With acoustic pianos, the longer the strings and the bigger the soundboard, the better the tone and the more inspiring the instrument will be to play, so it makes sense to go for the tallest upright or the longest grand that your budget allows. Due to the sheer number of man hours involved in building an instrument as magnificent and complex as an acoustic piano, though, they do tend to cost a pretty penny.
For instance, a Steinway & Sons grand piano contains over 12,000 parts, while it’s estimated that a C Bechstein Concert 8 upright piano takes well over 300 hours of skilled labour to complete. Combined with the high-quality materials involved in its construction, this inevitably inflates the price to something well beyond what most of us could reasonably afford.
So acoustic pianos are big ticket items – a brand new one will set you back at least four figures, although there are more budget-friendly options available at the lower end of this range. Around $5,000/£4,000/€4,500 should get you a perfectly serviceable, great-sounding instrument from a reputable manufacturer that should last a lifetime, but don’t forget to factor in the additional cost of regular tuning and maintenance to keep your piano performing at its best.