based on distinct variations in tone quality and touch. The reason for this is primarily due to the difference in materials, design, and construction techniques used. Following is a quick summary of U.S.-made pianos, Asian-made pianos, and European-made pianos, as well as their most notable brands.

American-made pianos

In general, pianos made in the U.S. are known for being of high-quality design and construction, and therefore tend to be more expensive than most imports.

• Steinway pianos: Steinway pianos are considered to be the “model” piano by most pianists. Best known for their grand pianos, Steinway pianos are on the high end, in terms of both price and quality.

• Baldwin pianos: High-quality Baldwin pianos also produce other lines of pianos under the Chickering piano and Wurlitzer piano brand names.

• Mason & Hamlin pianos:—Mason & Hamlin pianos are high-quality, and extremely limited in production.

Other well-known American brands include Hobart M. Cable pianos and Winter & Co. pianos.

Asian-made pianos

Asian pianos are highly regarded today. The two most popular Asian brands are from Japan.

• Yamaha pianos: Yamaha manufactures more than 200,000 pianos a year.

• Kawai pianos: Kawai pioneered the use of plastic parts in their pianos.

Other leading Asian brands include: Pearl River, Samick, Young Chang, Nordiska, Daewoo, and Hyundai.

European-made pianos

While German- and Austrian-made pianos are considered some of the world’s finest, the Czech Republic, France, and the U.K. also produce a fine range of pianos.

• Germany/Austria: Bechstein pianos, Bosendorfer pianos, Grotrian pianos, Hamburg Steinway pianos, Sauter pianos, Seiler pianos, Feurich pianos, Forster pianos, Bluthner pianos, Ibach pianos, and Schimmel pianos

• Czech Republic: Petrof pianos, Scholze pianos, Bohemia pianos, and Riegler-Kloss pianos.

• France: Pleyel pianos, Gaveau pianos, Rameau pianos, Erard pianos.

• UK: Kemble pianos, Chappell pianos, Collard & Collard pianos, Knight pianos, Bentley pianos, Welmar pianos, Whelpdale pianos, Marshal & Rose pianos, Broadwood pianos, and Woodchester pianos.

Evaluate Pianos

Evaluate Pianos

Like snowflakes, no two pianos are exactly alike. Before embarking on your piano-buying adventure, be sure to study up on these musical aspects of pianos and you’ll be well on your way to finding the piano of your dreams.

Piano tone

How the piano sounds is a function of the overall quality of the piano’s construction and how well the piano components work together. However, the pleasantness of the piano tone can be a very subjective decision—meaning every person has a different ear for what sounds good or right.

To some people, a deep, loud tone sounds best. Others prefer a clean, light tone and others look for a warm, round sound. Consider where you’ll be playing the piano and that might help you decide the tone that’s right for you.

In the end, just remember that if it’s pleasing to your ears, offering good mid-tones and a strong balance of tones in the higher and lower registers, then it’s a good piano for you. The tone should be well-balanced throughout the piano’s entire range, so try to avoid a piano that has a metallic or sharp-edged sound to it.

Also remember that every brand of piano has its own unique sound. A Steinway piano sounds different from a Baldwin piano, a Yamaha piano sounds different from a Kawai piano, and so on.

Piano tuning stability and durability

The average life expectancy of a piano is around 30 years. Keep in mind, however, that no matter what brand of piano you purchase—from Steinway pianos to Yamaha pianos—and no matter how much you pay for it, no piano will stay in tune forever.

Most good-quality pianos have greater tuning stability—the length of time the piano can go between tunings. But the more the piano is played, the more often it will need to be tuned. If your child or your students are practicing more than two to three hours a day on the piano, expect that more tuning will be required.

Be sure to ask the seller about the piano’s tuning history. Reputable piano tuners often leave records inside the piano or in the piano bench.

Piano touch

How responsive are the piano keys? When you touch down on them, do they deliver an even and comfortable response? Be sure to avoid sticky or loose piano keys. Remember that the touch of a piano can affect the tonal output.

Piano finish

Often times, it’s the “look” of the piano that really attracts buyers to a certain model or brand. The overall look is based on the piano’s unique finish and styling. Piano cases are made or finished in either wood or wood-grained finishes (also known as clear) or opaque finishes.

• Clear piano finishes: Clear finishes, in which you can see the type of wood and wood grain through the finish, include mahogany and walnut (the most common), as well as oak, fruitwood, rosewood, pecan, or pine.

• Opaque piano finishes: Opaque piano finishes seen most often are ebony, white, and ivory. You can also find opaque finishes in just about any colour, however—think Liberace.

Finishing techniques include open pore and closed pore. Closed-pore finishes leave a smooth, flat finish, and are considered a nicer-quality finish overall.

Find a Piano on eBay

Find a Piano on eBay

Once you know what type of piano you want, go to the Musical Instruments portal, click keyboard, piano and start searching for item listings on eBay.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Acoustic, Digital, Parts, Accessories, Other Pianos, and more. As you dig deeper into the site, you'll also be able to narrow down your choice by brand.

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a Steinway-brand piano, type "Steinway" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy a Piano With Confidence

Buy a Piano With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to C$1,250.

• eBay Security & Resolution Centre: Visit the Security & Resolution Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.