Which is better? An Upright/Cabinet Grand Piano, a Spinet, or a regular old Upright piano?
(For the sake of simplicity, we will call the Cabinet Grand an Upright Grand)
See Also our article on Piano Buying Tips
Disclaimer: I am not a piano expert, nor do I claim to be one, nor am I a certified music professional. The advice below comes from the experience I have in buying my own pianos and self-research.
The three most common types of pianos that you will find in your typical home that tend to be for student piano players are usually limited to Upright Grands, Spinet’s, and regular Uprights.
The obvious difference between these pianos is the size. A regular studio upright piano is usually 42″-45″ tall. Anything taller than that is considered an Upright Grand. Spinets are only slightly higher than the keyboard, but sizes do tend to vary.
The advantage of a spinet is, of course, the size. They are great space savers when it comes to wall-space, and tend to be lighter. Unfortunately, the sound can be a bit “muffled” on some spinets, and the keys are not very sensitive.
An upright grand tends to be louder. The control is more or less similar to that of a regular upright, but many consider upright grands to be a much more enjoyable experience. Most older pianos tend to be upright grands. Older upright grands are often made to look beautiful, and the heavy, thick wood will cause the piano to be extremely heavy — up to 700 lbs. Be sure you have enough people to move your piano, and watch your back! (Literally, your back…) Keep in mind, upright grands are most often from the early 1900’s, the “hey day” of pianos — this in mind, they are antiques. Quality and functionality of these depend on past care and quality of the builder.
A regular old upright tends to be the regular standard of student pianos today.. not too big, generally the newer ones are not too heavy (they won’t require a football team to move). Since the availability of older used uprights seems to be lower in many areas, they will be harder to find. Most new pianos are uprights.
So, which is better?
I would go with whatever you can get that is newest. Pianos do not get better as they age. After considering that, I would go with an upright grand. Not only do they look wonderful in just about any home, but they are often readily available and tend to have great control over the dynamics of sound (loud to soft sounds). The action often feels better on these pianos, but since most of them are older the action may also be much more worn and other damage may interfere with playing. This is where playing the piano before you buy it comes in handy — if you don’t play the piano, it may be wise to find an experienced piano player to help you out.
What kind of piano do you like the most? Vote in our poll and let us know, feel free to write suggestions and other advice in a comment as well.
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Revisions:
Original article published: December 1, 2009
Updated January 1st, 2012.
