Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Help Choosing Piano between pearl river and samick

Hi guys i just joined this forum this is my first post
actually i have just finished my grades trinity and preparing for grade 3 so my parents decided me to gift a piano
after trying out various pianos available i settled down on to these

Pearl River UP115M-115 cm
Samick JS-043-109 cm

i have seen , reviewed,played all the models available and i like these,my dealer stands by bot the products equally and the shop has been running for 140 years ,i get a 10 yrs warranty for both . please guys help me out

i was leaning slightly towards the pearl river for its longer strigs deeper mellow sound and heavy solid spruce keys but i am confused about the quality even though their website says thy use
pure vertically grained sitka spruce for their soundboard and tri-laminated spruce keys and sand cast frames ,i get same warranty for both ,i cannot afford or get anything more than this hence i have to decide between the both

I recommend you hire a Piano Technician to help you decide. He/she will point out any issues the store can address before delivery. You can find a piano technician at www.PTG.org

they are not available in my country which is india

if anybody has experience please help me out

I was able to find some photos of the two models.

Pearl River UP115M

Samick JS_043

I compared them and to be quite honest. I found the Pearl River 'Looks' better but that means nothing. When it comes down to it, the sound is what you are looking for. If you know you can afford either of the pianos, then sit down at each and play them as much as possible to get a feel of which one simply sounds better. Make sure to open the top lid of the piano so you can hear it better. Which ever one you feel more comfortable playing is the choice you should make. Let us know which one you decide on

i was a little leaning towards the pearl river because i liked the touch and feel better than samick though samick is nice but i am concerned about the construction quality of pearl rivers, though i have read their website and like the construction materials they have used which are top notch as i can see but i am still a little doubtfull

I have heard good things about Pearl River. They of course are not at the top of the list when it comes to piano builders but they are well made so I don't think you should worry too much about that. If the piano feels good and sounds better than the Samick then I would say go for the Pearl River. As you may already know, its expression you need in a piano. The sound as well as the way the keys feel when playing is the upmost important.

i appreciate your inputs mr.mike , i would also like other forum members to help me out too..

Someone works on pianos in India, so you might as well meet sooner than later. Your new piano will have to be tuned and adjusted. They may not have the RPT certification, but that's a USA thing. The piano dealer, your teacher, or pianist friends may be able to suggest someone, and there must be classified listings or some way people find tuners and technicians. The opinion of a person who is not personally interested in making a sale could be valuable to you. Evaluations do not cost much money.

But--- it seems you already know which instrument you want, and it sounds like you have done some research. Maybe your own feeling is what you should trust.

I think it's a great thing that you're moving forward with your music studies, and that your parents not only support you in it, but are willing to trust your opinion in such an important decision.

Thank You Mr Jeff For your encouragement ,about the shop they have been exclusively been dealing in pianos in India for over 140 years.they stand by all their products equally and give a warranty of 10 years and 2 tunings free not inclusive of the initial tunng

i would also like o hear the feedback of the people have used pearl rivers or have experience playing them

hey guys, i just did a little more research and probably will be settling for a pearl river but you opinions will still be invaluable to me because i have not bought it yet

Have you tried a Kohler and Campbell? I liked this much better than Pearl River. I've had mine (baby Grand) for about 2 years now, play it every day and love the sound and touch. I'm no expert, just love to play piano.. Kohler and Campbell has served me well for the price. just my thoughts.

those are made by samick only and they are not available in india
but waht is your impression about pearl river??

at least thats what i think its made by samick neways i just wanted some feedback on pearl river

Yes, Kohler & Campbell is owned by Samick but they still kept the same manufacture site and employees working who were there previous to when Samick bought them over. Kind of like the same thing when Yamaha bought over Bosendorfer a couple of years ago. I wish I can help you but I never played a Pearl River myself. Hopefully others can respond to you with personal opinions.

My recommendation would be for the Pearl River. This style has legs and will be a more stable platform and more safe if their are children in the home. Both pianos are decent. Just think the Pearl model would be more substantial.

I bought a used Samick SU-105 about four years ago from the original owner. She used it VERY little judging by the condition of the hammer faces. It was manufactured in Korea in February 1989 (from the serial no.) It's a 105 cm upright console model that looks exactly like a slightly smaller version of the piano you're contemplating purchasing.

Anyway, it's got a very nice tone for what it is (only 105 cm, semi-laminated soundboard, etc.) Action is good for an upright and it's never had any kind of mechanical problem. Had it looked over/tuned at purchase by a pro tech. and he said it was a fine low-cost piano, similar to Young Changs he's worked on. HOWEVER, I may just be lucky: the tech said he'd seen some really poor Samicks of the same age/model. Samicks are said to be better made now than when mine was made.

So it's just my personal experience that a Samick, even a marginal one, can be a fine instrument for a beginner (me). Sorry I can't help with Pearl River - I know nothing. My method: I listened to LOTS of similar pianos. I had pro-musician friends listen to my piano and then had a pro technician look at it. If you yourself are not an expert I'd get some input from more experienced eyes and ears. Unless the dealer is a blood relative (maybe even then) I'd get a second opinion. Even if a piano is brand new on the showroom floor it may have problems that can cost you big in time and/or money: warranties don't magically solve everything. And even two "identical" pianos can sound quite different.

In any case, good luck from a very happy Samick owner!

actually the samick that i had seen a brand name of B.Steiner
and at first i though it a wonderful sound and i still think so but i kind of started bending towards the peal river later because its got longer strings and a deeper resonance but i tough that the samick action was much lighter than the pearl river maybe because the pearl river had pure fine grained spruce keys