Hello All,

I have been reading past posts on this forum and learning a lot. I am looking for a piano for my family. My daughter is a piano major at a performing arts highschool, and will begin this summer preparing for her hour long solo senior recital, and college auditions next winter/spring. My son likes to improvise, play around with harmony, and accompany himself on the piano as he sings. I studied piano as a child, but quit at age 14 to focus on ballet. After many years of dancing and teaching dance, I returned to the piano when my children were young, and began several years ago teaching beginning students at my daughter's teacher's studio. I would love to bring up the level of my playing.

Our piano is an older Baldwin studio, and we want very much to upgrade to a medium sized grand. We recently had occasion to play a Kawai KG C-2. We all loved the piano's touch and tone. :)I have located another piano of the same model, built in 1976,on Craigslist. The ad says that the piano has been well maintained, that the keytops, hammers and base strings have been replaced, and that the action has been regulated and repaired/replaced if needed. The owner has had it for a year, and bought it from a local dealer after all the work had been done. The asking price is $8800, and we have not been to see it yet. Of course, I would not buy a used instrument before having it inspected by a technician.

My questions are:

1. Can we expect other KG C-2s to feel and sound similar to the one we love?

2. What is a reasonable price for such an instrument?

3. Will a technician be able to assess the quality of the work that has been done?

4. Does the fact that the key-tops had to be replaced indicate that the piano was used roughly before the resale?

Thanks in advance!

the piano might be nice.

8000 is a good hunk of change to spend in the resale market. you should be able to be a quality piano. i've particularly seen a few good Baldwins for that price as well as Mason and Hamlins, Yamahas and a Schimmel. (I live in 2 million (almost) person metro tho).

I think $8000 is about $3000 too much to pay for the piano you're describing. You should be able to get an RX-2 made in the 1990s for that much money. A "fresh" KG series piano should be a couple of thousand less, and an older KG, like the one you found, should be cheaper still.

I just bought a KG-2D, made around 1985, for $4000 at an estate sale this past Saturday. (Granted that estate sale prices are cheaper than what you'd pay to a private seller, I think I only saved around $2000.)

Just in case you decide to expand your search to include slightly newer instruments, KG-2D is the one with a warm tone preferred by classical pianists while KG-2E is more bright and jazzy.

Thanks for the replies! This is so puzzling. A local dealer wants 13K for a 1977 KG C-2! I know that the price from a private seller would be less, and that is why I wanted to check out the $8800 price. Mikhail, thanks for the tip about the KG 2-D. I'll definitely expand my search. We absolutely like the warm tones over the bright ones. How would you characterize the tone of the RX 2?

Tendu,

The KG-2E (US model) I looked at while piano shopping was $8800. It was built in 1988. The Kawai dealer was reconditioning it (regulating and repairing the action, voicing, polishing out the finish- not rebuilding) and offering some dealer warranty on it as well. I never made an offer on the piano but have a feeling I could have purchased it for $8000.

If you prefer the Kawai sound and touch I would think you can get a new GE 30 or RX 1 for $13000 or for a bit more a new RX 2 probably for around $15000. I definitely would not buy the KG 2C for $13000.

I like the sound of the RX 2 and love the way it plays. Shop whatever brands you can find to try and then make your decision. Don't hesitate to play brands out of your price range either. You can gain some valuable information playing these more expensive pianos and how the choices you have stack up against the top tier brands.

Two books recommended frequently are from Marty Flinn and Larry Fine if you think some reading would help. I see they are listed on the right hand side here in the Quick Links under piano books.

Have fun shopping for your new piano.

Hey,What happened to the original thread which I had slavingly wrote a detailed post assessing your situation a few days ago.Am I going nutz or was I imagining things. Maybe this thread was a psychic premonition It just vanished or maybe deleted?

A few thoughts. Looks like you and I had similar piano needs and budgets, and both settled on Kawai as the best bang for the buck, so these may be of interest to you...

I would recommed against buying GA or GM series instruments--they are simply not as good as the KG and the RX. The latest supplement to The Piano Book agrees.

I would recommend against buying a new piano. You simply get more piano for your money if you buy used--like with cars, it loses lots of value as soon as you drive it off the lot, so to speak.

I would recommend buying from a private party instead of a dealer, especially once you've used the dealer's inventory to get to know different pianos and have settled on what you want. You can now find the right second hand piano without the markup (and with less risk of problem-hiding prep work). Again, the car analogy applies, and unless you enjoy dealing with used car salesmen...

The RX, overall, is a more valuable piano than the KG because it's newer and has improved action. It is, however, more expensive, and you may actually like the sound of the KG-2D more. RX is not too bright (not like KG-2E), but it's not as warm as the 2D. Kawai had to bring back that warmth after people complained following the 2D to 2E model change (I'm just retelling what I read in The Piano Book now.)

Oh yeah, of the RX series, I believe the RX-2S has the warmer sound while the RX-2E is more on the bright side. Unfortunately most instruments for sale on craigslist, for example, just say RX-2.

Tendu,

The model is KG-2C. These were made during the 1970s, but whenever you consider a piano that has had extensive work done on it you are not just buying the original piano, but are also buying the work of the person who did the reconditioning. So keep that in mind - I would be suspicious of a piano that was bought reconditioned, then is being resold fairly soon afterwards. If it really seems to be the right piano for you, have a technician check it before you buy.

I sold my KG-2C about 4 years ago for $1,500 in AS-IS condition to a dealer/flipper. I was the original owner and it servrd me very well over the years.

It had the least number of "issues" out of my other pricer pianos. Although, it may just be that I've become more discriminating (pickier) over the years.

fingers

The technician can also give you an idea of the instrument's value in the current market, along with evaluating its technical condition and the cost of any needed repairs.

Every single piano, even of the identical model, will sound and play differently. There is a family resemblance, but they are not the same--- things that grow, are mined, and are worked on by hands cannot be exactly identical.

It is true that you may make your money buy more piano by buying a lightly-used instrument. It will take more work for you to find the right one, and you are taking on more risk. Still, it could work out well for you. I would take Kawai Don's words to heart in regard to the instrument you are considering. He is entirely on your side in this matter. You don't find that all the time.

There are some excellent deals to be had on new instruments in today's market. It's worth considering. Anyway, the only way to know what a particular piano sounds like and feels like to you, is to try it yourself.

Tendu,

I can attest to the value to the Kawai KG C series up and down the length, so if you see a nice 6' KG-3C at a good price I suspect you would be even happier.


Stay tuned,
Jim