So I hate to say it, but they’re essentially disposable pianos! (I believe there are some in that price range, although things have gotten a little bit more expensive lately.) Well guess what? When that piano wears out, it’s not worth rebuilding! The cost of restoration exceeds what the piano could eventually be worth after being rebuilt. What if you buy a brand new baby grand for $10,000. Because the cost of new ones is so great, they are worth rebuilding. That’s why you see a lot of rebuilt Steinways, Mason and Hamlins, Blüthners, and other really fine pianos.

Why should you even consider getting an $80,000 piano, or even a used, top-tier grand piano for $30,000? Is there any reason for this? Well, think about this: a $30,000 fine used piano or $80,000 fine new piano are instruments that, because of their intrinsic value, are worth rebuilding when the time comes. They’re telling you like it is, “This piano is made in China and imported.” It looks just as nice as the $80,000 piano sitting next to it. Nobody’s trying to pull wool over your eyes. And it’s from a reputable company and from a good store. For example, let’s say you buy a no-name stencil piano, a piano that comes from some unknown factory in Asia with a familiar name on the front of some piano company that went out of business years ago. From an investment standpoint, it actually makes more sense to buy a fine piano than to buy a cheap piano. Which one would be better for you? Is one going to hold up better? Is one going to be more satisfying to play? Is it really worth spending tens of thousands of dollars, or over a hundred thousand dollars on a piano? But you could buy a perfectly good Chinese or Indonesian piano, brand new, for less money than a used Steinway or Bechstein, or something of that nature. Let’s say you have the option of buying a Steinway, Bechstein, Mason and Hamlin, or some other top-tier, hand-built piano. But there is definitely a choice of how far to go. Then there are pianos for hundreds of thousands of dollars! So what should you get? Obviously not everybody has the resources to buy pianos that cost a hundred thousand dollars or more.

You will see digital pianos for a few hundred dollars. Today’s question is: Should you buy a Steinway or other fine piano? It’s tough when you’re going to buy a piano.

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