The Best Things in Life Are Free...Except

One of the services I offer as a piano teacher is assisting my students find a decent piano.

In some instances, particularly in those cases involving younger children, parents may be hesitant to shell out the big bucks for a quality musical instrument until they are sure that little Tommy or Suzy actually does want to learn and play the piano.  They may buy a cheap digital keyboard; or they might think about getting one of those "free" pianos that are so commonly advertised on home marketplaces or Kijiji.

And here is where I offer my advice: most of these free pianos are junk.

Unlike some other items, pianos don't "antique" well.  If they have been neglected or are very old, they are often not worth restoring.  Over time, the wood ages and the mechanisms wear out.  Key tops become loose and fall off or the pedal might stop working.  And these are expensive fixes.  So folks who offer grandma's old Heintzman for free (which YOU have to move) may not be as magnanimous as you might think.  Having someone else to move the old clunker out of their house is saving them the expense of paying to have it hauled to the dump.

How sure I am of this?

I used to work in a piano shop.  One thing I noticed was the dozens of old pianos taking up space.  I asked my boss about this.  He just smiled and said they were taken in on trade and they were going to the dump.  Their time had passed.  

Now, there are companies who do specialize in piano restoration and they do a terrific job of it.  An eighty year old piano that has been fixed up from top to bottom can be a great choice, but that will be reflected in the price.  Why? Because restoration experts, like any other professionals, charge appropriately for their skills.  Most of these refurbished old-timers won't be free.  In fact, some of them can rival the cost of a new instrument.

So if you are tempted to get a "free" piano, consider paying for a piano technician to join you at the prospective give-away to see if it's a decent piano.  If it is, then you'll be in a positive position to think further on this.  If it's not worth it, you just saved yourself a heap of money...and frustration.