Customer Reviews

2007-2008 Annual Supplement to The Piano Book : Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano (Annual Supplement to the Piano Book)

5 star:		(10)
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I read this book before my very first piano purchase, and the information Mr. Fine shared in the chapters "Buying a New/Used Piano" was invaluable. I entered the retailer's floor thinking that I would buy a brand new piano but was most impressed by the sound, tone, feel of a 98-year-old vintage German piano. I took The Piano Book with me and read the history of the European manufacturer while trying out many pianos on the floor. I made the purchase after comparing many pianos and saved thousands of dollars because I was prepared to negotiate a fair price based on the 2007-2008 Supplement and The Piano Book. The combination of both books helped me differentiate facts from the retailer's selling points, which is essential when committing to large investments. Being informed also led to more respectful negotiations between the customer and the shop owner. My experience when purchasing pianos, cars, or other big-ticket items is that retailers appreciate it when they perceive a knowledgeable customer, and they do not attempt to take advantage of you as forthrightly.

This book is meant to be a supplement to Larry Fine's other book, "The Piano Book." It contains up-to-date information about expected price ranges for all models and all sizes of all brands of pianos (both grands and uprights). It's very, very helpful and can help you negotiate a price with a pushy salesman. I would recommend that you purchase this book along with the most recent edition for the most complete information, but this supplement alone could still be helpful.

This little book is worth it's price many times over for those seriously piano shopping. I learned so much about pianos and brands. I've played a wonderful Kawai upright for 16 years and am ready to purchase a grand. I thought all these brands I'd never heard of before were "no-names", definitely not what I wanted. Well, after a month of research and many trips to piano stores, I am buying one of those no-names! My Estonia 190 (6'3") will be delivered in a week!

As a piano tuner, the information contained in Larry Fine's books is invaluable. Definitely something that gets referred to time and time again.

I would seriously recommend this book to anyone thinking of buying a new piano. It lists every brand I've ever heard of and many I haven't. There is a tier system set up so you can compare brands within a price range. My wife and I learned a lot about pianos in general, which helped us make our decision as to which one to buy. It's a supplement to the main book and comes out every year.

Larry Fine's book is an invaluable source not only for those of us in the piano business, but for anyone who owns a piano and especially for those who are seeking to purchase one. I highly recommend it.

The previous positive reviews are true; this is an indepensable book for anyone in the market for a piano.

This book helped me a lot on choosing my first piano in terms of brand, model, and price range. I finally bought a Yamaha U1. Thank you Larry Fine. And Amazon's shipping is very fast.

This book gives the basics of piano knowledge and should be used before buying a piano.

I enjoyed Fine's first book and have recommended it to
clients wanting to buy a new piano. I have seen
first hand how it saved some clients tons of money.
For those who already have the first book, I highly
recommend buying this updated version.