Bluthner upright 1903 - advice please

[Moonlight]

Hi,

I’ve finally come to the decision that I just can’t carry on with my Clavinova digital piano as my only instrument to practice on. I just can’t learn proper pedalling technique on it, because one: the pedals are incredibly stiff, two: the una corda pedal doesn’t even work!, 3: the damper pedal behaves nothing like any of the acoustic pianos I have played on and 4: I will never be able to refine my touch on it.

I have seen a piano on the internet, a Bluthner upright 1903 for £ 1,575, and am interested in going to the shop to try it out. Should I stay well away from an old instrument like this, or could this be ok for a temporary piano for now? Its says 'Tuned to concert pitch and in excellent condition.'

Basically I need a real piano, but only have a small budget I’m willing to go up to about £2500.Is there any more modern second hand pianos worth getting on a small budget which will be ok for now. Can you get any good second hand Kawai pianos that price? ( I’m not really a fan of Yamaha uprights!) I’m looking for a piano with good sized soundboard not one of those tiny studio pianos (if thats the correct name for them!).

Or is that price level just not high enough to get a decent piano for an early intermediate late beginner player
like me.

Any advice is welcome from tecs and pianists

[Gill the Piano]

For 2.5K you'll get a good secondhand upright like a Welmar or a Knight, or maybe a small Yam or Kawai. The Bluthner is - or was - a good instrument, but would need checking over by an INDEPENDENT tuner/tech to make sure it's still all right, and you have to realise it's over a hundred years old and will have commensurate wear and tear. I would ring a local dealer/tuner and see what's available iin your price range and repost on here with the results.

[Moonlight]

Hi Gill thanks for the advice.

The piano has been sold anyway, I enquired about it. They do have an old Ibach too and its 3 years older than the Bluthner and a similar price, but it’s probably best to go for a modern second hand piano instead of an old one. Shame as Ibachs are very pleasant to play and aren’t bright, but I’m sure the ones I played on aren’t that old!

I saw a second hand Yamaha in a more local piano shop and I think it was 1k something almost 2k I might go in the shop to give it ago. It’s a good sized one too. But I do think Yams can be very bright and loud, although the last one I played on wasn’t too bad, but it was probably an expensive model.

It’s still early days, I’ll keep an eye out for one, and am going to start my search for my first piano soon...

Actually does anyone know where a good reliable shop you can trust is in London or Essex, I want to know where I could get a good second hand Kawai or another descent piano on a small budget?