Before You Even Visit: Questions to Ask the Seller
Save yourself wasted trips by asking a few things upfront.
How old is the piano?
The seller may not know, but if they can give you the brand and serial number, you can usually date it. Most manufacturers publish serial number registers — Yamaha, Kawai, Bechstein, Petrof, and others all have searchable databases online. As a rough guide, most pianos over 80–100 years old are past their practical playing life unless they've been professionally restored.
When was it last tuned?
If the answer is "I don't know" or "years ago," the piano has almost certainly dropped well below concert pitch. That's not necessarily a dealbreaker — it can be brought back — but it adds cost. A piano that's been regularly maintained is a much safer buy.
Why are they selling?
Moving house is the most common honest reason. "Upgrading" is a good sign. Be slightly cautious of "inherited" pianos that have sat untouched for years in variable conditions.
Is it in a ground-floor room?
This matters because you'll need to move it. A piano on the third floor of a building with no lift is a significant moving cost. Ask about access — narrow hallways, tight staircases, and small doorways can all complicate or even prevent removal.
What to Check When You See the Piano
You don't need to be an expert to spot the most common problems. Here's a practical checklist you can run through in 15 minutes.
The Outside
Look at the case. Cosmetic damage — scratches, faded finish, minor veneer chips — is purely aesthetic and doesn't affect sound or playability. Structural damage is different: look for cracks in the case sides, a warped or separating lid, or legs that feel wobbly.
Check that the piano sits level. If it rocks or leans, the legs or casters may be damaged, or the frame has settled unevenly from years of uneven flooring.
The Keys
Play every single key, one at a time, from bottom to top. You're listening and feeling for:
- • Dead notes — keys that produce no sound or a very muffled sound. Could be a broken string, stuck hammer, or disconnected action part.
- • Sticking keys — keys that don't come back up, or come back up slowly. Common in pianos stored in damp conditions.
- • Rattling or buzzing — could be loose parts, broken strings vibrating, or foreign objects inside (coins, pencils, and children's toys are common).
- • Uneven touch — do all keys feel roughly the same weight and resistance? Significant unevenness suggests the action needs regulation.
Don't worry whether it sounds "in tune" — almost no second-hand piano will be. You're listening for mechanical problems, not tuning accuracy.
Inside the Piano
Ask to open the top panel (upright) or lift the lid (grand). Most sellers are fine with this.
The strings. Look for rust. Surface tarnish is normal and cosmetic. Heavy rust — flaking, pitting, orange-brown corrosion — is a problem. Check the treble section (thin plain steel strings on the right), as these corrode first. Ireland's humidity makes this more common than in drier climates.
Broken strings. Easy to spot — you'll see a string hanging loose or curled up. One or two broken strings is not unusual and cheaply replaced. Five or more suggests the piano has been neglected or the strings are generally at end of life.
The hammers. The felt striking surface should be rounded and smooth. Deep grooves worn into the felt mean the hammers are worn. They can be reshaped a couple of times, but heavily grooved hammers eventually need replacing — a significant cost.
The dampers. Press the sustain pedal — all dampers should lift evenly. Release it — they should all drop back onto the strings at the same time. Uneven movement means regulation work is needed.
The tuning pins. They should all be roughly the same height and angle. Visibly tilted or very loose pins suggest a failing pinblock — an expensive problem best assessed by a tuner.
The Pedals
Right pedal (sustain): Hold it down and play a note — the sound should ring on after you release the key. Release the pedal — the sound should stop cleanly.
Left pedal (soft): Should make the sound noticeably quieter or softer.
Middle pedal: On grands, this is sostenuto. On many uprights, it's a practice mute. Check it engages and disengages smoothly. Squeaky or stiff pedals are usually repairable, but factor in the cost.
Brands to Look For (and Be Cautious About)
Reliable Buys
Yamaha & Kawai — The safest second-hand purchase in most price ranges. Well-engineered, consistent, age gracefully. A 20–30 year old Yamaha U1 or U3 in reasonable condition is one of the best value propositions on the market.
Bechstein, Blüthner, Petrof, Schimmel, Feurich, Rönisch — Good to exceptional. Petrof pianos are particularly common in Ireland and generally solid.
Steinway, Bösendorfer, Fazioli — Worth serious consideration if found at a reasonable price, but bring a tuner for a pre-purchase inspection.
Exercise Caution
Unbranded or obscure-branded pianos — If you can't find information about the manufacturer, be wary. Many cheap pianos were mass-produced under house brands for department stores.
Very old pianos (pre-1930s) — Beautiful to look at, but the vast majority are past their mechanical life. Restoration almost always costs more than buying a good second-hand Yamaha.
"Free to collect" pianos — Sometimes genuine. Often a piano a tuner has already condemned. Ask why it's free and budget €175–€250 for a tuning and assessment regardless.
The Hidden Cost: Moving
Piano moving is specialist work. A standard upright move within Dublin typically costs €150–€300 depending on access. Grand pianos cost more — they need to be partially disassembled and moved on their side.
Do not move a piano in a regular van with a few friends unless you genuinely know what you're doing. Pianos are extremely heavy — a small upright is 150–200kg, a large upright 250–350kg, a grand 300–500kg+ — and fragile in specific ways. Use a specialist piano mover. Ask your piano tuner for a recommendation.
After any move, wait 2–4 weeks for the piano to acclimatise to its new environment before having it tuned. The change in temperature and humidity will cause the soundboard to adjust, and tuning before it settles is wasted money.
The Best Investment: A Pre-Purchase Inspection
For €100–€175, you can have a professional piano tuner or technician come with you to inspect the piano before you buy. This is the single best money you can spend in the entire process. A tuner will check everything above — plus the things you can't assess yourself, like pinblock condition, soundboard crown, action wear, and whether the asking price is fair.
Think of it like a car inspection before buying a used car. You wouldn't spend €2,000 on a car without having a mechanic look at it. The same logic applies to a piano.
I offer pre-purchase inspections across Dublin — if you're looking at a piano and want an honest professional opinion before committing, I'm happy to come along and give you a full assessment. I'll tell you what condition it's in, what work it needs, what that work would cost, and whether the asking price is fair.
Quick-Reference Checklist
Save this on your phone before viewing a piano.
- checkbox Ask: age, brand, serial number, last tuning date, reason for selling
- checkbox Play every key — listen for dead notes, sticking, buzzing
- checkbox Open the top/lid — check strings for rust, broken strings, hammer wear
- checkbox Test all pedals
- checkbox Check the case for structural damage (not just cosmetic scratches)
- checkbox Google the brand + serial number to date the piano
- checkbox Factor in moving cost (€150–€300+ for Dublin)
- checkbox Factor in first tuning cost (€145–€225 depending on condition)
- checkbox For any piano over €500, consider a professional pre-purchase inspection