Buying a Piano in Seattle & Puget Sound: What to Know Before You Choose

Choosing a piano is different from purchasing almost anything else for your home.

A piano is furniture, craftsmanship and musical instrument all at once. For many families, it will remain part of the home for decades. For a serious pianist, teacher, church or school, its touch and tone can influence music-making every day.

That is why we believe choosing a piano deserves more than simply finding the nearest instrument or comparing prices online.

At Washington Pianos, we welcome customers from Seattle, Bellevue and the Eastside, Renton, Kent, Covington, Maple Valley, Federal Way, Tacoma and communities throughout the Puget Sound region who are looking for the right piano—not simply the closest one.

Here are some of the things we encourage buyers to consider before choosing.

Start With the Pianist

The best place to begin isn't with a brand name.

It's with the person who will play the piano.

Is this a first piano for a beginning student? An instrument for a growing family? Is the pianist advancing quickly and likely to need a more responsive action in the future? Is an experienced player looking for a particular tonal character?

A piano teacher, church, school or professional musician may have entirely different requirements.

Understanding who will play the instrument and how it will be used helps narrow an enormous number of choices into a much more meaningful group.

Grand, Baby Grand or Upright?

The room matters, but size isn't the only consideration.

A quality upright can be an excellent instrument for a family, student or teacher and may provide considerably more musical value than buyers initially expect.

Baby grands can offer the beauty and playing experience of a grand piano while fitting comfortably into many Puget Sound homes.

Larger grand pianos generally provide longer strings, larger soundboards and greater tonal and dynamic potential, making them particularly attractive to advanced pianists, teachers and institutions.

Rather than beginning with the assumption that one category is automatically better, we prefer to consider the room, pianist, musical goals and budget together.

New or Certified Preowned?

Both can be excellent choices.

A new piano offers the experience of becoming the instrument's first owner, along with the manufacturer's warranty and the characteristics of current production.

A carefully selected preowned piano can provide exceptional value and sometimes place a substantially higher-quality instrument within the same budget.

Washington Pianos specializes in Certified Preowned pianos, including instruments from respected manufacturers such as Yamaha, Kawai, Steinway & Sons, Baldwin, Mason & Hamlin and fine European makers.

With a preowned piano, however, condition matters enormously.

Two instruments carrying the same name and model number can have very different histories. Age, environment, maintenance, wear and previous technical work can all influence what the piano is today.

That is why we believe the instrument itself deserves careful evaluation—not simply its label.

Play More Than One Piano

Specifications are helpful. Your ears and hands are important too.

One piano may have a warm, rounded voice. Another may be clearer or more brilliant. One action may feel lighter; another may give a pianist a stronger sense of control.

There isn't one tonal character that every pianist should prefer.

When possible, spend time playing several instruments.

Listen throughout the entire keyboard. Play softly and loudly. Notice how easily you can control the sound. If more than one family member plays, let everyone experience the instrument.

Sometimes the piano a customer ultimately loves is not the piano they expected to choose when they walked through the door.

Consider the Home

Puget Sound homes vary enormously—from Seattle and Bellevue condominiums to suburban homes throughout South King County and larger spaces in Pierce County.

Think about where the piano will live.

Room dimensions, flooring, windows, ceiling height and furnishings can all influence how an acoustic piano sounds in the home.

Access matters as well.

Stairs, elevators, narrow entries and the final placement of the piano should be considered before delivery, particularly with grand pianos.

These aren't reasons to be intimidated by purchasing an acoustic piano. They are simply details worth planning properly.

Don't Forget Moving & Delivery

A piano purchase isn't complete when the instrument is selected.

It still has to get home.

Professional piano moving is specialized work, and Washington Pianos can help coordinate piano moving and delivery throughout the Puget Sound region.

Whether your piano is going to Seattle, Bellevue, Renton, Kent, Federal Way, Tacoma or another community in our service area, delivery planning can be part of the purchase conversation.

Distance from the showroom doesn't necessarily mean the piano you've found is too far away.

Think Beyond Delivery Day

A quality acoustic piano can serve a family for generations, but it needs appropriate care.

Regular tuning helps maintain musical stability. Over time, an instrument may also benefit from repairs, regulation or voicing depending on its use and condition.

Washington Pianos provides and coordinates ongoing piano services including tuning and repairs, regulation and voicing, moving and storage, restoration and refinishing, and piano appraisals.

For customers purchasing from us, we want the relationship to extend beyond the day the piano arrives.

We want you to know where to turn when your instrument needs care.

Consider Your Long-Term Ownership Path

Today's first piano doesn't necessarily need to be your last.

A beginning pianist may eventually outgrow an entry-level instrument. A family may move into a larger home. A serious student may develop musical needs that weren't apparent when lessons first began.

That is why it can be useful to think about trade-in opportunities, financing and future ownership pathways when making the initial decision.

A thoughtful first purchase can become the beginning of a much longer musical journey.

Buying a Piano Is Personal

There are excellent piano manufacturers throughout the world.

But choosing among Yamaha, Kawai, Steinway, Baldwin, Mason & Hamlin, European makers and other respected instruments ultimately comes down to more than reputation.

The question becomes:

Which piano is right for you?

That answer can involve touch, tone, condition, size, budget, room, musical goals and sometimes something much harder to quantify—the connection a pianist feels when sitting down at a particular instrument.

We believe customers deserve enough time and information to discover that.

A Piano Destination for the Puget Sound Region

You don't have to limit your piano search to the store closest to your home.

Washington Pianos is located in Auburn and serves piano buyers throughout Seattle, the Eastside, South King County, Pierce County and the greater Puget Sound region.

Visit our showroom. Compare instruments. Ask questions. Learn about the differences.

And when you find the piano that belongs in your home, we can help with the practical journey too—from professional moving and delivery to the tuning and care that follow.

Because choosing a piano isn't simply about making a purchase.

It's about finding an instrument you will want to keep playing.