Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Only 6K to spend on a new or used baby grand in CA

Dear all,

It has been many years since I had the pleasure of having a piano. In fact, I have never even played on a baby grand. But recently, I realized how much I miss having a piano and practicing, and decided to purchase one. Currently, my budget is modest -- only 6K for a baby grand.

Because I have never had experience with a baby grand whatsoever, I honestly cannot tell which piano is the one merely by playing different brands. Alas, I came here to ask for your suggestions regarding brand and prices.

I was quoted $5800 for a brand new Weber baby grand.

I was quoted $5900 for a used (only for a few weeks) Kawai MX10 (spell?) but based on research found out that I should get RX that I cannot afford.

I saw an ad for $8K Perzina 5'4 grand.

I suppose that I would ask for a 20-30% discount from those prices if I were to purchase one based on what I read on this forum.

Please kindly advise.

I could wait and allow for a 10K-12K budget, but I would love to get a piano as soon as possible. Please let me know if that would really make more sense than rushing now to buy something for 6K, although with the bad economy, a bargain could be had.

Ilona

If I were you I would wait until you have a larger budget.

And no - I do not think you could expect a 20-30% discount from the prices you mentioned above. The discount you should bargain for would be from the "list" price of the pianos, but they have already been substantially discounted, I believe.

Hi,

I think a Henry F Miller 5'3 will cost you about 5300.00. I have it and it is an excellent entry level piano. It is a better piano in that price range. If you are very skilled pianist, I think you should save some and get one in the low 10K. DP

In my opinion the Kawai GM10 K is a good deal. At this point this piano still under manufacturer's warranty besides that it is most likely to be trouble free. Another advantage is that because of the brand recognition you can always turn around and sell it.
Best of Luck.

Hmm, what is the best way to approach my piano search? I am thinking about calling local California piano dealers and asking them to provide their best deal/price on what they consider the best product in my price range.

Your thoughts? I am not sure about purchasing a piano via craigslist.

The GM10 for $5900. is a great deal. Sure the RX1 would be better, but not $5900. You may want to use the GM10 for a few years and then move up to a RX1. Sell your yourself in a couple years and get $5000 for it, and than buy the RX1 separetly for your best advantage.

Most dealers will not give you the lowest price over the phone.
BTW getting the lowest price will often also mean the least amount of preparation done to the pinao your buying. And in your price range that's a problem.

You should visit the dealers you want to get prices from.

Good advice so far; so, I’ll add my .02 for free.

It is my view that a decent grand piano can be had for 6K or less but they are not plentiful, as a general rule; which means that you may have to look long and hard to find one.

When I was looking for a good pre-owned grand (euphemism for used ) I looked at a few at piano dealers and the prices were astronomical in my view. To get a good used grand in the 6K range it will most likely be from a private owner who needs to get rid of it suddenly for some reason (downsizing, moving, etc…). You will need to be patient and act quickly when you find a prospect. Do your research ahead of time if possible.

Good luck!

Rick

If I do happen to find just such a bargain in my price range, would be it reasonable for me to expect free delivery and in-home tuning? I will try to buy a piano from a dealer as opposed to craigslist.

Nothing is actually "free" as in delivery or the in home tuning.It is all computed into the price of the piano from a dealer.Funny story!.A dealer friend of mine sold a piano to a client with an inhome "free" tuning included. The client wanted to withold the $ for the tuning until it was performed.The dealer told the client that "she has to pay for the piano but the tuning was free so how is one to withold $ for something that is free. The client was confused for a secound. He was just joking !

You should be able to find several Samick products from their Indonesian factory in about that budget new, ie. Remington, Knabe. You should be able to find several used Korean built pianos in the used catagory less than fifteen years old, ie. Samick, Kohler & Campbell, Young Chang. Also, there should be several choices in new Chinese built products, ie. Pearl River, other stencil name brands.

Based on my research, a lot of which was actually reading post after post on this forum, I am going to try my best to be patient and find a newer Kawai.

Ilona

Kawais are very nice instruments.

There are some other brands that are quite nice as well. Take your time and look at as many as you can.

For many, a grand piano is a lifetime purchase. Enjoy the experience of shopping.

what is your opinion regarding a brand new Weber that I can get in this price range?

You could probably get a Hailun HG 151 for about $6,000, perhaps slightly more, depending on how motivated your dealer is. I liked them better than the Kawai GM10. I was planning on buying one, but the HG 178s were being promoted by Hailun at a price I couldn't refuse. I liked the tone better than the RX-2, although I thought the touch was slightly better on the RX-2.

Another possibility is the new Hobart Nelson pianos, now made in China. I have heard good things about them, and they are less expensive than the Hailuns. Try one, and see if you like it.

So keep looking, all the time deals are appearing.

Also, if you get very lucky you may find a pre-owned instrument in your price range that you are entirely pleased with.

Hop

Go to the advanced search function at
pianomart.com

There were 29 grands for under 6K in California, but I don't know how close any of them are to you. You could also enter a figure higher than 6K in your search since most of the prices are probably not final prices.

If you're very lucky you might find a great bargain(excellent condition and/or recent vintage + great price). But of course it can be more tedius buying a used piano.

You absolutely must get it checked out by an independent tech if you take this route!

If you're fussy about the finish, remember that minor scratches can usually be removed at only a small cost.

Why are you focused on getting a baby grand? Why not get an upright?

For 6K, I'd think you could get a good upright without too much trouble. Less trouble than finding a good grand for this amount.


Mary

Is there a particular reason why you would want to buy a baby grand? Because if it's sound you're looking for, you'll be better off buying a big/good upright, than a bad/small grand piano, because from my understanding, most big uprights actually have a bigger soundboard than baby grands.

If it's for looks, then I suggest you wait for your bigger budget, and buy second-hand.

Maybe this piano is available in your area. I was able to buy a 5'4 Kohler and Campbell KIG54 a few months ago for just under $7,000 from a Utah dealer (Piano Gallery). I'm a jazz piano player, pretty picky, and as I researched different brands I felt that for the money, the Kohler & Campbell was hard to beat.