Well, they don’t age like wine… but – now that I think about it – that may be a good analogy.  To correctly age wine, you need to keep it between 50 and 60 degrees and at about 60 percent humidity. You need to store it on its side. You need to keep the bottles away from light and vibration. You also have to start with a fine wine. You’re not going to be able to transform a grocery store brand into Château Lafite Rothschild. If you do all of this, then you can mature it for decades and enjoy a really amazing wine.

On the other hand, if all you do is just put it in your pantry for decades – when you open it, you’re probably going to have a bottle that tastes like vinegar.

Just like wine, if you purchase a fine instrument – and then properly care for it – your piano can perform better for a limited amount of time. However, neglecting things like proper temperature and humidity and failing to provide regular maintenance can turn your piano into a “PSO” (piano shaped object) that is no longer enjoyable and – in some cases – no longer even playable.

Let’s look at how pianos age.

In the first ten years of use, a piano won’t change all that much. Sure, multiple tunings will make it more stable and playing it over time will make the action feel a bit smoother – but it’s basically going to sound and perform like a new instrument.  In fact, most manufacturers replace their professional stage pianos every 5-10 years so they are always at peak performance.

Though used, this Bosendorfer piano is still in perfect condition. Because they are handcrafted with the finest materials available, they can perform for decades before they need extra work.

A ten-to-twenty-year-old piano, though, is still a very “young” piano. If it’s been maintained properly, then there still shouldn’t be a lot of performance differences from a new instrument. As a properly maintained piano ages, it “breaks in” to its player’s preferences.  New pianos in my care tend to develop a “looseness” over time that just feels more comfortable for me to play. The action isn’t worn or out of specifications – it just feels freer and not as “tight” as a brand-new piano.  Of course, that is my personal preference, but the joy of owning a piano over time is working with your technician to develop its tone and touch according to your taste.  Some would say the time between initial delivery and the 20-year point is a piano’s “golden era.”

A twenty- to forty-year-old piano is still in its prime if it has been well cared for. Most used pianos you see for sale privately and, especially, in piano stores will be in this age range. I don’t really notice pianos sounding better with a little age as much as they might feel a little more “comfortable”. What I mean by that is they feel less “tight,” but still precise.

A forty- to sixty-year-old piano’s sound and playability can still be good, but it’s going to be determined by the initial quality of the piano and how it has been maintained. A high-quality piano of this age will probably feel a little “worn” but will still be expressive. String oxidation may make it sound a bit “thinner” than when it was new. Most pianos should be restrung at about the 50-to-60-year mark to make them sound more like new again. Most could also benefit from new hammers.  Rather than going to the expense of replacing the piano’s hammer and strings, many home piano owners will trade up at this point in their piano’s life.

Due to negligence and improper climate storage, the keys on this Chickering piano have warped to a point that makes this piano unplayable. Either they will need to be replaced or the piano will.

Once a piano reaches the sixty- to eighty-year range, it will definitely need some work if it’s going to sound anything like a new instrument. Typically, the strings will be worn out by this point and in desperate need of replacement.  Also, the hammers and action will probably be worn down to the point that the piano can no longer achieve finer levels of expression and detail. At this point, the piano’s owner is faced with a difficult decision.  Either agree to pay a significant cost to bring the piano back to proper playing condition or replace it with a new instrument.  For many owners, replacing the piano is the better option as it often costs less and provides a far quicker “turn around” time.  Restoring (or rebuilding) a piano can cost $15,000 – $20,000 or more and can often take up to a year to complete.  The only folks who decide to do this are those with significant sentimental attachments to their old piano or the ones who own a luxury, handcrafted instrument that would cost more to replace.

Once a piano reaches eighty years old, it is reaching the end of its musical life. Unless it’s been fully rebuilt (with proper replacement parts installed by highly-skilled technicians in a reputable rebuilding shop), it will not be able to perform as intended and, therefore, should not be considered an adequate practice or performance instrument.

I know people say, “Wood gets better sounding with age!” and that can be true with the proper care, but there are upwards of 10,000 parts in a piano and not all of them are wood. We’re talking about wood, iron, copper, steel, leather, felt, etc. and age affects them all differently. Typically, when people talk about aged wood sounding better, they are talking about instruments like guitars and violins – instruments made from mostly wood that include very few other materials.  Yes, instruments like guitars and violins can most definitely sound better as they get older. However, there are huge differences between these instruments and pianos. The “soundboard” (or top) of a guitar or violin is about 2.5mm thick while a piano soundboard is about 9.5mm thick. The thinner piece of wood can vibrate more freely and can gain better projection as the wood ages. A piano soundboard is much thicker and under much more tension that it cannot vibrate as freely and does not benefit as much from aging.

So, does a piano get better with age?

This lovely old piano is being completely rebuilt. The historic shell will remain, but the internal components (hammers, strings, soundboards, tuning pins, etc.) will all be replaced.

Yes and no.  High quality pianos can get better initially, but – after 50 years – even they will require new parts (and a significant amount of work) to perform like they did when they were young. Low quality pianos will not get better and probably won’t even make it to the 50-year mark.  This is why you almost never see professional pianists performing on old pianos.  When given the choice, they select the younger, more responsive instruments because they know what you now do:  The “pianos get better with age” idea is just a musical myth.