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Hi Snoopycar,

You tune all pianos, right? I can recommend my friends ... they have uprights.

(I destroy all kinds of pianos).

Hi tech? No! untra hi tech.
Next time walking in sinkapore also need to pay n pay with EWP - electronic walkway pricing !!

see

http://forum.channelnewsasia.com/viewforum.php?f=13

Hi Rachel,

Welcome to PW! It's nice to have a Singapore piano retailer clearly identifying themselves and contributing, rather than lurking all the time! It is also good to see you take an interest in your dad's business.

Since you are new to PW I respectfully suggest that you read PW's guidelines on posting by piano businesses: http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/1/9462.html.

I'd also like to point out that one of the things that piano shoppers in Singapore find quite distasteful about piano dealers is the bad-mouthing of competitors. Yes, I know just about all piano dealers in Singapore do it (even those who complain about being bad-mouthed).

There's a piano out there for everybody, of different qualities and at different prices. Set your customer's expectations properly and then sell your pianos on their merits.

Many piano buyers in Singapore know very little about pianos. I hope that dealers like Zadok are sufficiently educated about pianos in general to give customers good advice and recommendations, and able to prepare and service the pianos so that your customers get the most value for the money spent.

ppp, sure thks
yes i do tune all pianos, upright, downright, leftright and rightright, theres the other kind flatright, i believe its call the grandpianos.

I can't tune digital piano or organ. Also can't tune those last timee china made little wooden piano - like in the peanuts cartoon type.

In addition, i can take pets for a walk, clean the face basin U-section, usually theres lots of gooey hair mix with toothpaste i believe

No, seriously, there are addtion things we tuner does. Teflon lube the action, jacks, keybush, damper spoon.... adjust mute pedal.. re-align, sand, insert card to balance the castors wheels, tighten loose music rack hinge, loosen stuck keys, fix stucked hammers, replace strings.

Sometimes we act as food taster too, kueykuey, curry puffs, fried jackfruit seed...

So far, theres are some pianos i can't tune. There one with a few broken tuning pins, most of the other tuning pins are stuck. My tuning wrench turns, but the pitch remain the same. i thought my wrench spoil leow.
someone has super glued them or internally rusted beyond description. One had a broken bass bridge and fell off. But 99.98% pianos were tunable.

Come on, i don't play well at all. There's once a korean mum n child sat beside after i tune. i thought what's going on ..? expected me to play a sonata?? ok ok i can play fur elise only hehehe

Sometimes we chit chat.. on hows your sons condition, oh much better .. thats good.. oh pretty nice cat, from where, austaria, oh wow...
Sometimes we get stuck in between a quarrel, mom!!.. stop doing that !!.... yak yak yak...
Sometime we accidentally hear gossip... you know arr that who arr..

All in all, it's a nice job that i'll wish to go full time soon , when will my boss retrench me ar?

Snoopycar, why don't you be your own boss? That way, you wouldn't be retrenched.

thks! will do that

Hey, I just finish my Chemistry and I have my Maths on friday.
(Damn that maths, it's a 7am paper. The disadvantage of taking an Australian program, you have to follow their time!)

ppp,
I see that you are a doctor from your profile. Is it for real? I am surprised.

Jin Jack,

Haha! Glad you finished the paper (didn't doodle on it?).

Yep, it's for real, although I wished I was something else i.e. employed/paid piano shopper.

Do you know if they sell Mason and Hamlins in S'pore or Malaysia? I can't find any dealer in S'pore though.

sincerely,
Vincent

Malaysia only has Steinway, Bosendorfer, Petrof, Yamaha, Kawai, Boston, Essex and other Chinese make, stencil make etc. I don't think there's more!

You see the big peninsular has so little selection compared to the small island. You all have Fazioli, Bechstein, Estonia and others man!

Hey, that's my ideal occupation. Paid piano lover?

Anyway, I'll send you a PM. Please check it out.

Great forum! I've learned a lot over the last few days reading the 60+ pages! if only I can remember all......

Would appreciate if someone can throw me some light in looking for a piano for my daughters.

