I'm wondering about the reputation of K & C pianos. I'll be looking at a 48" upright, and wanted to get a sense of whether this company's instruments are respected and considered above average in quality, tone, action and craftsmanship. This particular model is SKV 48 S, but I can't seem to turn up that model in any searches on the piano blue book site, nor the authentic K & C site.

thanks

Hi, Tonio,

I assume the SKV 48S is used, since it doesn't show to be a current model on the K&C website or in pianobuyer. That the KMV line is still mentioned in the current pianobuyer K&C company profile indicates to me that it may be a recently-replaced line. But, what do I know; I'm just one more consumer like you. There's a link to pianobuyer.com on the right side of this page, if you haven't already found it. Mr. Fine (pianobuyer) says the KMV series is in K&C's "Millennium" line, which is better than their "New York" line. Here's a link:

http://www.pianobuyer.com/pages/172.html

K&C is part of the Samick family and seems to be a decent piano, especially their better line. Pianobuyer rates the K&C Millennium line as a strong mid-range piano. Here's the link:

http://www.pianobuyer.com/pages/43.html

If the piano sounds, feels, and looks good to you, it could be a contender. If it's shown as new in the dealer's showroom, get the serial number. Someone here will be happy to check the age. You might get a really good price since it's not a current model and still get the new piano warranty.

If this is a used piano, have a piano technician with no connection to the seller check it out.

Best of luck!

Charles

If the K&C grands are any indication of their uprights, and usually grands get a bit more attention to detail than the uprights, I wouldn't pay much for any Kohler & Campbell. A friend has a K&C grand that is about 6-8 years old and is horrible. The tone is muffled, the una-corda pedal travels too far, the dampers never stay in good adjustment despite adjustments every year, and the lid, at least, is made of some sort of composite board - as noted when some of the shiny black finish bubbled off recently.

Maybe the coupld K&C's that I've played are bad examples of the overall quality of the line, but I have no faith in that line stenciled brand based on my limited experience.

Thanks for those comments, and the links. I *do* see that, not many people regard K & C as a great brand. Yes, this is a used vertical. They say about 6 years old. The owner has passed away, and someone has been hired to liquidate everything. She says she knows nothing about pianos, and thinks about 10k was paid for it new, and are asking 3 now. It's about a 3 hour drive for me to see it...I'm out in the boonies....I suppose there's a chance it could be a good instrument, but I'm really looking for a *special* piano. Something that inspires me. I had an old 1900 weber that was pretty good at that, but it needed several k worth of work and I decided to sell it to get something newer.
I see there are quite a few people who like the Perzina. It's a fun process, and learning one too.

Tonio, The K & C is not a great brand of piano however it is decent and as was stated earlier is made by Samick. They also have their own line called a Pramberger if the price was right and they play well you might consider one. If you post the serial number of the piano you looked at other members in the forum might be able to tell you exactly how old the piano you looked at or are looking at is, as sometimes the age of the piano is not quite exactly what is stated to one. I'm however really surprised that they say 10K was paid for the piano that seems high. I noticed that you mentioned Perzina as a piano, have you played one or heard one? I like them very much myself. They are a little more money but I think well worth it once you have heard them and played them, it would be money well spent and you and your family would have many years of happy playing. Good Luck

I would think 10K for an upright would be a price you'd only pay for one of the really high end Yamahas, or some of the european models. Since I'm not a fan of uprights in general and I have the space for a grand I am not in the market and so any price is too high . Seriously, though, $3,000 for a 8-10 year old upright that's not a brand of high reputation I think is pushing it. If you've got $3K you want to spend, you should be able to find at least a GOOD Yamaha M series, maybe even a U series. I've played the Yamaha U models ant they are quite nice. Being "out in the boonies" does complicate the picture a bit. My experience with the Samick stenciled line of K&C is only with the smaller grands, so maybe the uprights are better. My reference was that the quality of the ones that I played was abysmal. They were falling to pieces after only a handful of years. No piano should be rags after only about 10 years of home use.

I there's not a lot of other opportunities within a 3 hour drive (and you must really be in the boonies if that's the case) then go try it out, have a piano tech come see it and look it over while you're there. Have him tell you what he'd pay for it, and go from there. Or maybe, save yourself the drive, have a piano tech go look it over, call you with the results, and then go see it if he says it's worth considering.

I wish you luck. Finding a piano you love is hard enough with a store full of pianos, having to filter through Craigslist (you do know about http://cityname.craigslist.org right?) and go driving a couple hours to go see pianos one at a time is maddening.

I seriously doubt that the piano sold for anywhere near 10k. Today, a new equivalent would sell for under $5000 and is much improved from those made 6 years ago.