All About Choosing and Buying Pianos
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Hi parents and readers,
The reason for writing my experience on shopping for a piano for my dd is just plain sharing. I enjoy sharing with others on what I had learned.
My sharing described how I started from Yamaha to Kawai and then to European piano. I did mention that it is my own opinion.
I want to stress that I am not promoting for any brand of the piano but just sharing how I end up buying the piano that I am having now. Preferences are very subjective so I will never ask people to buy the piano that I had bought.
I had done my own research before buying and I am confident that the shortlisted of European piano that I had shared earlier are value for money that cost around $13000 to $14000. There are better pianos like Schimmel, Seiler or Wilh. Steinburg IQ24 or etc but these are more expensive pianos which I do not want to spend for my dd as she is only a beginner and those piano that I had selected can last her till diploma level. I would like to clarify that even Yamaha U1 is good enough to last till diploma level. Having a better sound piano from the start is good to train the hearing which is useful when it comes to higher grade level which I learn from some teachers’ comments.
Of course, budget is a concern too. I started with a $5000 budget to buy a piano and found that I could not buy a new and good piano like Yamaha U1. So I up my budget to around $8000 and found Kawai K5 which I like it too. I almost thought of buying then I went to see more pianos before I decide it. Then I came to European piano which I found that I like the sound more than the Japanese piano. This is just my preference. I cannot imagine having my dd to play the piano which the sound that I do not like it.
Let me share with you something which I personally had seen it. I saw the parts inside a Yamaha and Hailun piano. Even though Hailun is made in China but I am surprise that the part are quite good. I can say that it is better than Yamaha U1 for some parts. Go and judge for yourself and do not take my words for it.
Here are the websites that I had learned about piano which I hope that it will help you to understand them.
1)\thttp://viewer.zmags.com/publication/88aaeaf9#/88aaeaf9/6
Selecting a performancepiano for concert hall or home
2)\thttp://www.pianobuyer.com/archive.html
There are many achieve articles you can read about pianos
3)\thttp://www.pianobuyer.com/spring11/44.html
A MAP OF THE MARKET FOR NEW PIANOS
4)\thttp://www.pianoworld.com
A forum that discuss about piano.
It is good to see more pianos before deciding which pianos to buy. Personally, I had chosen Petrof P125 which most people who knows about pianos know that it is a good piano although it is not the best. As I had mentioned, it is my preference but anyone who is interested to buy Petrof can go to PianoMaster to see and they have Hailun (China made) which is also has a nice sound and cheap.
I hope that my sharing helps some parents or piano buyer to have some useful infor to do their research on their shopping for piano. Enjoy your shopping for piano! -
My son is going to be 4 years old, and he learns piano with a private teacher 3 months. His piano teacher praises him as a very smart boy with good hearing.
Currently we don’t have piano at home and intend to buy a 2nd-hand one for him.
My husband asked me to choose those cheap one as we don’t know whether my ds would give up half-way.
I am intending to buy a used Yamaha U1 for him, but have same worry as my hubby’s as well.
Can anyone give some advice? -
rq1111:
hi rq1111 ~ thanks for sharing!
It is good to see more pianos before deciding which pianos to buy. Personally, I had chosen Petrof P125 which most people who knows about pianos know that it is a good piano although it is not the best. As I had mentioned, it is my preference but anyone who is interested to buy Petrof can go to PianoMaster to see and they have Hailun (China made) which is also has a nice sound and cheap.
I hope that my sharing helps some parents or piano buyer to have some useful infor to do their research on their shopping for piano. Enjoy your shopping for piano!
personally i also like the sound of the petrof. may i know if PianoMaster carries brand new petrof pianos, or 2nd hand ones?
btw, do u need to place your petrof piano in an air-con room all the time? i read on one of the piano forums that european pianos can't take the humidity level in the tropics very well.. so far that's the only reason i hesitate to get an european piano.. doesn't seem very eco-friendly to keep the air-con turned on all the time in our living-room.. :x
am now trying to decide between Hoffman, Schimmel, Petrof & yamaha yus5.. TIA ~
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Intermezzo:
I don't think you need the air-con to be turned on all the time, but it's better to put the piano in an enclosed room, rather than in the living room where there's uncontrolled air flow. Like you said, it's our high humidity that kills, not the temperature.
btw, do u need to place your petrof piano in an air-con room all the time? i read on one of the piano forums that european pianos can't take the humidity level in the tropics very well.. so far that's the only reason i hesitate to get an european piano.. doesn't seem very eco-friendly to keep the air-con turned on all the time in our living-room.. :x
I put my piano in a bedroom with the humidity modulated by a dehumidifier, with only 30 min of air-con turned on very night (when ds practises his pieces). I managed to control the humidity at 60% which I read is good enough not to damage the piano.
Btw there's this guy called digitus who owns a Sauter grand. He puts his in the living room. He's very knowledgeable in piano selection/care/recording and I sought his advice before. His blog is here => http://pianochronicles.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/piano-party-on-12th-september/
Maybe you can ask him how he ensures his piano's tip-top condition. -
Hi Intermezzo,
You are most welcome!
PianoMaster sells new piano for Petrof, Hailun, ‘Grotrain’ (don’t know the exact spelling) and another brand which I can’t remember but they do sell second hand for Yamaha and Kawai. Why I also trust PianoMaster is because they started out as repair piano shop so I know they can repair my piano without any problem. Moreover, Petrof has 10 years waranty so it also give me a peace of mind too! They have a 50% back back policy within the first 5 years.
If you can find a second hand Petrof then you are very lucky as it is difficult to find one in the market. That is why I have the thought of why there are so many Yamaha or Kawai piano in the second hand market. Some people answer me that it is because more people are buying the Japanese piano. I really don’t know the true answer.
