Welcome to Digital Piano Review. Buying used goods can be a good thing. Getting a used digital piano is fine as long as you do your research. If you don’t, things could get pretty bad because of certain pitfalls. Of course, buying used has advantages. The obvious one is saving money. Remember, a really low price doesn’t always mean you’re getting a good deal.
Where to buy a digital piano?
Some of the best places to buy used digital pianos include: local music store, Amazon, eBay, and online marketplaces. If you’ll be purchasing through an online marketplace like Craigslist or Kijiji, make sure you make your purchase face-to-face. Don’t ever send the seller money. It’s likely a scam.
Among all these online retailers, our number 1 recommendation goes to Amazon. It’s become a phenomenon. But why Amazon? There’s wider selection of products available. And the biggest one has to be: the deals! The savings you get on Amazon are amazing. Most products qualify for free shipping. How great is that? Buying digital pianos or practically anything else on Amazon can save you a ton of money. Discounts of 40-60% are common on musical instruments. Don’t believe us, click here to see for yourself!
However, making payments online on Amazon and eBay is safe. Make sure the seller has a positive feedback from other buyers. These online giants are also a place to save money. If you want to buy a musical instrument online, Digital Piano Review recommends Amazon. You can save a lot of money. Most goods come with discounts and even free shipping. But, warranties and refund policies should also be taken into consideration.
Some advantages of buying online include:
- Easily compares prices at different stores
- Amazon, and eBay protect buyers from fraud (to a certain extent)
- Prices fluctuate and can be easily tracked
- Can save time and money (no traveling required)
- Locations not limited (no need to drive 1000 miles to make a purchase)
- More selection and better decision making
- Easily find reviews from other buyers
- Product shipped at your doorstep
- Free shipping on most products on Amazon
Avoid scams as well. There are people selling $2000 pianos for $100 on eBay. That seems too good to be true. If buying used in person, make sure to try out (pressing buttons, keys, knobs, etc.). If the buyer doesn’t let you test, avoid it. When buying used, always be careful.
The steps of inspection
Firstly, just quickly scan around the digital piano. Look for things like missing parts, damages, or anything like that. If the instrument seems fine, move on.
Now, start off with the keyboard. Play each and every single key one at a time. Don’t rush. No matter how many keys there are – 76, 88, 96, more or less, make sure every key works properly. Make sure none of the keys wobble or feel like they’ll pop right out.
Also, make sure they feel right when you press them. Are they unusually stiff? Do they return smoothly to their normal position? Remember these little details count. You don’t want to disappointment. The key action should feel normal.
Also, check what materials the keys are made of. If they are made of cheap plastic, walk away. Plastic only suits cheaper electronic keyboards, not digital pianos. To get the proper touch of an acoustic piano, you need fully-weighted keys. Now most models already have these, so it should be a problem.
But wait, we’re still not done with the keys, yet. We need to see how the touch sensitivity or response is. This only applies if your piano has a touch response feature. If it doesn’t, you can skip this step. Anyways, touch response is basically the volume depending on how hard or soft the keys are hit. When this feature is on, the volume will be higher if you hit the keys hard. And lower if the keys are hit lightly. The volume will be steady if the response feature is turned off.
It’s better to have touch response since your digital piano will feel more like an acoustic one. Once again, play each key several times with hard and light hits. If few keys have lost their sensitivity, it may be fine. If more keys have, than decide if you’re fine with it.
Next, we move on to the pedals. Before test them, make sure that you’re at least getting the pedals. If not, you can get some good ones online. Digital Piano Review recommends you buy pedals from Amazon for $20-$40. So as long as the pedals are in working condition, that’s good.
The usual three pedals are: sustain or damper, soft, and sostenuto. Some models may only come with the damper pedal. This is fine, too. Hold the pedal or pedals and play each note. Don’t play the next note before releasing, and re-pressing the pedal. This may seem like a lot, but it’ll save you from being unsatisfied.
Now, test the speakers, and the volume. Start by listening to sounds when volume is fully turned down. You won’t here any music, but you may here clanks, squeaks or any other odd noises. This may be because a mechanical problem. If it’s not too significant, that’s fine.
Then, listen to how loud the volume goes up to. That sound that comes out of the speakers should be clear. If you hear any crackles at any volume, you decide if you’re fine with it or not. If there is a headphone output, you can try the sound with headphones for your own satisfaction.
Now, remember we first scanned to look for any damages. This time, we will fully inspect the instrument. Don’t just ask the owner and believe him/her. The person could lie just to sell you the used product. To check if something was ever spilled, press down each key and look for stains. Even if there are stains, and sound’s still fine, there could be potential problems in the futures. Also look around for anything unusual.
Digital Piano Reviews – Conclusion
If you follow these tips before buying a used digital piano, you’ll save yourself from trouble. When people want to get rid of things, they lie. So, inspection may take some time, but in the long run, you will be satisfied with your decision. We hope this article, as well as part 1 of it, helps if buying used. Thank you for taking your time to read this article by Digital Piano Review.