I used to play piano as a little girl, but gave up after a while.....now thinking of taking it up again for fun especially since my little girls are taking music classes from Yamaha and playing on the electronic keyboard.My 6 years old really need to upgrade to a real piano now and as such I am in the market looking for one.

Step 1 - Went to ask friends first...they all buy brand new Kawai- all say no time - see, hear, like and buy.....can't be bothered to research.

However, just in case, my daughters end up like me(gave up halfway), I am not keen to spend too much.

I prefer Kawai, but realised K3 & K5 are all new models - no used ones! Kawai also has so many models in the past.....it's too confusing....don't know how to see and compare!!!

So ended looking at mostly Yamaha instead...here's my mission plan;

1. either Yamaha or Kawai(but don't know which model)
2. Higher end models if possible
3. less than 18 years.....the younger the better
4. Good condition - like new if possible (Japan home use)
5. budget no more than $4.5K

Here's my research so far.....any comments or feedback would be very much appreciated!!

1. Yamaha U1 - $4,300 - 8 years old - Local private seller - good condition, clean except dried water stains on hammers - new heater replaced as a result.
2. Kawai BS-1A - asking $3.6K - Approx. 15 yrs - Local private seller. very good condition and sounded good.
3. Yamaha UX10BL & UX10A - $5K to $5.5K (after discount), all less than 20 years old - available in a few used piano shops - They are around the same price as the newer U1 & U3s in these shops - We like these better but they cost more than the first 2 options.....wonder if they can lower the prices to $4K+

Prefer to buy from shops (safer I think)...but don't know how much to bargain....

Anyone familiar with Yamaha UX models or Kawai used models?

Just sharing my recent experience with buying a used piano in Singapore: my BFF was shopping for one for her kiddies some months back when she chanced upon an IBach upright at a 2nd hand dealer. We both know the IBach brand because in the past 25+ years, one of our friends had an upright, and more recently, a grand.

My BFF played a little as a child (basically not much left there), but even she could tell the difference in tone and touch between the IBach and similar Yamahas (U1 and above) and Kawais at the shop. And because it is such an unknown brand, it had been sitting at the shop for yonks, and she bargained it down to SGD5K!

When I went to test it for her, I was blown away by how lovely it sounded, and how responsive it was for an upright (my previous upright 20 years ago had been a Yamaha UX3 – my current is a Steinway B ). Considering that 20-year-old Yamaha U1s were going for about the same or more, I told her she would be crazy not grab it! The piano needed some regulation, of course, and the inside was not pristine (I checked out the serial number online the best I could and I think it was probably 10-15 years old), but what an instrument for the price!

The moral of the story, I think, is to educate oneself on some of the better but lesser-known European brands from 15-20 years ago (which rules out some of the newer Eastern European brands), and then shop around the 2nd-hand dealers. It would also be prudent to ask a piano-playing friend or teacher along to check out the instrument if one does not play. Do bear in mind that many pianists, teachers even, only know the Yamaha brand, so one needs to pick someone with an open mind (and ear).

Dear Roxane,

Fact: A 20 year old (or even a ten years old) U1 do NOT sell for SGD$5K. It is less, unless you have been ripped-off.

My friend (a piano student) just bought a 10 year old U1 for $4K (or less). If you trade-in a ten year old U1 to Yamaha, you'll get less than 1.8K.

doctor doctor i got this pain in the back
is it the kidney ?? no lower .... no higher ...
no its the wallet ... a big hole have developed
rice price drop but bread price still high, gardenia $1.85 !!!


ppp

where did your firend buy the U1 from? shop or mocha? sure it's not U1J?

wah very street price informative !!
keep it up. like stock market, if no buyer found and you happen to be the only one queuing, sure the price can be as low as what your friend get. So low until you paisay, top up $200 more for the poor seller .. hehehe

If the U1 was indeed a very good condition, then that's great, found gold !!

