Background

Used pianos are often a tempting option when first considering an instrument.  A well chosen used model can adequately fill a need, however, there are several risks that customers should be properly aware of before making any decisions.  Merriam Pianos offers an extensive selection of both new and used, allowing us to offer an unbiased, objective shopping experience when choosing. For our full selection of used and rebuilt pianos, please click on our eBay store link.

Firstly, it is essential to clear up three very pervasive myths:  1) pianos do not get better with age;  2) new pianos are made better today than they used to be, not worse; 3) buying a used piano is not always ‘cheaper’ than buying new.  We hear customers on a daily basis tell us stories like: ”they don’t build them like they used to”, or “we found a great antique, and it’s worth a lot of money”, not to mention the countless numbers of small piano shops who help propogate these myths. The truth is that selecting a used piano is a time-consuming and difficult process that involves trying to uncover its past, investigating the health of about 10 vital components, and ensuring that a fair price is paid.  At Merriam Pianos, this painstaking selection process is something we deal with on a daily basis, as we pick and choose from dozens of candidate pianos per week.  Rest assured, with this huge number of pianos to choose from, our collection is a highly scrutinized and comprehensive alternative to our extensive new offering.

Why pianos depreciate

A piano is vitally different than any other instrument in two ways:  the tension is approx 90 to 100 times higher than it’s closest comparison, and a piano has the highest number of moving parts of any instrument.  Consequently, many areas of performance begin to degrade almost immediately, from the action (4000 parts) to the soundboard crown (the curve which presses against all the strings).  Further more, because many of the components are wooden, the climate that the piano is kept in can dramatically affect how quickly a piano ages.   Pianos can last for upwards of 100 years, depending on how well they were cared for, and how well it was originally built.  As a result, the depreciation is much slower than what most people expect – additionally, the depreciation is in line with its performance.  So chances are a $3500 new piano will probably sound and perform about as well as a $3500 used piano.  Let our experts help you decide which direction might be best for you. 

VISIT OUR USED PIANO SELECTION ONLINE AT EBAY