The Piano Showroom

New Pianos

There are hundreds of new piano brands in the world market. Australia only sees a few. If you wish to buy new buy quality. This is not easy to recongnise in a world of international production and marketing. We at The Piano Showroom are very selective in the new pianos which we sell. We deal directly with the manufacturers.

Piano are not like "cars" or "computers". Pianos need selected natural materials. These materials are becoming very rare and are only used in top quality instruments.

You do not have to buy new there is a very good selection of quality second hand pianos available in the market for a fraction of the price of a new piano.

A NEW PIANO MUST BE PLAYED IN BEFORE IT REACHES ITS FULL POTENTIAL. NEW PIANOS ARE NOT ALWAYS BETTER PIANOS. MANY WELL KNOWN MASS PRODUCED BRANDS OF TODAY ARE MADE TODAY ARE MADE OF PLASTIC AND MDF.

THESE MODERN MATERIALS DO NOT LAST AND LACK THE ACCOUSTIC QUALITIES OF A FINE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

General description of a good quality piano:

Keys shoulds be made of cross pine, designed to eliminate warping. Keybushing should use double woven cloth to ensure silent key movement and the keyboard itself should be damp-proofed. Each key consists of 60 to 70 action parts. Multiply this by 88 keys and that's around 6,000 parts in an action which must be perfectly syncronised. The action needs to have the precision of a clock. The most critical period of an action is in the first year of playing. During this period the felts will compact and the action will loose its precision. All manufacturers advise that a piano should be regulated after the initial playing period which could be from three to twelve months. A well maintained second hand piano should have been already regulated.

All wooden parts of the action should be sealed and damp-proofed, to give lasting protection in all climatic conditions. The piano's hammerheads must also be damp-proofed and covered with the finest wool felt to withstand willions of strokes without losing elasticity. The dampers should also be of the finest wool felt. All metal aprts of the action should be primed and sealed against corrosion. The piano should be kept closed when not in use to protect the action from dirt, dust and corrosion.

The pin block is copper beach laminated wood. If the pin block fails, the instrument is usually rendered worthless. Poor pin block make the piano tuners job very difficult. Driven into the pin block are the tuning pins which are usually nickel plated. It is worth remembering no oil or lubricant should ever be used to keep them shiny. Tha same goes with the strings.

The iron frame of a piano serves to support the pin block and pins and must take on the enormous tension of the strings - 17 to 22 tons. The surface of the frame is screwed into the braces by steel bolts. The soundboard of a pinao is responsible for producing beauty and balance of sound. Only the most refined well grained woods and materials should be used. It is an advantage for a soundbaord to have the capacity to expand. This gives greater tension and resonance. A poorly constructed laminated soundbaord, found in many low priced new pianos could produce unwanted noise and vibrations between the laminated wood.

Stability is critical in a piano. Poor stability in any part of the piano will also produce unwanted noise over time. A good keybed will use selected cross glued softwoods. The backposts give tuning stability and control. A quality cabinet will use a selection of quality laminated timbers and veneers.

New Pianos: Do's and Don'ts

New pianos can arrive damaged in their factory packed crates

All factories expect the dealers to unpack the new pianos and to make the necessary adjustments, including pre-delivery service and tuning.

• Do not - Buy a new piano in a box or crate.
• Do not believe that you must buy new to buy well. High quality natural materials are used less and less on new pianos.
• Do not believe that there are any pianos which are made for all Australian Conditions. Read the warranty first.
• Do not buy a piano only by its name. There are hundreds of name but only very few manufacturers.
• Do - Always try the new piano before you buy it or have someone else try it for you. If you are buying from the web ask the dealer to play and describe the particular piano to you.
• Don't - Buy a new piano which has not been correctly prepared, regulated and tuned at least twice by the dealer.
• Don't - Buy a new piano until you have read the warranty and know who is providing the warranty and the conditions of the warranty.
  
• Dont believe that because a piano has a German or Japanese name that it is German or Japanese made. German or Japanese strings, German or Japanese scale does not make the piano German or Japanese.
  
• Most pianos imported new to Australia are either, Indonesian, Korean or Chinese. There are more problems with most new pianos then thre are with high quality used pianos.
• Dont beleive that any manufacturer makes pianos to suite all Australian conditions. Read and understand the Warranty.
• Remember that all new pianos need most tunings and action adjustments in the first few years of their life, before they settle. Ask your dealer if the work is covered by Warranty.
• Teachers and friends and even some tuners only have limited knowledge of pianos.
• If you are going to have a new or used piano inspected by a teacher or tuner always ask for a written report.