Hi everyone,

We are shopping for a piano for our 5 year old daughter who seems to show good interests to music. We were presented two different choices from two different stores.

1. A brand new Young Chang YP-52 priced at CAD 10k (including tax and everything);
2. A 25-30 year old rebuilt of Yamaha UX3 or UX1 at about half of the price.

Our budget was initially set to 5k--6k, until we were preached about the quality and value of the handmade YP-52 and the downside of having a re-built piano. (We were not that impressed by the sound quality of another Young Chang alternative T131.)

Which one would you pick if you were in my situation? Is there any other good choices? Are we better off to buy a cheaper piano for now and upgrade later?

Thanks for all your input!

Rob

Hi Rob,

The price seems high on the YP-52. How does it compare with the prices in Piano Buyer? I seem to remember seeing a beautiful YP-52 last year in NYC, brand new, US$6K or thereabouts.

The YP52 is Young Chang's top of the line vertical. I haven't played one, but let's assume it's a first-rate product. Its natural competition would include SMC's Wm. Knabe 52", Kawai K6, Yamaha U3, and Eastern European verticals from Petrof and Bohemia. Rather than be preached to in order to form a judgment on how well that Young Chang stacks up against those, it would be better to sample the competition and decide for yourself.

The UX grey market pianos have definite appeal for advanced players on a small budget. The X back has some advantages in build quality as well. The problem is that it is virtually impossible to find one of those less than 25 years old. You would need an independent inspection to verify the actual condition. In the case of a child beginner, I don't think it's worth the bother or the risk.

In your situation I would stay with a 5-6k budget, especially if the only potential use you have for the piano is your daughter's potential interest in playing. Kawai's K2 and K3 would easily fall into your budget range in the US. In Canada the K3 would probably be around 6k with negotiation. Kawai's good name and transferable warranty would be useful for resale if your daughter doesn't take to the piano. These pianos are not 52", but IMO there's absolutely no advantage to that size in your situation.

There are also many Chinese pianos at or below that price range that would be more than enough for a beginning or intermediate student. Some of those would be Hailun, Perzina, and the new Ritmuller UH series. They don't have the easy resale appeal of Kawai, but they cost less to begin with. That's just as valid a way to minimize depreciation.

If you want to go used, I'd recommend a late-model Yamaha U1.

Thanks guys!

Zenobe, I did check price on Piano Buyer, YP52 is priced at 11k USD. The salesperson said he gave me the best price only because they would like to make room for the next batch of pianos. So I think the price is probably decent.

Turandot, I appreciate your valuable input. I think you are right, a beginner probably wouldn't appreciate the superior quality of a 52" handmade piano. I would explore those 48" models. Thanks again.

I think you are mis-reading Piano Buyer's prices. You should expect 10%-30% off the SMP. (In today's economy 20%-25% isn't uncommon.)

Read the section on pricing just before the charts.

My perspective as the buyer in today's piano economy is you can expect 40% off SMP or MSRP, depending upon local conditions, piano brand, and assuming you look for the right situation. I purchased a beautiful new 2007 model beautiful YC grand in 2009 for over 45% off MSRP.

No way is 9% discount enough in the case of the YP-52. Politely offer 45% off SMP/MSRP, and wait for him to call you back.

Wow, that's amazing information! Thanks Steve and Zenobe.

Yeah, especially amazing for Steve. He normally stresses the differences in regional prices, and it is a fact that you are living in a different country from the one for which pianobuyer SMPs and suggested discounts are plotted.

$10K CAD may be too high. I don't know really. But it is wise to consider not only currency issues but different importation costs. If you determine by means of comparison with other pianos in your own market at the same or different prices that the YP-52 is the one for you, then by all means negotiate for the price that you want on that piano. Retailers are happy to negotiate with a customer who really wants to buy a specific piano.

Hi all,

Your valuable advise has led me to explore the piano dealers in New York State. The thought is that if I can get a brand new YP-52 (or something comparable in quality) within my 5--6K budget, I wouldn't mind the 3 hours drive to cross the border. By the way, I was told by the local dealer that there is no way that I can get YP-52 here for even 20% off SMP.

So far, I contacted one Young Chang dealer who is trying to sell me a Weber WSE-48 for 5K. He said this model is equivalent to the Young Chan YP-48. And the 5K price tag represents about 35% off SMP without any negotiation.

I will call Yamaha and Kawai dealers too to find out the prices for U1 and K3.

Now, the question is what do you guys think of the Weber brand Comparing to Young Chan? Specifically, the WSE vs. YP? Are they really the same? Your opinion is appreciated!

Young Chang makes three basic grades of pianos. The Young Chang and Weber pianos in each grade are basically identical. The Weber WSE series is actually the middle grade - so it is a notch lower than the YP series. That's not to say that the WSE isn't a good piano or a good deal - just that it is NOT "equivalent" to the YP. You can get this info from the Piano Book available online on this website (see link on side of screen).

Everybody's budget could use $5k free cash which is what you get buying the used Yamaha.

The question is not only how much piano can you afford, but how much piano do you need. Even at 30 years old, assuming good condition, the XU3 and XU1 is a completely acceptable instrument for the most advanced play.

For example, here is Haochin Zhang, winner of the Van Cliburn competition, play a Yamaha P22 in a class room. The P22 is a considerably lower grade instrument than the U3 or U1. It does not seem to be holding him back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mhaa_2uTBQ

Hello everyone,

Our piano hunting came to an end when we just bought a 10 year old 49" Kawai NS-20 this past weekend. And we couldn't be more happy about the newest addtion to our family.

Long story short, we visited Kawai dealership last weekend. My daughter (and myself too) prefers the rich and sweet tone of a K-3 over a used UX1. So a brand new K3 is our first choice even though it's over our budget by $1500. So we added our name to the upcoming group buy list to get a better discount.

The plan is abrupted by a phone call from my daughter's music teacher. She told us that this Kawai is available from one of her students who is moving out of town. We all fell in love with the beautiful sound on the spot. It became an easy decision after a piano technician gave his two thumbs up.

Thanks you all for your input and information. We definitely learned a lot from all of you, especially the spirit and willingness to help. We wish you all the best!

I have played them and they *are* first rate.

The only thing is that I would be somewhat cautious to go up in price to $ 10,000 for even a very good upright.

You're scratching the surface getting into quite decent grand pianos - at least in our store you would. [sorry...]

The decision is of course yours, as mentioned the piano is indeed first class!

Norbert