I like Schimmel tone which is bright but clear and clean treble but it cost about $16000 plus. For Hoffman, you should buy tradition series and not vision series. Vision series piano has parts from China while tradition series do not. Although the price difference is around $4000 but for me I would still prefer piano that do not have parts from China as I am spending a lot for a piano yet I get parts from China. To me, it is illogical. As for Yamaha YUS 5, I’m not very sure.
I was told that no matter which piano you bought, in Singapore, the piano life span is around 20 years due to the humidity in Singapore. So whether it’s European or Japanese piano, it will be the same. European piano’s soundboard had been treated for tropical climate so there is no problem in buying European piano.
I had read some infor on dehumidifier system for piano to protect the piano from humid weather. I bought a hygrometer to measure my room humidity level then I measure the level inside the piano. Currently, I have a 25watts heater which I on it for 24 hrs and put a dehumidifier silicon like Hippo which can be bought from NTUC. I do not have a air-con as my wife does not like it. Currently, I measure the humidity inside my piano is around 55-60% RH with a full piano cover. Almost there for correct humidity level. The best level for piano is within 45-50% RH. I think a full piano covet might helps to reduce humidity by a bit. This is just my thought.
I hope that I had shared with you my thoughts that might answer your questions. Please do visit the websites that I had shared as the infor is very good. Do check out more pianos and you will have an answer very naturally. Buy a piano which you think you like most as this piano will be with you for quite sometimes. It will be a part of your family so you must like the piano that you buy. You will know what I mean after you had choose a piano.
Hope you will find one you will like! -
Where do u buy a hygrometer n how much is it？ TIA
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Hi windows,
I bought the hygrometer at Sim Lim Square around $38. I can’t remember exact price. -
markfch:
now, if i have a sauter.. i'll put it right in the middle of the living room..... and 'forget' to take off the price tag... :rotflmao:
I don't think you need the air-con to be turned on all the time, but it's better to put the piano in an enclosed room, rather than in the living room where there's uncontrolled air flow. Like you said, it's our high humidity that kills, not the temperature.
I put my piano in a bedroom with the humidity modulated by a dehumidifier, with only 30 min of air-con turned on very night (when ds practises his pieces). I managed to control the humidity at 60% which I read is good enough not to damage the piano.
Btw there's this guy called digitus who owns a Sauter grand. He puts his in the living room. He's very knowledgeable in piano selection/care/recording and I sought his advice before. His blog is here => http://pianochronicles.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/piano-party-on-12th-september/
Maybe you can ask him how he ensures his piano's tip-top condition.
kekeke really appreciate your advice & sharing markfch ~
i guess for us, we'd prefer to keep our piano in the living room, because it makes it easier for the family to share the music. (and extended family too, when they visit and ask the kids to play for them.)
it's great to know that the piano does not need to be in air-con condition all the time. I guess what i can do is to create some kind of 'partition' or screen for the living room to limit the air flow, and also to get a good quality dehumidifier ~
ps. after reading more of this thread, i'm sooooo tempted to hear the famous Sauter Sound ~
but it seems the Victoria Memorial Hall is being re-constituted right now, so Raffles Piano has moved out to somewhere else for the mean time? guess i'll have to track it down kekeke ~
(or maybe it'll be much safer to hear this Sauter Sound only AFTER we have bought our new piano, haha.. :roll: ) -
rq1111:
hi rq1111 ~
I hope that I had shared with you my thoughts that might answer your questions. Please do visit the websites that I had shared as the infor is very good. Do check out more pianos and you will have an answer very naturally. Buy a piano which you think you like most as this piano will be with you for quite sometimes. It will be a part of your family so you must like the piano that you buy. You will know what I mean after you had choose a piano.
Hope you will find one you will like!
thank you so much for your most informative reply!
wow you have certainly done some extensive research before you got your piano.. i admire your systematic and thorough approach kekeke...
i'm sure you must be Very Happy with the one you finally decided on ~
it's reassuring to hear that the soundboard of the european piano is treated for tropical climate. i guess i'll just work at keeping the room humidity as low as is feasible, and it shouldn't cause any problem.. i must say it's good-thinking to get a hygrometer.. otherwise one could never be certain if all the precautions are enough ~
thanks again for taking the time to share your shopping experience ~
i'm sure many people here benefit from it;
and i'll certainly read through the websites you recommended earlier ~
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Intermezzo:
Yes, yes it's very dangerous to hear the Sauter sound.
ps. after reading more of this thread, i'm sooooo tempted to hear the famous Sauter Sound ~
but it seems the Victoria Memorial Hall is being re-constituted right now, so Raffles Piano has moved out to somewhere else for the mean time? guess i'll have to track it down kekeke ~
(or maybe it'll be much safer to hear this Sauter Sound only AFTER we have bought our new piano, haha.. :roll: )
You either love it or hate it. Because the Sauter dealer carries limited models, earlier this year he brought a potential buyer to my house to try out the model I have. I was told the very next day she purchased a similar model.
My ds is preparing for ABRSM grade 1 now and he's learning to play the song Andante expressively. So there are the p & mf & staccatos & slurs. When he plays this song, I can feel the piano come alive. Maybe because it's placed in a small room, I can feel the vibration of the soundboard - like a powerful subwoofer - engulfing the whole room when I sit behind ds every night listening to him play - a very enjoyable experience. I'm sure when he's advance/tall enough to use the sustain pedal, the music will sound even more wonderful.
If you really wish to satisfy your curiosity, I can pm you the Sauter's dealer email & cellphone. Just beware of the risk ok? :evil:
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