Piano Buyer by Hannah Beckett: Book Review 2025
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase.
Piano Buyer: Hannah Beckett Book 2024
PianoBuyer by Hannah Beckett is basically a "cheat sheet" about piano prices which provides simple comparisons between the MSRP and the "Suggested Maximum Price" (SMP) that one should maximally pay for a piano.
What does this mean?: People will stop overpaying for pianos after reading through this book. Hannah Beckett edited this book (originally published by Larry Fine) which informs those who use it.
The author (Hannah) puts forth consideration of various factors like dealership size, financing vs. cash, geographical area, trade-ins, and other factors that may play a role in the deal. The big picture here is that there are many factors to consider when purchasing a piano; factors that were similarly considered when publishing the market prices in this book.
Hannah Beckett considers many different important variables when it comes to purchasing a piano, which often support how pianos are ethically and realistically priced across a wide variety of dealerships.
Such factors additionally include locality, variety of selection, salesperson etiquette, time-of-year, and/or track-record of continued quality service.
What does MSRP mean for piano price?
The book clarifies and better explains commonly used piano industry terminology like "MSRP" or Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. It goes over why the term is used and how numbers associated with the term should be interpreted.
This little book includes other related terms useful to those looking to purchase a piano.
What does SMP mean for piano price?
"SMP" or Suggested Maximum Price is a term in this book that was created by the author to represent prices the customer shouldn't pay above. Specifically, prices the author doesn't believe customers should exceed when purchasing a piano.
Don't pay more than the Suggested Maximum Price! Hannah suggests specific prices through her edits of this popular pamphlet.
What's the significance of MSRP vs. SMP?
The difference between the MSRP and SMP could save you tens of thousands of dollars. In some cases, close to $100,000 can be saved by learning the author's Suggested Maximum Price (SMP) number.
The most significant differences belong with many pianos at the highest-end of the piano market. This means that the higher the price a piano that one is considering to purchase, the better an idea it is to purchase this book.
Here are some of the brands with the largest discrepancy's between MSRP and SMP:
Baldwin
Blüthner
Bösendorfer
Brodmann
Estonia
Förster, August
Grotrian
Haessler
Hallet, Davis & Co.
Hardman, Peck & Co.
Kayserburg
Knabe
Pramberger
Schimmel
Seiler
Steinberg
Why do some piano brands not have an MSRP?
It all depends on the way that piano owners run their businesses. Learn why some manufacturers have it, while others don't!
The author explores this topic about why some piano manufacturers do not include an MSRP. Learn why this may be the case in the author's exploration of the topic.
The MSRP could be considered a sales tactic, but it's not as simple as that...
The amount of piano brands has decreased dramatically within the last 100 years. There are some brands that are commonly sold today which are no longer in production.
The book outlines the prices of lesser known brands such as:
Cunningham
Emerson
Geyer
Haessler
Hupfeld
Irmler
Kayserburg
Palatino
Ronisch
Schulz, Gebr.
Wendl & Lung
This may be useful when purchasing pianos from places on the internet where there are plenty of less popular piano brand names.
If you visit a piano dealership that sells a lot of used pianos, then this book will prove useful as you shop for a piano.
America's favorite piano company (Steinway) is represented here. Compare the MSRP to the SMP outlined by piano insiders.
This will help prevent piano customers from overspending.
How much money can you discount from the MSRP on digitals?
Say what? Yes, even digital pianos can include discounts.
Based on the numbers in this book, it's possible to save a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
The brands in this book that show the greatest difference between the MSRP and the author's EP (Estimated Price) are:
Casio
Dexibell
Dynatone
Kawai
Korg
Kurzweil
Nord
Physis
Studiologic
Yamaha
The Estimated Price is basically the lowest number that anyone is likely to purchase the keyboard for from a brick and mortar store.
Learn the specific definitions of these terms by getting the book on Amazon.
Compare digital pianos features
This book extensively covers the sophisticated qualitative differences between various digital keyboard models.
Some of the different features compared are defined and compared in the book such as:
Sound source
Sustain resonance
Polyphony
Half pedal
Triple-Sensor keys
Escapement
Ivory texture
Bluetooth
External storage
Warranty
Dimensions/weight
Learn more about the definitions of these terms in the book to enhance your ability to compare features.
There are plenty of different qualities to keyboards that might be overlooked, but for those who are good at piano, the differences are obvious.
Gain clarity on the nuanced differences of digital keyboards by reading through the digital section of this pamphlet edited by Hannah Beckett.
PianoBuyer: Hannah Beckett Book 2024
I learned a lot by reading through this short book.
Protect yourself and your wallet by learning about the maximum price consumers should pay for keyboards.
Additionally, learn about digital piano features that you may have otherwise never realized on your own.
This book is an eye-opener. It will also help piano buyers make confident decisions without regret or delay. Get your copy NOW!
Related:
Piano Books for Piano Technicians
Piano Buyer by Hannah Beckett Book Review
Piano Tuning by J. Cree Fischer: Book Review 2024
Piano Servicing Tuning and Rebuilding by Arthur A Reblitz
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase.