Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Summary:
This bible of the piano marketplace is indispensable to buyers and owners of pianos, amateur and professional players alike. Hundreds of thousands of pianos are bought and sold each year, yet most people buy a piano with only the vaguest idea of what to look for as they make this major purchase. The Piano Book evaluates and compares every brand and style of piano sold in the United States. There is information on piano moving and storage, inspecting individual new and used pianos, the special market for Steinways, and sales gimmicks to watch out for. The supplement lists current prices for more than 2,500 new piano models.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
everything you wanted to know about pianos
Customer Rating:
this book explains the workings of the piano, grand and upright, in great detail. it talks about pricing, negotiating, in great detail. it talks about restoration and used pianos. it gives good overviews about piano manufacturers and their "list" prices. make sure you get the supplement, because the piano prices change every year, and also manufacturers come and go.
The Piano Book
Customer Rating:
This is a well written comprehensive guide for almost any piano. It is written by some one that has spent years as a piano technician and literally knows pianos inside and out. You can find a reference to almost any piano produced over the last 100 years. It gives useful information regarding problem areas and attributes of the pianos mentioned. It is essential for any one considering buying a used piano.
The essential book for anyone interested in pianos
Customer Rating:
I looked for pianos for quite some time before reading this essential primer and then looked again after reading it. The difference is like looking through fog vs a very clear day. Larry Fine does a super job of explaining the workings of a piano and why a buyer or seller may want to be tuned into how they work (sorry for the pun). My once naive eye is much more critical in its piano search with Larry's info in hand. Many pianos that were of interest to me would have been serious mistakes after reading the book - thats the best perspective I can give. On the other hand, Larry aptly points out that there isn't a perfect brand name in piano's, voicing and tuning can bring many brands into a well heeled instruments for most purposes. My perspective on pianos has broadened greatly. Worth the read just for the great information and coverage of the subject.
Best book out there on the subject
Customer Rating:
Larry Fine's book is invaluable for those who plan to purchase a piano. This book has loads of information regarding the manufacturers, the quality of the brands and the history of the pianos. Save yourself some money by purchasing this book before you shop for a piano and you could save yourself a few thousand or more. Buying a piano is like buying a car, you have to "test drive" them first, and then negotiate. Read this book and walk into the showroom knowing you are getting the best deal and finest piano you can afford.
Great, as far as it goes
Customer Rating:
...which is pretty far. Fine's book is legendary and important, and if you are thinking of buying even a relatively expensive piano, you should read it. It should come as no surprise that the standard "grand old names" are rated at the top, and things stair-step down from there until you arrive at the bottom of the Asian barrel. No surprises there. And many feel that Fine is too hard on some very fine pianos, giving a skewed impression of the many very good Chinese pianos that are coming on the market. What is instructive is that you will learn what is made where, which can be a very hard thing to find out on your own. If you're walking into a store and don't know Young Chang from Hailun, and perhaps think that a Boston might have been made in Boston, and that a Steinlager is made in Germany, you really need to do your homework first. If you're seriously shopping for a Bosendorfer or Bechstein or Steinway new off the floor, then you don't need this book. But if you want to get a good piano for a fair price and need to learn your way around this odd landscape, start here. IMPORTANT - get the updated supplements! A lot has changed in even the last 5 years, and advice on certain models no longer holds true. Some names have dropped in quality, others have risen considerably. You won't learn this in the piano showroom!
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