After almost a half year of research, reading, visiting stores (15 stores total seen/played/heard over 40 new piano's although the sight-reading is the same as I learned) did I buy a new Kawai K-6 this afternoon. I've had a lot of fun looking for a new piano. They will deliver it somewhere next week.

From now one I can feel a complete member :rolleyes: of the piano world forums and will be posting with real piano experience soon.

I intented to post this on the "piano" forum but since I don't read that forum anymore I do it here as a real adult beginner.

Congratulations, Pevawi, on your new piano! Those Kawais sure are nice pianos. Please post some photos when you get it delivered.

Congrats on your new family friend. Do post on the piano forum when the beast arrives (tradition, you know!), and do include pictures.

Congratulations on the new piano!

Congratulations!

You must be so excited! Congratulations, Pevawi!

Tina

Congratulations, I am sure that you like your K6 as I do.

Congrats Pev, I'm so excited for you.

I myself am trying to get a k-8 with no luck. There's only 1 kawai dealer in this area and I keep calling every week hoping that one will come in.

Please post pictures and a recording, we're excited for you!

Pevawi, congratulations on your purchase!! that seems like a long time to look so i am sure you are quite happy its over and hoping you are very happy with your purchase!!! Congratulations!!!

Congratulations on your purchase! What made you choose the Kawai K-6?

Enjoy your new instrument! I've just looked it up on the internet as I have neither seen nor played a K6 - it looks lovely and is a good size.

Please post some pics when it arrives.

Congrats on the new piano. Looks like a beauty.

Here's a link to some info in case anyone is curious:

http://www.kawai.de/k6_en.htm

I'm surprised your dealer hasn't gotten one in for you to try. He/she has got to realize you're a serious customer if you're calling every week! Have you come right out and asked if they can bring one in for you?

Wow...that's super! Happy for you.

Kathleen

Congratulations. Kawai has a great reputation, and you will get many many years of enjoyment from your wonderful new piano. Now, get in there and start practicing the minute it comes next week. Gaby Tu

Wow.. thank you all for your kind responses!

Monica Kern/Piano*Dad:[/b] I will have to borrow a camera but I will do my best.

Loly:[/b] I did search for a Kawai K8 as well but could not find one. Even the list price is something you cannot find easily on the internet.
But I saw a Petrof that has the same shape as the K8 (without the music desk) and I wasn't thrilled about the look. So I was convinced that a K6 will do (K6/K8 are technically the same as far as I have found, its just the grand-desk design that differs).

DigitalPianoMan:[/b] As always it's a combination of things. First the store and the salespeople. They really made a difference. I think for the 15 stores I visit I would only recommend 4 to others. Many sales-people think talking down on other brands is helping them but it does just the opposite. Then the sound..... and let me say that again "the sound". During the tour I was torn between Petrof 131 and Yamaha U3 (I did not find a Kawai before the last store I visited). The Petrof had a better sound than the Yamaha but the action was lighter on a Yamaha (I know... I've no experience but that's what I did feel). But when I heard the Kawai it was just beautiful rich on harmonics and I tried the action and played very well (still a bit heavier then a Yamaha). And I really liked the fact that when you really pound on the bass keys it still sounded as music not as some overdrive guitar you hear in hard-rock of death-metal music (don't know how to explain it otherwise). It was just nice. The treble keys sing almost all but the last 3 white keys (they make that ping noise, but that was better than the Yamaha that has the last 6 notes make such a ping noise. Then the top-lid you can halve open it and just a tiny detail was the push-up pin was so very well constructed (unlike some others I've seen on the road). And last but absolute one of the main reasons I did choose the Kawai above a Petrof: my friend that did come with me on all the shopping tours listening to me murdering a Menuet on every piano that had potential did say to the salesperson: "I can really hear that the piano is better (opposed to a Petrof in the same store), not only when you (the salesperson) play but even when he (me) plays!". Well.. if the piano improves my playing... what more can a wannabe pianist want? And the price they asked was very reasonable they did a better job on lowering the price then two other shops did for the Petrof. (although the price was still higher then the Petrofs but that's because the Petrofs start a bit cheaper 500 euros/900 euros)

Sorry for the length of the answer I hope you wasn't expecting some short answer as: I did like the fact that the piano came with a soft-closing fallboard

To make this post a little longer I would like to share something I learned from this shopping experience. As a complete novice I started, I did read the complete Larry Fine book. And when looking for a new Piano one of the best advices I found in his book is: make a plan before you go shopping. And I would add to that make it in writing for your self and stick to it. Because every store you enter you will be sucked up by the beauty of the piano's and before you know it you have a signed contract in your hands. Just make a plan that your not going in to buy, tell this upfront to the salespersons and they will respect that (all 15 stores did) let them inform you, play, make notes if you have to (I didn't ask for prices yet, all piano's I played where in my budget range) or remember what you like and after you visited all the stores remove everything from the list that you don't want (much easier than picking the one that you want). The funny thing is that the first piano (a Petrof 131) I saw and the last (Kawai K6) did remain on top. Then I made my second plan: I did like the Kawai but the Petrof would do fine as well. I did make a maximum budget for the Kawai if it would exceed that price I would go for the Petrof. When you enter the store to talk prices the salespersons become really different (they smell blood ) so it's nice to know what your own limits are and you can really focus on the conversation instead of constant calculating in your head. I did get a extra 200 euros from the price by just telling them: I buy it now and pay upfront for *my offer* otherwise I'm out of here buying a Petrof.

Sorry again for the long read but I'm still a bit in the clouds

pevawi - what a wonderful post about buying your piano - very informative, and very wise. It makes me love your piano

May you have a long enjoyable time playing your new piano.

