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Buying a recond piano

PIANOS DON'T LAST FOREVER AND PIANOS DON'T GET BETTER WITH AGE

It is common that you see many music shops today offer recond pianos from Japan that are much lower priced as compared to new pianos. Majority of these old pianos imported into Malaysia are beyond the lifespan of a good piano and range between 30 to 60+ years old. These old pianos are disposed by users in Japan in favour of a new instrument because of poor condition and not worth rebuilding since there is little market for used pianos there.

A piano that is used, regardless of age, that have gone through a process of reconditioning is called a reconditioned or a recond piano. Reconditioning involves touching up the casing to look new, polishing metal parts and hinges, cleaning the inside of the piano and tunings with parts replacement only where necessary. Defective action parts are sometimes replaced with parts salvaged from an older piano because new genuine parts are expensive and may not be available from certain manufacturers. Some shops may replace new set of white plastic key tops to enhance the look.

Since reconditioning does not involve replacing major components, this means a 30 years or even older piano from Japan that look new and clean internally will never sound and perform like new piano.

Unlike wine, piano tends to deteriorate overtime as it ages. The extreme pressure exerted from the 20 tons of pressure from over 220 strings in a piano everyday and excessive humidity that crushes the fibers of the wood will ultimately causes the soundboard to flatten and loses tension thereby making the tone dies off quickly and looses performance.

In addition, used piano endured lots of wears and tears in the action that needs repair or replacement to the parts before a fine regulation can be done. A piano that is out of regulation will cause  the keys not level, lack of forceful sound during hard blow, uneven volume or feel, "bobbling" hammers and keys seem to "sink" too far down when depressed. This will affect the touch of the piano which is an absolute essential in piano playing. In the end, what appears to be a good deal may prove to be a real liability.

Conversely, it is possible to rebuild an older piano to perform like a new piano. This process is called rebuilding and it involves replacing major components such as the soundboard, strings, bridges, pinblock and most action parts. This exercise is very expensive and can cost of a new piano. Many times fine European pianos are the choice to rebuild because these pianos have survived the test of time and can be restored to perfection due to the construction, quality parts and long traditions of piano craftsmanship.

The best-quality pianos in the world today are made in Europe. European piano makers have access to the best quality woods and long tradition of impeccable piano craftsmanship and can be quite costly. For something affordable, "selected" new entry-level pianos manufactured in China and Indonesia today can be a viable alternative to recond pianos. These new pianos have better scale design which promote better sustain qualities, new materials for ease of action regulation, warranties backed by the manufacturers and may last for the next 30 years before you decide to change. see piano ratings.

If you want your children to learn to play the piano, find the best possible piano within a comfortable price range. Don't assume because your children is young and just started lesson you can find a cheap piano, because there is no such thing as a cheap 'start-off piano'. A piano that is poor offers discouragement to the child; weak sustain qualities, poor dynamic range and will never develop good playing technique.

Before buying a recond piano "keep in mind" that outside appearance of a piano does not reflect the true condition of a piano, unless you're buying it as a decorative item, piano shaped object (PSO). As a general rule, the older the piano, the less "musical life" is left in the piano and the more repairs are probably needed.

Here are just a few of the major components inside a piano:-
New versus Used (Reconditioned)

		Soundboard more... May be cracked or worse, may have lost it's crown thus become tonally dead. It is one of the crucial part of the piano, which changes the strings vibrating energy into sound waves that we hear. Soundboard Ribs May be broken or come unglued. As a result the transfer of mechanical energy become weak around the soundboard area.
		Iron Plate May be cracked which distort the piano musically and makes the piano useless. It also provide the strength to support the 20 tons of string tension. Strings Bass strings may be dead or copper wound may have come loose with time, the bass notes become tubby and dull sound.
		Treble and Bass Bridges May have lost its downbearing, broken, split or cracked thus weaken piano tone and is very expensive to repair. It helps transmit the vibrations properly under the pressure of the strings to the soundboard. Bridge Pins May have lost its sidebearing, broken or misaligned thus cause a loss of energy. It holds the strings solidly on the bridge.
		Pin block May be split and is very costly to repair. It hold the tuning pins tightly so that all the strings are maintained at the right tension without unwinding, increase tuning stability. Tuning Pins May be loose, may have been doped, may require oversized pins, may require new pin block. A serious business as the piano will never be able to hold the strings at the correct tension.
		Actions There are thousands of moving parts in a piano action. May be literally worn out affecting the touch. If re-bushing and re-pinning are required, this will become very costly. A complete regulation will be needed and is expensive if properly done. Hammers May be worn out or improperly filed so as to require replacement as it affect the tone and sustaining qualities of a piano. Of all parts found in the action, hammers are the most important.