or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
46 used & new from $7.50
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano (Paperback)

~ (Author), Keith Jarrett (Foreword)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
List Price: $24.95
Price: $16.47 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $8.48 (34%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Want it delivered Tuesday, November 24? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
22 new from $13.95 24 used from $7.50

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
  Hardcover, August 31, 1990 -- -- $3.75
  Paperback, October 31, 2000 $16.47 $13.95 $7.50

Frequently Bought Together

The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano + Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer: Supplement to <I>The Piano Book</I> + The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano
Price For All Three: $44.47

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano by Larry Fine

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer: Supplement to The Piano Book by Larry Fine

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano by Marty C. Flinn

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

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

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

by Larry Fine
5.0 out of 5 stars (10) 
Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer: Supplement to <I>The Piano Book</I>

Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer: Supplement to The Piano Book

by Larry Fine
5.0 out of 5 stars (6)  $16.47
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano

by Marty C. Flinn
4.4 out of 5 stars (7)  $11.53
Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding, Second Edition: For the Professional, the Student, and the Hobbyist

Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding, Second Edition: For the Professional, the Student, and the Hobbyist

by Arthur A. Reblitz
4.6 out of 5 stars (25)  $25.60
Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand

Piano: The Making of a Steinway Concert Grand

by James Barron
4.8 out of 5 stars (24)  $10.88
› Explore similar items

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: 10.9 x 8.4 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 (58 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,696 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #33 in  Books > Entertainment > Music > Reference
    #36 in  Books > Entertainment > Music > Instruments & Performers > Piano
    #38 in  Books > Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Instrumentation > Piano

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Larry Fine
Larry Fine
Douglas R. Gilbert
Douglas R. Gilbert

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano
85% buy the item featured on this page:
The Piano Book: Buying & Owning a New or Used Piano 4.7 out of 5 stars (58)
$16.47
Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer: Supplement to <I>The Piano Book</I>
6% buy
Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer: Supplement to The Piano Book 5.0 out of 5 stars (6)
$16.47
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano
4% buy
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Buying a Piano 4.4 out of 5 stars (7)
$11.53
Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding, Second Edition: For the Professional, the Student, and the Hobbyist
3% buy
Piano Servicing, Tuning, and Rebuilding, Second Edition: For the Professional, the Student, and the Hobbyist 4.6 out of 5 stars (25)
$25.60
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(13)
(8)
(5)
(4)
(3)
(3)
(3)
(2)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

58 Reviews
5 star:
 (50)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (5)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (58 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
92 of 93 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.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
95 of 99 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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
54 of 55 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.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Ad
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Ordered to Assess a Purchase
More than what we needed. Ended up purchasing an electronic piano with advice from musician at church.
Published 2 months ago by Mario Balestreri

5.0 out of 5 stars The Piano Book - Buy and Owning a New or Used Piano
Excellent book that saved me much time and possible grief if I had bought the wrong piano
Published 2 months ago by Lorne R. Murdoch

5.0 out of 5 stars Buying a Piano
A must read before you spend a dime on a new or used piano. A great resource for due diligence.
Published 4 months ago by A. Campbell

5.0 out of 5 stars worthwhile purchase
This is a great reference book for anyone who likes pianos. It was very valuable to me as I researched how to buy a used piano. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Semesters of Piano Knowledge in One Book
I've been a dedicated piano amateur for over 40 years and thought this book might be a waste of money.....WRONG! 99. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Another Reviewer

5.0 out of 5 stars everything you wanted to know about pianos
this book explains the workings of the piano, grand and upright, in great detail. it talks about pricing, negotiating, in great detail. Read more
Published 12 months ago by E. Pan

5.0 out of 5 stars The Piano Book
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... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Craig R. Webb

5.0 out of 5 stars The essential book for anyone interested in pianos
I looked for pianos for quite some time before reading this essential primer and then looked again after reading it. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Henry Walker

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book out there on the subject
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... Read more
Published 16 months ago by D. Hong

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, as far as it goes
...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. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Ryan McNabb

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:













i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.