All About Choosing and Buying Pianos

[jopej]

Thank you reddie and deminc for the advice. After calling a few more second hand dealers, I am still quite skeptical. One of the salesman told me that the 20-30 year old Yamaha piano are all in original condition, meaning that their parts has not changed for that long! Is it really possible that the parts do not wear and tear. Such information from the salesman raises more doubt then helped.


Honestly, while shopping around, I see so many Yamaha and Kawai in the second hand shops, some of them collected dust, many second hand shops are now one-man show which don’t gives you a feeling that the piano market is so red hot that the stock can be cleared that fast. I may even dare to speculate that the pianos there may have their heater off for the past few years! Are the expansive second hand pianos really worth it? If the Yamaha and Kawai second hand market is bad, then will there still be any resale value? Without the resale value, why pay for a brand new Yamaha U1 which cost double the price of a brand new China brand and in the end, both potentially has no resale value.

Any comments?

[Dreamaurora]

jopej:

Thank you reddie and deminc for the advice. After calling a few more second hand dealers, I am still quite skeptical. One of the salesman told me that the 20-30 year old Yamaha piano are all in original condition, meaning that their parts has not changed for that long! Is it really possible that the parts do not wear and tear. Such information from the salesman raises more doubt then helped.


Honestly, while shopping around, I see so many Yamaha and Kawai in the second hand shops, some of them collected dust, many second hand shops are now one-man show which don't gives you a feeling that the piano market is so red hot that the stock can be cleared that fast. I may even dare to speculate that the pianos there may have their heater off for the past few years! Are the expansive second hand pianos really worth it? If the Yamaha and Kawai second hand market is bad, then will there still be any resale value? Without the resale value, why pay for a brand new Yamaha U1 which cost double the price of a brand new China brand and in the end, both potentially has no resale value.

Any comments?

It really depends. A brand new piano is of course the best solution for the really serious student as the actions will be in tip top condition and the tone not too bright yet. This will allow precise control of tone and dynamics required for that finer level of interpretation. For 2nd hand piano, it is rare that the piano will be in mint condition. So far all 2nd hand pianos I tried had some flaws. But not to worry, a skillful tuner could recondition the piano e.g. adjust the actions, replace the felts, do some oiling etc.

[reddiechan]

Yes, I agree with Dreamaurora. The 2nd hand pianos I’ve tried so far are far from perfect. You’d probably have to check back often to catch the good stuff, which may be picked out quite quickly. Usually I’d test the upper and lower ranges, press all the pedals while playing and try out the limits. If the instrument was good, then some aesthetic aspect would be lacking e.g. some damages to the cover, sides. Quite invariably, there’d be some creaking sounds somewhere during testing.


Just a note that not all China pianos are created equal (as it is with most other makes from other countries). You’ve probably tried the best ones and took that as the standard. I’ve tried quite some other China-made pianos as well as those branded with European names, but the quality is somehow just unbelievably similar. You could almost recognise one by the looks and touch.

From what I understand, the U1 is the most sell-able model in the used piano market. That means, if you decide to place one out in the market, you’re very likely to fetch a good price and have lots of interest in it, especially if you’re the first owner. Of course, the absolute amount of depreciation is also considerably high.

[soneat]

I went through this process recently.


1. For parents who are not musically trained (like myself), it is risky to buy 2nd hand. You can visit a lot of shops and attempt to get someone to help to evaluate but at the end of the day, you still would not be absolutely sure of the condition of the piano.

2. If you want to save some money yet have the same assurance, go to Yamaha or Kawai and see if they have display sets. However do take note of the sound and the age of the piano. In my opinion, it is still better to buy from them as they would offer some warranty.

