The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano [Paperback]

Larry Fine (Author), Keith Jarrett (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

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. An annual supplement, sold separately, lists current prices for more than 2,500 new piano models.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This comprehensive volume contains valuable information for the consumer; following a technical but lucid description of the mechanics of a piano's action, it discusses all aspects of purchasing and maintaining an instrument. Numerous illustrations and charts enhance the text, which is clearly and directly written, and buying tips accompany the guides to purchasing both new and used instruments. But most valuable for a prospective buyer are the numerical ratings of virtually all models of pianos currently available, both foreign and domestic, based on the experiences of technicians around the country. An excellent source book. Susan Kagan, Hunter Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Clearly and directly written. . . . An excellent source book." -- Library Journal

"The Piano Book is a must-have resource..." -- Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog Synthesizer

"a book that will be of great service to the piano world" -- Robert Silverman, former editor of The Piano Quarterly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Brookside Press; 4 edition (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929145012
• ISBN-13: 978-1929145010
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Reference
  • #97 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Sheet Music & Scores > Instrumentation > Piano

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Must-Read, September 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano (Paperback)

The Piano Book by Larry Fine (not the same of 3-Stooges fame, I take it), is a must-read if you are thinking of buying a piano. Fine names names--the skinny on all available modern pianos you are apt to find in a dealers' showroom, new and used. Reviewed are servicability, construction quality,tone, and street prices. Armed with this book, a consumer takes a big step towards getting the most piano for his or her money and, most important, reduces the likelyhood of being stuck with an overpriced dog.

To put it another way, I have not met a piano salesperson or dealer who had anything really bad to say about any piece in his or her inventory. Tone quality is something you can distinguish after hearing a few good pianos, but the actual quality of the instrument and how it will hold up over time is known only by those who regulary service them in the field. This is good to know, especially with so many asian-made pianos of questionable quality floating around on the used market.

If you're looking for an entry-level practice piano or a full 9' concert grand, this book will help you cut through all the manufacturers' and dealer hype.

Fine's knowledge of the instrument is great.

96 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Larry Fine's "Piano Book" is the weapon to get., July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano (Paperback)

Larry Fine does an outstanding job with explaining how to recognize quality in pianos and how to get the trade-off you are looking for. As I read the book, particularly the first edition, it came more obvious which choices for a piano I would like to consider or weed out. It told me many of the aspects of the various piano manufacturers as well as what kind of sales gimmicks to be alert for when I am shopping for anything. Since this book will do all of this explaining, it would definitely be useful to any piano shopper, whether you are looking for one to use or rebuild. It could be also useful for anyone who is studying the economics because it even shows examples of all the different trade-off combinations that a purchaser can run into while shopping for a piano. The Piano Book is also useful because it has information that would be essential to piano owners as well as piano technicians. It tells them everything one needs to know while moving, maintaining, cleaning, or whatever the case may be. Since this is the case, it could help just about anyone involved with the piano decide wisely what they want to do as far as their instruments are concerned. Since Larry Fine gives information on roughly what the piano market is like in his "Piano Book", he helps many purchasers come to a successful conclusion with their piano purchase or maintence, so definitely before you come to a decision about what you want to do about a piano, STOP! Read Larry Fine's book before making an expensive piano decision.

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking of Buying a Piano?, August 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano (Paperback)

Don't do it!(until you have read this book). As the webmaster for PianoWorld.com, I have a large collection of piano books. This one is the Best! If you are thinking about purchasing a piano, want unbiased information about different major manufacturers or are just curious about what makes them tick, buy this book. Our Web site is dedicated to providing information about pianos, and Mr. Fine's book is the one we often turn to. Well written and easy to follow, it contains an amazing amount of valueable information.