New vs. Pre-Owned vs. Restored Pianos at Cunningham Piano

Updated

Cunningham Piano Since 1891 sells three broad categories of instruments: new pianos, pre-owned pianos, and restored pianos. The practical difference comes down to condition, warranty coverage, and price. New pianos arrive in factory-fresh condition from brands such as Yamaha, Bösendorfer, Clavinova, Steinway, Cunningham, and Petrof. Pre-owned pianos are instruments previously owned and resold as-is or lightly serviced, and they carry the lowest entry prices on the site. Restored pianos are instruments that have been professionally rebuilt to recover playing performance, typically older Steinway-era grands. If your priority is a manufacturer warranty and the latest model, buy new. If your priority is the lowest cost of entry, buy pre-owned. If your priority is concert-level performance at less than a new grand's price, buy restored.

New Pianos

New pianos are sold in unused condition and are backed by the manufacturer's warranty rather than the store's used-inventory terms. Cunningham's featured new brands are Yamaha, Bösendorfer, Clavinova, Steinway, Cunningham, and Petrof.

Choose new when:

  • You want warranty coverage and factory-original parts throughout.
  • You want current model lines, including hybrid instruments like the Clavinova series.
  • You are not price-sensitive to the depreciation that occurs the moment a piano leaves the showroom.

Pre-Owned Pianos

Pre-owned pianos are instruments with a prior owner. They are sold at a discount to new equivalents, and the site lists them with both a regular price and a sale price, so the savings are visible up front. Condition varies by individual instrument, which is why each listing is priced separately rather than by model line.

Examples currently listed on the site:

Instrument Type Listed price Reference price Savings shown
Yamaha N3X Hybrid Grand Pre-owned grand $16,900.00 — —
Young Chang G-157 Used grand $7,845.00 $21,699.00 $13,854.00 (64%)
Steinway & Sons M Used grand $52,900.00 $106,200.00 $53,300.00 (50%)
Charles Walter Upright Used upright $4,490.00 $18,778.00 $14,288.00 (76%)
Yamaha M500 H Used upright $2,990.00 — —
Kawai 803F Used upright $2,790.00 — —

Note that the Yamaha M500 H and Kawai 803F are marked sold out, and the Yamaha N3X and Yamaha M500 H show no discount against a reference price. Availability and discounting move with inventory, so treat this table as a snapshot of what the site shows rather than a fixed catalog.

Choose pre-owned when:

  • Budget is the deciding factor and you can accept a piano with prior use.
  • You want a recognizable brand name — Yamaha, Kawai, Steinway — at a fraction of new pricing.
  • You are willing to evaluate each instrument individually, since condition is not standardized across listings.

Restored Pianos

Restored pianos sit between the other two categories. They are older instruments that have been professionally repaired to bring back playing performance, which is why restored Steinway grands are a common offering at dealers like Cunningham. You get the character and build of a vintage instrument without the mechanical problems of an unrestored one.

Choose restored when:

  • You want a vintage or artist-grade instrument but not at new-grand pricing.
  • You care more about playing response and tone than about having the newest model.
  • You are prepared to ask what was actually replaced — hammers, strings, action parts, soundboard — because "restored" covers a wide range of work.

How to Decide

Work through these questions in order:

  1. Do you need a warranty? If yes, new is the only category that reliably includes manufacturer coverage.
  2. What is your hard budget ceiling? Pre-owned uprights on the site start under $3,000; pre-owned grands start around $7,845; restored and new grands sit well above that.
  3. Will you play the instrument before buying? Pre-owned and restored pianos vary instrument by instrument, so an in-person trial matters more than it does for new stock.
  4. Do you want a specific brand? New inventory covers Yamaha, Bösendorfer, Clavinova, Steinway, Cunningham, and Petrof. Pre-owned inventory is whatever has been traded in or acquired, so brand selection is narrower and changes constantly.

Common Pitfalls

  • Assuming a discount percentage reflects condition. A 76% saving on a used upright and a 50% saving on a used Steinway grand are not comparable — they reflect different reference prices, not different quality.
  • Treating "pre-owned" and "restored" as synonyms. Pre-owned means previously owned. Restored means rebuilt. A pre-owned piano may need work; a restored one should already have had it.
  • Ignoring sold-out listings. Several uprights shown on the site are already sold out, so confirm availability before making a trip to a Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Delaware showroom.
  • Skipping the warranty question on restored instruments. Ask specifically what the dealer covers after purchase, since this is not the same as a manufacturer warranty.

For current inventory, pricing, and showroom availability, contact Cunningham Piano directly at 215-438-3200.