3. After thinking about it for 14 days, I shortlisted Yamaha U1 and Kawai K3, brand new.

4. After thinking for another 3 days, I closed 2 eyes and bought K3. Its true Yamaha U1 has better resale value. U1 sounds brighter (i.e. higher treble) while K3 sounds more mellow (i.e. fuller). Now that the K3 is sitting in my room, it still sounds as good. According to my wife, the action (i.e. keys) of K3 is more responsive than U1. From the technical specification, the K3 string (using the 1st string as reference) is slightly longer than U1 and the sound board area is also slightly larger than U1.

Hope this helps.

[klchew]

Just my 2 cents worth. My dad bought a Yamaha X series (a step above the U series) piano in KL back in 1980. Its served me and my children very well since and its still doing well after almost 32 years. The piano was made and imported from Japan. As for humidity problems, well, it had a heater in it from the start and was kept in the living room, without any air conditioning. It hasn’t suffered any damage from any humidity problems.


I think that by leaving the bar heater on permanently, regular tuning of at least once a year and the occasional wipe, a good piano would last for at least 30 years (in my case) or more. I seriously think that my Yamaha would be playable and be in good voice for my grandchildren!

We did have the felt pads replaced and the strings restrung a few years back by Yamaha technicians. However, they told us that other than that, the piano would be good for another 30 years as the wood and frame were in excellent condition. Seems that the later Yamaha pianos which were made in Indonesia, were not of the same quality or standard as those originally made in Japan all those years ago. Strangely, they also said that the Yamaha pianos that they were selling now were actually inferior to those that were made in Japan all those years ago, in terms of sound and quality

After moving to Singapore last year, and after doing our research, we bought a Hailun H33P from Piano Masters. The sound is lovely but different from the Yamaha X. The Yamaha is a brighter and has a better action, whilst the Hailun is mellower with a stiffer action. Different but still enjoyable. I would actually recommend the H33P over the 125 as the sound is bigger and fuller.

I would agree with those who have tried the Petrof and say that it has a lovely singing voice. To me, my wife and kids, the Petrof sings better than the Yamaha or Hailun. However, it was out of our budget. Hoping to get a Petrof baby grand in a few years’ time once the kids hit Grade 8. There’s where the 50% buy back policy from Piano Master would come in handy.

[Blessed Homemaker]

For 2nd hand piano, does it come with warranty? If yes, what does it cover in general? If your seller is also the tuner, are you restricted to using him forever or are you free to engage another tuner?

[Dreamaurora]

Blessed Homemaker:

For 2nd hand piano, does it come with warranty? If yes, what does it cover in general? If your seller is also the tuner, are you restricted to using him forever or are you free to engage another tuner?

Normally the warranty covers all damages not directly caused by the player. The seller will normally give a few free tuning sessions, but of course you are free to source your own tuner after that.

[cnimed]

Anyone has a good tuner to recommend?

[Admummy]

Urgent advice needed…


Just received my brand new piano from Cristofori…unfortunately, when I tested it one of the key is not working properly…the tune doesn’t sound right when I hit it…saw the string inside for that note is a bit not straight plus the cloth flag like blocking some of the keys when hit…oh iam not piano train hope u guys understand what I mean…call the staff, she said ask senior tunner to help me tune shld be ok after that…do u think I shld take her words or demand for a new set?

[fatcat811]

Hi all,


New here. Thanks for all the sharing about what to look out for when buying a piano. Hv really made my shopping for one a lot easier, though I am still as confused!

See, I did make a trip down to Piano Master n tried on both Hailun and Petrof. Though I could hear a difference between these n the usual Yamaha n Kawai, was curious if it could be the fact that the Yamaha n Kawai was not ‘in their tip top conditions’ hence the ‘inferior’ response?

P125 is beyond my budget, so I tot of settling for the other cheaper model P118 (at $7800) … But was worried the ‘missing of the 2 legs’ due to the simplified structural design would compromise on the stability of the sound … Am I right to have that fear?

Plus, with this price tag, would I be better off getting a new Hailun 133 - which is modelled after a upright grand (equivalent to Yamaha YUS5 series?) at only $5600???

Any comments n advise is much appreciated! Tks!