Just registered today and hoping to garner some advice on a piano purchase. I have a 6 and 8 year-old who have been taking lessons for about 1-year. They are anxious to step-up from our keyboard. Their piano instructor recommended a local dealer, who suggested a used Yamaha or Kawai. Specifically he recommended the following models: Yamaha U3 ($4800), U2 ($4500), U1 ($4500). Prices include delivery, bench and tuning.
I'm not sure where to begin... We've shopped around at local dealers and they all seem to be within $200 of one another on the price.
We would like to spend 5K or less, so I'm wondering - are these my best options? Does anyone have any advice about reputable dealers in the South Shore area of Massachusetts. So far, I've been to Martin Snow Pianos (very nice man, not pushy) in Marshfield, Piano Mill (also helpful and not pushy) in Hanover and Roger's Piano (very pressured) in Hanover.
Thank you very much - any suggestions are appreciated!

Hi quidagis and welcome to the forum. All those pianos you're looking at are excellent. They all are highly respected for their quality and value. As the number after the "U" on those Yamahas goes up, various beneficial features are added. They will all hold their value well if you should ever decide to upgrade to a grand piano. They are extremely durable and hold their tune well.

We always recommend that you have an independent tech check out a piano before you buy it, especially with a used one. They can tell how much the piano has been used, and if it has any issues that need attention.

Kawai's are equally good, so it's just a matter of your personal taste in deciding between Kawai and Yamaha. There are also some very good Chinese pianos like Brodmann and Hailun that are excellent values right now. It never hurts to try out as many pianos as you can. But assuming that a tech says those Yamaha's you're looking at are in good condition, you can't go wrong with one of those.

Good luck on your search, and let us know how it turns out.

Welcome to the forum, Quidagis.

I agree with everything Larry said. Play lots of pianos and check the brands he mentioned. I also suggest you check Craigslist. I found this Charles R. Walter on the Boston Craigslist:

http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/msg/1425744731.html

Walters are excellent pianos, handmade in the USA. I played an almost new one 10 days ago. Great piano. If you buy used, be sure to have an independent tech (no connection to the seller) check the piano.

Something like this Kawai could work:

http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/msg/1426543645.html

Check the age by the serial number. If you can't find the age on the web, ask here.
I don't know about the price of the Kawai. It'll dependon the age and condition.

Anyway, good luck with the search. Be sure to include the kids. It is their piano, after all. And keep in touch. We love successful piano searches.

Charles

That U1 could be worth less then half that if it is old. Check the serial number. A new T118 should cost less and would be fine.

I strongly recommend a new Yamaha T118 over a 20-30 year old U1.

(I was expecting an e-mail notifying me that I had responses. Oops- just checked the site, and here they are.) Thanks for your help.
I am told that these U1, U2 and U3 models that I mentioned above are reconditioned "from the 1980's," but will look at the serial #'s.
With regard to a new T118 - do you feel that this is a better piano for the money? Perhaps I should take a trip to Boston Organ and Piano, listed as a new Yamaha dealer locally.
Thanks again!

We've been selling the T118 to folks who play quite well, or have a teacher helping them with their search, who have found it almost impossible to find a tuned, clean, well-maintained used U1. Our friends at Yamaha tell us that the two pianos share the same plate and scale design.
A T118 was recently featured on stage at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse for a production of "Herringbone"
http://www.lajollaplayhouse.org/the-season/plays/herringbone
They had originally rented an older piano for this month-long run of performances and didn't like it. The T118 got great reviews from the pianist.

Thanks. Local price on a T118 is $5500, compared to new U1 which is about 10K. It looks like I'll go with the new T118 (as opposed to a refurbished U3 for $4800), as that seems to be the consensus here. I'm hoping to avoid any buyer's remorse, so please chime in if you have any thoughts on this! Thanks again!

We just bought a used Kawai US-55 (comparable to Yamaha U-3) and love it. I agree with the previous poster that the quoted price for a U-1 seems very high. Make sure you have a piano tech look at any used piano you are considering before you buy. There are some good gray market pianos (used pianos originally sold in Japan, and shipped to the US for resale - and most used Yamaha and Kawai pianos that you will find from the '80s are gray market) out there, but you really have to do your homework to make sure you're getting a good one. Look through the archives here, learn more about the models (including pros and cons of used and gray market pianos), compare what you can get for your money in the new and used markets, go slow, and use a good tech to screen used pianos and you can find a really good fit for your family.

The first price that you hear is rarely the price at which a dealer is actually willing to sell.

The prices that you posted are essentially those which Larry Fine lists as SMP's in his Acoustic and Digital Piano Buyer. You should be able to easily get 20% off those prices, particularly in this buyers market. BTW I think that Fine's SMP's include an allowance for delivery.

i just went to a dealership and played a used U3 (6 years old) and a brand new T118. you are better off with a new T118. besides, according to Larry Fine's Acoustic and Digital Piano Buyer (latest edition) the new T118 is around $5500 but in today's marker i'd say just tell them you won't pay anything more then 4800 and see what they say.

also don't go for the pushy salesman. but do let your saleswoman/salesman know that you are shopping around and you're doing your research. make sure you let your kids play the piano and see if they like it. i grew up with a used piano with stiff keys and it was nightmarish to practice on.

if you find a U1/U3 that's really new-looking but cheap (under 3k) be careful it could be a grey market piano. just search this forum for "grey market piano" and you'll see what i mean.

if you can get a new kawai/yamaha for under $5000 i'd say go for it. good luck!

Some get the T118 around $4000 or less.

Thanks again. I went to my Yamaha dealer today and bought a new T118 for $4595. I thought I was doing well getting below the 4800 previously mentioned, but after seeing asd123321's post, I wish I had tried for even lower. Oh well, it's a done deal. Hopefully will be getting it delivered later this week. I thank everyone for their advice.

Congratulations, Quidagis. You bought a good pianos that'll serve well for a long time. I overpaid for mine, too. Sorry, just kidding. The market where you are may not be the same as asd123321's. He may have 3 Yamaha dealers in town and you may have one every 5 counties. Prices will be different. Just enjoy your new piano!

Charles

Well done, quidagis! I've had my T118 for about 6 weeks now and have not had a moment's regret, even though I paid more than you did. It has been fascinating to listen to it change as it adjusts to conditions in my house. Looking forward to the warranty tuning in a couple of weeks -- it's definitely time.

Enjoy your new piano!

Great to hear. It is being delivered on Friday morning. We're all excited. Thanks again for the suggestions.