Cathy

thanks for the info pev, sorry if I hijacked your thread but I was excited to see you purchased a k-6 and I'm going to take a look at one if that's the only difference in cabinetry.

I found the price for the k-8 to be about 11995, the piano dealer said retail is 16 but would give it to me for 8895 when she got hers in.

monica, yes I told her I was a serious customer and last time I called her I mentioned that I was starting to feel like a telemarketer.

I don't think she has total control on what she gets in, she does get a shipment every week and thought for sure she was getting a k-8 last week.

Unfortunately the only other dealers are a 2 hour drive or more from here and I can't see myself trying to get my piano up there and one down here even with a piano mover.

I'll just go this weekend and try the k-6 if she has one (i can't remember if she said she did or not when she rattled off all the ones she had in)so I can get the feel for it, then I'll hound her about getting a k-8 in. I hope she doesn't work on commission if she does well she kind of bites at selling. he he

Loly: To make it clear I didn't find a K8 so my knowledge is only what I could find on the internet/brochures. But all I can find on the difference between those two is the cabinetry. That also includes something they call a "tone-spreader" – a hole behind the musicdesk to let the music more out trough the front. The K6 only has two vertical bars (you can see that in the picture) with smaller holes in it. I'm not quite sure how much this really helps getting the sound to you but well the bars does divide the large panel into 3 segments and that I find nice to look at.

About the two hour drive that would be my last issue on the list. I did drive to stores that are 2 hours and more away. I did buy my piano in a store a hour and a half away. They only have to drive the piano once to your house can't be that hard (I think unloading and placing it in your house is still the hardest part). If there is a piano out there I would go for it (wow.. sounded like a movie line does it )

I find your salesperson a bit odd.. not knowing what to expect or can/cannot order something that's very strange to me. Is she a distributor for other stores or just a very large store? (Because a shipment every week.. didn't know piano sales where that good!) But if she can't deliver find yourself a other one that can and don't let the 2 hour drive hold you back, make it a nice day out, take a friend eat in a restaurant and enjoy it.

loly, I agree with pevawi; driving 2 hours is a minor issue if it means being able to try/buy the piano you really want. They'll pick up your trade-in when they deliver the new piano, so that really isn't an issue either. At your next weekly call to the local dealer, I'd say something like "I've decided I need to try a K8 before making my final decision. They have one at _____, though of course I'd prefer to buy locally. Can you assure me you will have a K8 in before [name some date in the near future]? If not, I'll go looking at the other place." And if THAT doesn't get you action, then I agree with pevawi, that salesperson is a little odd!

ok guys i'll give it a shot. I'm going to call around and find if there's a k8 out there.

i'll use your tactic monica as well. thanks for the advise. i'm getting excited again!!

Pevawi,

Other than the cabinet between the K8 and K6, the K8 has the true sostenuto pedal (at least in USA/Canada). Also, structurally, the bars are glued to the front panel which is one piece solid wood, not devide it into 3 segments. (I was with the same impression before I got the delivery of my K6 !). I like the look of the K6 better than the K8 also. That was why I chose the K6.

Best wishes.

Ok guys, I did it. I called a piano dealer whose an hour and a half from here and she took the time to talk to me about the piano. Unlike the other dealer here who took no time except to tell me whether she got one in or not.

this lady talked to me extensively and told me she has a k-6 on the floor but can get a k-8 in for me with no problems.

What is it about the k-8 cabinet that you guys didn't like? I saw a picture of it so I really can't tell, it looks really nice to me.

thanks

Oh No, not that I don't like the cabinet design of K-8, it just that the look of K-6 is more 'modern' to me

Funny as it is in the picture (before I did go shopping) I thought the K8 was nicer then the K6 but when I saw the K6 and a Petrof 131 E (that has the same shape cabinet, without the grand desk but with the same ridge/edge (don't know how you call that in English). It just wasn't that good looking on the Petrof.. but hey! you getting to see both, let us know how that turns out!

MusicBud: I didn't know about the sostenuto pedal (none of the documentation I have speaks of this) I think they would mention it. However I don't need one so that wouldn't be a reason to buy one. You are right the front panel is one piece and I did mean divided visually (they took the piano apart for me so I had a close look in the store). But thank you for making that clear. Nice to know there are more people who chose for a K6

Thanks guys. I'm going to Ocala in about an hour and a half to try out the k-6 and work up some figures for both a k-6 and k-8. I let her know that if I didn't like the k-8 for some reason I'd get the k-6 provided the price and the piano were to my satisfaction.

Road trip weeeeeeeeeeeeeee

that's exciting, loly! Please give us a detailed review when you get back.

Hey guys, I'm back. I bought the k-8. weeeee

I got more piano for a better price than I would have for a k-6 and I like the looks of the k-8. It has more of a european look with rounded corners, a desk type platform. your music sits directly in front of you like a grand piano.

i loved the action and the control you have. i'm excited to finally have something i've always wanted.

the dealer was extremely attentive and took a grand piano apart and showed me everything about kawais technology. She matched the other dealers price as well which was a plus too.

I should have it here in a week or 2. I got the satin ebony. I've always preferred the satin ebony as opposed to the polished. it's just so dusty here in florida and although it's nice it's really hard to keep up when you have dogs running in and out gathering dust.

pevawi and loly,

Congratulations to both of you on your respective Kawai purchases!

It's a great feeling isn't it, to have found your piano and not use up anymore time and energy in your search (although the search can be fun too, up to a point). I was so relieved after making my decision!

Please post pictures!

Congratulations, loly! And THAT will teach the other dealer not to take you seriously! Please do post some photos when it gets delivered.