Hi everyone! I'm just starting my quest for a new upright/vertical piano. I've been without a piano for 3 years because I was living on a sailboat, but now I'm moving into a house! I do plan to go to the library and check out the Piano Book by Larry Fine that everyone mentions here. I did go to two piano stores to start, but have trouble distinguishing the sound from store to store and piano to piano.

Here is my question: I have played on my mother's Baldwin Hamilton piano for many years (44" or 45", furniture style, about 10-15 years old). I like the way the piano plays and sounds, but I would like to know what else is out there that is similar in sound and style. I think the same or similar Baldwin today would be about $6K or so and I was hoping to spend around $5K or less. Plus, I've heard something about Baldwin being in financial difficulty. Please let me know what other pianos you would suggest. I play mostly classical and popular music and consider myself to be an intermediate player. I would like a piano that is in a traditional furniture style (not black).

So far, the piano brands that I have identified that should be considered are (I realize there are others too):
- Baldwin
- Charles Walters
- Kawai
- Samick
- Yamaha
- Young Chang/Pramberger

I have only tried selected models of Yamaha, Samick, Baldwin, and Young Chang so far (these were all models priced around $3.5-$4K). Yamaha sounded good, Samick sounded a little more alive, the specific Young Chang I tried sounded to bright and tinny in the upper ranges (may just be the specific piano). The Baldwin and Yamaha I played had keys that were sticking (is this a bad thing or sign of a bad environment at the dealer?) One salesperson said the Samick lamintated soundboard was an advantage for longevity - what are the drawbacks?

I would rather buy new than used because I want to keep the piano for a long time and I do not plan to trade up later.

I know this is a lot of info. Thanks for your help!

Randy,
FYI a friend of mine, Jim Lobsenz knows someone in Potomac Maryland who has a 10 year old mahogany 45" Baldwin Hamilton in excellent condition with an asking price of $3,300 or BO. If your interested you can email me for her name and phone number.

Rich

Here's the list of new pianos I would play:

1)Baldwin 248, 2)CW, 3)Yamaha U1, 4)Kawai K50, 5)Young Chang PE52, JP48, 6)Kohler&Campbell Millenium series 48", and 52"(or Wm. Knabe - both lines made by Samick) 7) Reiger-Kloss 48"(changing to Bohemia) and 8)Petrof 115, 125.

Some of these are within your budget, and a few are out, but even those can be found for 6K, or close.

Since you do not plan to trade, most of the pianos I mentioned are 48", or so. Usually a bigger piano delivers better performance, and since you are in it for the long haul, a few hundred dollars more for a piano you love, is well worth it, IMO.

Play 'em all, and tell us what you think!

Jolly,

Good list. I would add Charles Walter to it though.

Yes, don't forget to try the CRW (Charles R. Walter) and possibly the Kemble. Very different instruments, but in a similar price range. They might both be slightly out of your range, but I think the CRW is built significantly better (in some ways) than the other pianos in that range. This of course, is only my opinion (I have to say that or people yell at me and my radical ideas)

Hope that helps

KlavierBauer

I believe the CW was second on Jolly's list.

Thank you Larry, Rich must have been "babe" watching, and not paying attention.