If i were the U1 owner who bought for SGD9000(nice no.) and sell for below 4k ... wah lau aaa.
No offence, but seller may be a little mis-inform, i feel very sayang. There are ppl out there who sell things thinking, its old already, not worth, i sell cheap cheap, as long higher than trade in or garung guni.

Some good times to buy is timing, seller need to sell off, moving house, migrating, just nice no other buyer.

But if its a very lightly used and very good condition, surely seller can wait and fetch a better price - demand/supply case.

Like now there is many real estate in the States "fire sale" arr.. I would go to all the house to fire-buy all the good pianos now.

from what i know, a from japan domestic market U1 20~25yrs is about $3300-$4300
8~15yr about $4800-$5200

================== !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok ok, street price should be lower than shop price. Shop must earn to pay rental, profitable, electricity (now that it's so much highe, SP hedge wrong at USD160 per barrel)

The DISTINTION here is SHOP price and PRIVATE(not coporal) sale price.

ok, tell you one bad news, i came across a 4yr SK-2 asking 22K !! superb condition, too bad/good, sold leow.

Dear Snoopycar,

U1 imports and U1 local (sold privately) are in different price leagues. I was referring to local U1.

And you are right - price depends on demand/supply.

But I believe in "reasonable" pricing ... whatever that means

Roxane

what is BFF ? boyfriend? best friend ?
Wah! Can share which shop you went got iBach?
I'd like to pop by the shop more often to place my queue no. my music room still have some space

ppp
cool, i just merely highlight to other potential buyer shop price n private seller, peace V-sign.
When is your SK3 arriving? ETA touchdown ?? Did you tell your wife about the purchase, huh ?? hehe


Aaaa wonder where's jack. math papers are the toughest, brain stress ..... every now and then i still have nightmare about A-maths.. tommorrow is exams , still haven't solve this integration problems .. heng arr just a dream.

Hey hey,

I am here. Going to crack my head soon for calculus, complex number etc.

btw, our Gardenia sells only RM2.10 here, which is less than 1SGD. Do you all use better flour?

SK-2 22k.... I miss it!

sure not pirate one huh ??
last time before price increase was SGD1.55
i think it's profiteering!!

i try other cheaper brands, taste thinner, not nice.

i buy the 600g Gardenia SGD2.30 now!!
more worth it.
everything here is more expensive than JB what?
hair cut only RM8 - i always turn down the mama indian neck massage, dangerous man, if not careful my neck break how?

actually hor, i think arr, must "normalize" the bread, petrol, haircut price with salary at SG vs MY

example:
Salary SG MY
Technician $1850 $1000
Bread $1.85 $2.10
Ratio 0.1% 0.21%

comparing with salary power, where is more expensive?


if you write me a blank cheque, next time any good deals comes across, i call you on the mobile phone and striaght away buy it on the spot.
then we ask doctor to adminster local anestesia, then i disasseble piano and ship to you, avoiding the tax system.

haha...i'm back...snoopy car, i did not exactly ask my dad for permission but i guess since its a forum its alright, I have informed him already...I just hope to throw in my lot of what I know. And digitus, thanks for your advice... I dun mean to bad-mouth competitors over the forum...we dun do that in our store. by resorting to that, it only shows our lack of confidence in our own brand...but nonetheless, it was my mistake mentioning a competitor on the forum.

Well done Rachel!

ah ha.. talking about bad mouth subject
if there is anything that is "worth" bad mouthing, that's beneficial to us, consumer, pls share it! Must be true one, leave some space for the benefit of doubt.

Ok lah, definition of badmouth is saying something not true to gain a business benefit.

You know, we ppl like to hear gossips, funny incidents, blog, complaint..

Please go ahead share it beautifully in stylish english, add some humour, indirect, hiding around the bush, only the smart will be able to decode it type of encryption. End with.. i don't know about you, but that's what i feel .. hehehe
(maybe wah lau, wah leow can be permitted, but not %#@#%)

I do sometimes complaint about certain shops as a consumer, i don't unless i really feel annoyed n insulted.


Rachel
Its good notice the bloopers. not easy hor, carrying a heavy burden of a priesthood like mission must maintain pure n innocent