# Re-conditioned instruments



## 009

Do u believe in re-conditioned instruments, particularly the piano?
I read an article regarding em recently...
Let me quote part of the article for you: 
Majority of these so-called re-conditioned pianos are beyond the lifespan of a reliable piano and thus are being 'imported' in at a very low cost after being discarded by the users in their native countries.
Externally it may seem that there is no difference between a brand new piano and a re-conditioned. However, these pianos underwent cosmetic touch-up works to cover its actual age and may have original parts replaced by non-original parts of inferior quality.
Another important point to note is the choice of materials used in the manufacture of first hand pianos. There are stringent atage of material selection and processing to ensure that the pianos are suitable for its country of destination......
......It is possible to reconditioned 2nd hand pianos to suit tropical climate, however it is unlikely that the piano seller would undergo such an expensive exercise as it would affect the profit margin of the piano.
......The hammers are usually the first parts of the piano to be worn out due to extensive use. Since reputable piano macnufactorers do not supply original parts for re-conditioned pianos, they are likely to be replaced with non-original, inferior parts or are not replaced at all. Using non-original parts would affect the range, tonality and clarity of sound.....
.....Non-aligned keys( usual ) among re-conditioned pianos will affect the fingering skill of a a student....

This is actually a really excellent article regarding re-conditioned pianos... but are re-conditioned pianos really that inferior?
I beg to differ. Even reputable production line( and first hand, brand new ) instruments have production faults and poor quality control.
And 1 thing I dislike about brand new pianos... They have a 'play in' period. U need to play excessively in the beginning to make it 'speak' and project more.
I think at the end of the day, it all comes down to being a 'wise' consumer with common sense. 
But 1 interesting thing to note, the article keeps commenting on 'original' parts and selection of materials to suit production to exported countries. I know that re-conditioned pianos will have their parts replaced all the time. But if it's replaced with reliable parts... I feel that they might not be any inferior to the original at all. And talking about imported pianos meant for cooler climate... I thought all u need is a de-humidifier?  
And I thought alignnment of keys is because the piano had yet to be properly serviced. :mellow: I thought that was pretty crap.

What u guys think? U'll rather invest in a brand new, or a 2nd hand?
People always mentioned that buying a good piano is like an investment. I really don't think so. A good violin will age nicely, but not a piano. They are at extreme ends of the ageing scale. <_<


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## Nox

I just think you have to be careful. I can see someone just doing cosmetic changes to a piano if repairs cut into the profit margin. However, new pianos, unless very expensive, just don't sound right...I esp. don't like the 'apartment' sized uprights.

We have an 80 year old upright. It looks awful (the finish, the overall appearance is nice), but it sounds the way I expect a piano to sound. It likely wouldn't take someone all the way through to become a concert pianist, but since no one in our family is going to be a concert pianist, I wasn't too concerned.

But yes, the lifetime of a piano is limited, due to the percussion nature of the instrument.


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## Daniel

I think it would also depend on the use....for example if you want to be more authentic....buy a fortepiano or something....but we are talking about grands in about this (last) century I guess....I think you won't get so much an "authentic" touch if you buy a piano from 1950. So I would better investe into a brand new. But it depends like usual on the piano itself...so first step would be: try it out in real.


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## Quaverion

On the violin, I don't like reconditioning. The original maker made it according to very specific details that one cannot emulate correctly with reconditioning.


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## Harvey

<_< Not liking that article.

Possibly some very old and improperly maintained piano would be as crappy as the article describes all refurbished pianos, but people generally do a good job of replacing parts.



> *reputable piano macnufactorers do not supply original parts for re-conditioned pianos*


Bull-...If a piano is refurbished professionally, it is likely that they use parts from the same manufacturer.

Now I'm interested in who wrote this...


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## 009

> *but people generally do a good job of replacing parts. *


Yes! Yes! This was what I meant!!!
The article condemns 2nd hand piano and pollutes the mind of a clueless piano buyer.
The article is from a very established piano firm... whose name I cannot divulge unfortunately. Let's just say that it's Y*****. :lol: 
but I like the educative parts. It did teach owners how to find out about the yr of production, serial numbers and etc. Quite informative actually.
But apart from that , I can't help feel that it's a bit of a scam to make people invest in brand new instruments. :lol:


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