Hi All, Just a short note.  When people ask me what they should look
for when buying a piano, I tell them "Nothing."  That might sound rude,
but it's the truth.  You shouldn't look at the piano at all.  You
should pick a piano by it's 'sound' and its 'feel'.

I always suggest to folks that they go to the piano store with a friend
or relative.  Then, before entering the showroom, put on a blindfold
and have the friend lead you from piano to piano.  Play the same song
on each piano until you find the one that sounds and feels the best
to you.

The results of "blind testing" are quite often surprising to most
people, and they find that they don't really like the 'touch' or the
'tone' of expensive pianos, especially if they aren't good pianists.
However, my point has always been that the customer will be living with
the instrument for many years to come, and if it doesn't 'feel' good
and 'sound' good to their ears then they probably won't enjoy playing
it very much.

One other important point: use the same piano bench at every piano.
It's amazing how much people equate a soft padded bench with a quality
piano when blindfolded...

"Let your senses, not your pocketbook, be your guide."

Musically,

John A. Tuttle