The Best of Acoustic & Digital
Piano Buyer

About the book

The Best of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer is a collection of the best and most useful articles we’ve published in the past nine years on buying a new, used, or restored piano or digital piano. This book replaces our twice-yearly print magazine. However, all of our materials — articles, instrument reviews, models, prices, specifications, databases, stories, etc. — will continue to be available online for free.

Included in this volume are more than 30 articles by 17 authors on:

• Buying a New Piano
• Buying a Used or Restored Piano
• Buying a High-End Piano
• Buying Pianos for an Institution or Concert Hall
• Caring for a Piano
• Restoring, Selling, or Donating a Piano
• Buying an Electronic Player-Piano System
• Buying a Digital Piano
• Hybrid and Software Pianos
• Piano Benches, Lamps, and Accessories
• Moving a Piano
• How to Acoustically Optimize a Room for a Piano

Plus — Descriptions of More Than 80 Brands of Acoustic, Digital, and Electronic Player Piano

(Note that a separate Piano Buyer Model & Price Supplement is published twice a year in print. It contains comprehensive and up-to-date listings of acoustic-piano models and prices and digital-piano specifications and prices. Click here for more information.)

Advance Praise for
THE BEST OF ACOUSTIC & DIGITAL PIANO BUYER

Frederic Chiu, concert pianist and Yamaha Artist:

"An integral part of playing the piano well is to buy and care for it well. Towards that goal, this exhaustive resource, uniting the work of so many people dedicated to the art of the piano, is an invaluable tool. By simply reading it, one has already moved further down the path to becoming a better pianist."

Mario Igrec, RPT, MMus, Chief Piano Technician, The Juilliard School, and author, Pianos Inside Out:

"Larry Fine is unique in his ability to provide information that is relevant to novice and sophisticated piano buyers alike. The articles he has published over the years, now collected in one convenient ‘Best of’ volume, include a staggering range of pertinent and valuable topics. From the intricacies of buying a new or used acoustic, digital, hybrid, or player piano, to deciding whether to rebuild a piano, to the tax implications of donating a piano, to institutional pianos, piano care, and piano moving, you will learn about the piano market in a way that you couldn’t do anywhere else. The Best of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer is required reading for anyone buying or owning a piano."

Brian Chung, Senior Vice President, Shigeru Kawai Piano Company:

"A highly informative and practical resource for anyone interested in the world of pianos."

Steve Brady, RPT, author, Under the Lid: The Art and Craft of the Concert Piano Technician:

"Larry Fine’s new book, The Best of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer, is a treasure trove of useful information about buying, maintaining, and eventually disposing of nearly any kind of piano. It is truly the indispensable guide to all things piano."

Robert Estrin, LivingPianos.com:

"An incredibly valuable resource — whether you’re a novice just figuring out how to buy a piano, or a seasoned professional requiring specific information."

David Betts, RPT, Department Head, Piano Technology, North Bennet Street School:

"Absolutely filled with piano information — from buying to caring for one, rebuilding vs. purchasing new, acoustic vs. digital — plus ratings and profiles for every brand. Great, informative articles by veteran keyboard technicians."

Delwin D. Fandrich, RPT, Piano Design & Manufacturing Consultant; former Director of Research & Development, Baldwin Piano & Organ Co.:

"The piano industry is in a state of flux. Most manufacturing has moved offshore, and brand names that were once revered are now almost meaningless. We hear that once-great piano brands are no longer great, and we’re confronted with brands we’ve never heard of. We shop for a new high-end piano and someone tells us that the only way to get a great piano is to buy one built during the ‘golden age’ of pianos — whenever that was.

"Enter Piano Buyer magazine, edited by Larry Fine — the industry’s most complete and definitive resource for today’s piano buyer. This book brings together some of the best articles that have appeared in the magazine to date. There is something in here for everyone. Each article has been thoroughly researched, and is based on years of experience by some of the best technicians and experts in the industry today.

"I’ve been in this business for more than five decades, and I still read each issue that comes out. I’ve learned something from all of these authors; you will too."

Arthur Reblitz, author, Piano Tuning, Servicing and Rebuilding: