Pre-Purchase Piano Inspection
Before you pay for a used piano — or pay to move it — a technician with 25+ years at the bench inspects it where it stands and tells you plainly: buy it, negotiate, or walk away.
Why inspect before you buy
A used piano is the only major purchase most people make without any inspection at all — a 250-kilogram instrument with a hidden structure, bought from a stranger on Marketplace, then moved at real cost into a living room.
The two mistakes are expensive in opposite directions: paying $2,500 for a piano whose pinblock won't hold a tuning, or walking away from a $600 bargain because the strings looked rusty. Both happen every week in the GTA. An inspection costs the same as a service call and settles it in about forty-five minutes.
We have no stake in the sale — we don't sell pianos, take commissions, or refer buyers to dealers. The only thing we're paid for is the truth about the instrument in front of us.
What we inspect
The structure — the part that decides everything.
- Pinblock: does it grip? We test tuning-pin torque across the keyboard — the single most important check, and the one no photo can show. A piano that can't hold tension is furniture, whatever the name on the fallboard.
- Soundboard: crown, cracks (cosmetic vs. structural), rib separation, buzzing.
- Bridges and plate: cracks, splits, string-bearing problems.
The wearing parts — what it will cost to make right.
- Hammers: wear, grooves, felt condition; how many years they have left.
- Action: regulation, repetition, sluggish or noisy parts, evenness of touch.
- Strings and pins: rust (light vs. heavy), broken or replaced strings, pin condition.
- Dampers and pedals: function and wear.
- Keys: bushings, key tops, levelness, sticking.
The history — what the piano has been through.
- Serial number → year and factory; era of the brand (golden-era vs. later badge).
- Evidence of damp, water, pests, or storage in a garage or cottage.
- Whether it's a grey-market import (common for used Yamaha and Kawai) and what that means here.
The sound. Where it sits against A440, unison condition, tone quality and evenness — and what a tuning or pitch raise will and won't change.
What you get
A plain-English verdict on the spot, and a short written summary by email the same day:
- "Buy it." The piano is sound; here's what it needs (usually a pitch raise and small fixes) and what that costs.
- "Buy it at the right price." Sound, but with wear the asking price doesn't reflect — here's the honest number and the reasons, so you can negotiate with facts.
- "Walk away." Structural problems, damp history, or repair costs that exceed what the piano will ever be worth. This verdict is the one that saves the most money, and we give it without hedging.
Plus: the piano's year and era, a fair-market value range for the GTA, and a list of what a first visit would involve. If you buy the piano, the inspection fee is credited toward its first tuning with us.
How it works
- Book with the seller's address and a time the seller can host — most sellers welcome it; resistance to an inspection is itself information.
- We inspect on site — about 45 minutes. You're welcome to be there; many buyers find it the most useful 45 minutes of the whole purchase.
- Verdict on the spot, summary by email the same day.
- Decide with facts. Buy, negotiate, or keep looking — and if you buy, we're already familiar with the piano for its first tuning.
Across Toronto and the GTA: York, Peel, Durham, and Halton. Same-week appointments most of the year; tell us the seller's timeline and we'll work to it.
When it's worth it (and when it isn't)
Worth it: any piano over about $1,000; any grand; any Yamaha or Kawai that might be a grey-market import; any piano with a vague history ("it came with the house," "grandma's"); any purchase where moving costs $400 either way; any piano you're emotionally attached to before you've heard the verdict.
Skip it: a free or very cheap upright you'd take a chance on anyway — run our ten-minute checklist yourself, and if it plays, take it. If it then needs assessing, the first tuning visit does that.
Also useful for sellers: a written inspection in hand sells a good piano faster and at a better price — buyers trust a technician's report more than a listing.
Questions buyers ask
How much does a piano inspection cost?
$115 — $75 at our current intro rate — the same as a service call. If you buy the piano, the fee is credited toward its first tuning with us.
What does a pre-purchase piano inspection check?
The structure (pinblock grip, soundboard, bridges), the wearing parts (hammers, action, strings, dampers, keys), the history (serial number, damp or pest evidence, grey-market status), and the sound — with a plain verdict and a fair-market value range.
Can you inspect a piano I found on Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji?
Yes — that's most of our inspections. We meet you at the seller's home across the GTA; the questions to message the seller first narrow the candidates before you spend on an inspection.
Do I need to be there?
No, but most buyers want to be — you'll learn more about the piano in 45 minutes than in a month of research. If you can't attend, the same-day written summary covers everything.
Do you buy or sell pianos, or take referral fees?
No. We tune and repair; we have no stake in whether you buy. The verdict is the only product.
Will you inspect a piano the seller says is "already tuned"?
Especially then. "Recently tuned" tells you about the seller's diligence; whether the pinblock will hold that tuning is what we test.
Can you inspect a new piano at a dealer?
Yes — less common, but useful for a floor model or a "new" piano that's been sitting. Same price.