The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano

If you are buying either a new or used piano "with strings" (as opposed to a purely digital [no strings] piano), you MUST buy this book.If you are buying a NEW piano, you also need to buy the yearly "Supplement" book (Current version is "2001-2002 Annual Supplement to The Piano Book", also by Larry Fine).Together, these two books do not cost much. You WILL save hundreds and perhaps thousands of dollars.Here is what is covered in each book:THIS BOOK - "The Piano Book". This book has chapters on How a Piano Works, Buying a New Piano, Buying a Used Piano, Piano Moving, Piano Care, and a special chapter entitled "A Consumer Guide to New and Recently Made Pianos", which includes brand by brand listings and rankings in a number of categories. This book DOES NOT include price information. This book has 234 pages of content!!THE SUPPLEMENT - "2001-2002 Annual Supplement to The Piano Book". This book provides "suggested" list prices for almost every manufacturer and model, AND discusses % discounts you can expect. For example, did you know, that the average discount off of list price is between 15-25%?This book is published every year in August, based on data from that Spring. For example, this "2001-2002" was published in August 2001, based on data from June 2001. This means that the "2002-2003" version should be available in August 2002. This book has 98 pages of discount and list price information!!The author has his own website (pianobook.com) which is also listed in the book, and even offers private phone consulatations (for a fee, given your specific needs).BOTTOM LINE: Buy both of these books. Trust me, you will NOT be disappointed!!!

To paraphrase a great line from The Untouchables, a piano buyer (especially a novice) shopping for a piano without this book is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Even if you know very little about pianos, this book will make you a well-informed shopper, able to avoid being ripped-off. It is well written and very readable. Although it is four years old, it contains sections on shopping for a piano over the internet, researching pianos on electronic bulletin boards, etc. Despite one of the reviews below, this book DOES contain ratings of most piano brands; Larry Fine gives 1 through 5 stars to the major brands, and even breaks down the ratings by the various piano series offered by some of the majors. VERY HELPFUL.The only significant drawback (and certainly not the fault of Larry Fine) is the fact that lots of "house brands" are made by other major manufacturers. It is difficult to know what you are getting with these house brands. Other than general quality comparisons based on the parent manufacturer, the book is really not useful in evaluating these pianos.This book is highly recommended. You MUST also get the most current annual supplement to have current model numbers and pricing. Money well spent.

This is the “go to” source for information on buying a new or used piano. Shopping for a used Piano? Buy this book first and save yourself from buying or taking a money pit.

I mainly was interested in used pianos. When looking for used items. It's very helpful to glean info from ones who service the item. The information on the construction, design, and issues was most helpful. I had no idea piano's were so complex or more importantly that so many different permutations have been done and the good and bad of it all. I recommend the book if you are looking for a piano.

It has all of the information most of us do not know about to make a sound decision before purchasing a piano! This is one of the better books in the marketplace that explains the main technical parts of a piano needed before making a big purchase.

I just went through the process of researching and ultimately buying a piano. The most important part of this research was this book plus the accompanying 2016 supplement  Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer: Spring 2016 Supplement to The Piano Book . The Piano Book was easy and fun to read, and made me a much more informed piano shopper. The latest supplement contains prices - not just list but Larry's estimate of the most you should realistically have to pay. The two books together help you understand the piano industry and where each brand and each class of piano fits in, so you can find the best possible piano for your situation and budget. These books are also helpful if you're considering a used piano - and you should, as a good piano that's cared for will last much longer than a person's lifetime.Buying a piano is a big investment, one that you'll have possibly the rest of your life. It's worth taking a few extra hours to educate yourself to be an informed shopping and make sure you make the best purchase decision. Larry Fine's excellent book is an important part of that.You should also visit his website, which has a variety of articles and reviews, and some updates.

This is a great book if you love the piano, own one or want to buy one.It gives insight on the piano's design and construction, advantages and disadvantages of each. Care and maintenance.How to buy a piano and what to look for.The different manufacturers, a brief history and how they differ in sound, design and quality.The ones that are still in business and the ones that are not.This book is especially useful to those that want to buy a used piano.It will help you make an informed decision.

We were purchasing a high end used piano and needed to educate ourselves. Well worth the money as you will better understand what to look out for.

Il meglio per chi voglia acquistare un piano, verticale o a coda, con la cronistoria di tutti i marchi più importanti. Io ho scoperto che l’August Förster del 1911, già di mia nonna materna, è tutt’ora tra i migliori brand mondiali.

The book on learning how a piano works and the different models made over the centuries. A really good guide for choosing a Piano, new or used.

On a quest for possibly acquiring a better instrument, I want to be able to examine and judge the quality of the various instruments that come across. The book serves as a very good guide to the world of pianos being them either verticals or grands. To facilitate an initial bearing there is an overall rating of the different brands that can be found on the market in terms of Performance, Confidence, Quality control and Warranty. If you are looking for an instrument to buy, this can be of use at least in making sure you are not comparing apples with pears. Very useful is the section dealing with assessing the condition of a second hand piano. The basic checks can be performed with limited effort and, if you decide to buy, at least you are reasonably confident not to have made a big mistake. Well worth: easy to read.

Ce livre donne beaucoup d'informations, présentées avec méthode. Il est agréable à lire pour un ouvrage technique en anglais. C'est vraiment une mine de renseignements utile, même s'il est basé sur le marché des pianos aux USA.Cependant le marché évolue sans cesse. Un tel livre demande des réactualisations, c'est pourquoi il faut acheter les mises à jour.Concernant les modèles de pianos un peu plus anciens, que l'on ne fabrique plus, il faut revenir aux anciennes éditions, mais on ne les trouve pas toujours. L'auteur conseille de les consulter en bibliothèque. Mais sans doute ce livre n'est-il pas dans beaucoup de bibliothèques de France ou de Belgique. Bref, on y trouve énormément, mais avec de très légères réserves. Un ouvrage 5 étoiles à mon sens tout de même ...