Piano Showroom Evaluation Checklist
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A printable checklist of what to bring, what to play, what to listen and feel for, and what to ask before you commit to a grand or upright piano meant to last for decades.

[ ] Decide before you go whether a grand or an upright suits the repertoire, the player and the room, so you compare like with like
[ ] Bring three pieces you know well: something slow and exposed, something fast with repeated notes, and something that uses the full range of the keyboard
[ ] Ask for a quiet room, or the quietest hour of the day, and for the lid position you will actually use at home
[ ] Play the same passages on every candidate in the same order so the comparison is fair
[ ] Listen across the registers for evenness of tone as you move from bass to treble, and note any register that jumps out or falls away
[ ] Hold single notes and chords and listen to how the sustain decays; a graceful, even decay is a mark of a well-made instrument
[ ] Play as softly as you can and confirm that every note still speaks; a pianissimo that drops notes points to regulation that needs attention
[ ] Play at full volume and listen for harshness, buzzing or rattling from the case, the lid or the music desk
[ ] Test fast repeated notes on a single key to feel how quickly the action resets; in a grand this is where the repetition lever earns its keep
[ ] Play a slow chromatic scale with a relaxed arm and feel for keys that are heavier, lighter or noisier than their neighbors
[ ] Check the pedals: the damper pedal should lift cleanly without a thump, the soft pedal should change the tone rather than only the volume, and the middle pedal should do what the maker says it does
[ ] Ask whether the piano has been regulated and voiced in the showroom or is still in its factory state, and what preparation is included before delivery
[ ] Ask who tunes and regulates the dealer's floor instruments and whether that technician can service the piano in your home
[ ] For any used, restored or privately sold piano, arrange an independent technician's inspection of the pinblock, soundboard, bridges, hammers and action before money changes hands
[ ] Look inside: check the soundboard for cracks and loss of crown, the bridges for splits, and the hammers for deep grooves or flattened striking points
[ ] Ask for the piano's history in writing: date of manufacture, prior owners, any rebuilding or replacement of hammers, strings or pinblock, and the service record
[ ] Ask what the warranty covers, for how long, and whether it transfers to a second owner
[ ] Get the full price in writing, including bench, delivery, stairs, setup and the first in-home tuning, rather than the piano price alone
[ ] Ask whether a trial period or exchange policy applies and what conditions attach to it
[ ] Measure the delivery route at home before you sign: door widths, stair turns, hallway corners and the floor the piano will stand on
[ ] Confirm the room can hold a steady relative humidity through the year, and ask the dealer whether a humidity control system is advisable for your climate
[ ] Make more than one visit, at different times of day, and sit with your notes before deciding; a fine piano rewards the extra week