We are all well aware of the dangers of buying or selling anything on craigslist, but where else are you going to look? The classifieds in the newspaper are almost a thing of the past. Ebay means high shipping costs for something as big as a piano. So that leaves us with craigslist. I confess I’ve bought and sold things there, too. Keep a few things in mind when checking out a craigslist piano. Download a free guitar tuning app on your phone. You can easily determine if the piano has gone flat from lack of attention. If a piano is flat, a $100.00 tuning does not include tuning it to the correct pitch. It just means tuning it “where it’s at” which could be a full note flat. Look at the strings where they are wound around the tuning pin. Is there a gap between the windings and the cast iron plate? There should be, but if a piano has loose pins they can be driven deeper into the pin block. If this has been done you know the piano is not far from having loose pins again. When this happens all you can do is have the piano destroyed. Keep age in mind, too. When it comes to pianos, old is bad. Pianos have 40,000 pounds of pressure on them and hold it well for 60 years or so. After that, the soundboard will lose its’ crown and tone quality will be lost. These are just a few of many things to consider when buying a piano from an individual. If you need a good used piano we encourage you to visit our used piano page. If you don’t see what you are looking for today try again next week. It changes quite frequently!
