Not sure I should start a new thread or not, but here goes. (admin can move it if necessary)

I own a Kohler & Campbell KIG54. It is a beautiful grand, however I want to upgrade to a larger one. My question is this: Will the sound quality greatly improve with size? Should I stay with K&C in the larger model, or move on to another brand?

In general larger grands should sound richer and that richness should be more apparent the lower down that you play. Longer instruments should also have a lower overall timbre.

Playing different size instruments from the same manufacturer is, IMO, a very good way to form an opinion on this subject. That said, if you're considering a new grand it'd be a good idea to play every piano which is within reasonable traveling distance.

According to Larry Fine, Kohler's Millenium series uses upgraded components: maple rim, Bolduc soundboard, Renner action and hammers. The larger grands, identified by "KFM", are made in Korea. (The smaller KCM's are made in Indonesia.)

The more pianos that you audition, the more helpful it will be to have made notes about each one - what you noticed, liked or didn't like about each one's tone, touch, and appearance.

Within 200 miles we have just a few dealers. Two that I am familiar with. One carries the Kohler & Campbell, Yamaha, Baldwin, Sohmer & Co, & Petrof. I bought mine from these guys. The other dealer carries Steinway and Sons, including their Boston and Essex product lines and Pearl River. I have a feeling Steinway is out of my league price wise. Are there any of these I really need to stay away from quality wise?

Any advice is very much appreciated.

IMO it's more a matter of listening to the differences in tonal palettes. The dealer you bought from has a good selection of palettes.

It'd be a good idea to concentrate on the two octaves above and below Middle C, because that's where most people play most often. After playing something that you're comfortable playing, you might want to play those octaves chromatically.

If you hear anything surprising or simply markedly different from other pianos, you could always ask the rep whether this is the way these pianos sound - it very well may be - or does this one need to be tuned or prepped.

If you basically like a piano well enough to consider it as a replacement for your K&C, you might want to ask if this piano could be tuned/prepped before your next visit.

This is where making notes becomes a very good idea.

Of course under no circumstances put down a "refundable" deposit.

With Boston and Essex, you'll pay extra for their being part of the Steinway family of pianos. Some folks, particularly when they're new to Piano, are comforted by that.

Do you already know about Larry Fine's, "The Annual Supplement To The Piano Book"?

How can any dealer write something so misleading?

Although Fine makes the final decision in ranking, it's beyond well known that Fine gets reports from numerous techs on the different brands. The post I quoted makes it sound like there is no other input whatsoever. In earlier versions of the Piano Book he even indicated when the "input" was low. Does anyone think that if the tech input indicates a brand should be ranked around 2C that Fine chooses to rank it 4C? And anyone who knows Fine, knows he is extremely fair and thoughtful.

This is the same silliness that some other dealers of pianos with a low Fine rankings try to use to discredit Fine's book.

If you are reasonably interested in a particular piano, since each piano of even the same model can sound quite different, I see nothing wrong with putting down a refundable deposit if the dealer does not want to put the piano on hold without one. Of course, you need a written contract and need to know the dealer is reputable.

I own the same Kohler model piano KIG54 and it's got a killer sound for it's size. I compared it to the larger ones (I think that 5'9" and a six footer) and I thought it sounded 90% as good if not more. For the small living room we have, it totally made sense and I'm pretty dang picky!

If you can get the right price, go with the Kohler and Campbell KIG54. I shopped around for a long time and ended up getting mine for just under $7,000 and it's an awesome piano. My local dealer in Utah really took the time to make sure that my baby was tuned and adjusted really well and it sounds and feels great!

I'm thinking of purchasing a good used Kohler and Campbell grand piano, It will be my first piano and I would like it to be my last, since i'm 46yrs old.

This one is different in that its from another generation 1977 my concern is the quality of this brand at this time in its history.

Is this a middle of the road piano make?

Should I make this my first piano? I'm only willing to pay around under 3000 and want a small grand for this price.

David P.

I have a great deal of hands on experience with K&C as well as Samick grands. Samick did not begin production of K&C grands until much later than 1977. The Pierce Atlas states that early K&C grands were built by Brambach in North Carolina. Brambach numbers end in 1957. My first contact with K&C (American built pianos) was in the late 1970s and early 1980s. There were no grands in their line up that I can remember. Maybe other can shed light on this.

On face value, 1977 seems a little old for a serviceable instrument for your family. You likely can find a decent Samick or Young Chang product from the late 1980s or early 1990s in your budget range.