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Yesterday, we went to a place nearby that sells new and refurbished pianos. I told them I was just "looking into" an upgrade...I was disappointed that they totally bashed my Chinese-made (Cristofori/Senju) piano when i told them what I currently have.

Anyway, they really tried to push me to buy this German-made "Perzina" upright. It had high-quality wood, and a very deep, rich, sonorous sound, and the price wasn't bad at all! With trade-in, about $3k....

* Sigh * ...We'll see...don't be surprised if I go for an "early upgrade".

The highlight was when I played on an old Steinway Grand....it sounded awesome! I played, of course, "The Entertainer" (just the first 2 sections) and got a little applause afterward.

PS-I guess I'm looking for a little nudge from you guys to upgrade early....

You have room for a grand in your place? if you want to upgrade, upgrade to a grand.

Very cool.

What are you waiting for?

Don't worry too much, sales people almost always bash what they currently don't sell. They bash your upright, then in an almost sociopathic sort of way, want it in a trade-in. :P

I'm sorry, I may be totally wrong, but I cannot help raising an eyebrow here.

When was it built? Haven't Perzina pianos been assembled in China for quite a while now, and before 1990 in the socialist German state (not that either of those means that it is a bad product)? For what it's worth, there is no entry for Perzina in the German Wikipedia.

Totally agree! It's a little mind game sales people play. And not just piano sales people either. I have a very old violin, probably worth 2-3K. I took it into the violin shop where I bought it years earlier for a repair. They were completely trashing it until I reminded them I bought it from them. They then completely changed their tune! Nice - very professional. I've had another violin shop offer to buy it for big money since, so I'm quite sure it's a decent violin.

Nudge, nudge.

I don't know of anybody who has regretted upgrading (keeping in mind that we are a self-selected and biased sample here in PW).

I guess the question I have is how much $$ you have available for upgrading at the present time. The Cristofori (no offense) really is a bare-bones entry level piano. You can probably get considerable improvement even with a modest investment. But it might still be worth your while in the long run to save up and buy a truly nice upright or grand rather than do multiple upgrades.

@Monica, no offense taken. At the time I bought my piano, that's exactly what I wanted - a nice entry-level upright that myself and my daughter could grow up on. A year and a half later, we've both advanced enough to justify an upgrade. I hope to get at least $2-3k for a trade-in, and my budget is around the $10k range. I'd like to upgrade to a nice rich-sounding upright. (I have my eye on the Yamahas right now)...

@Rui, no there is no room for a grand here, nor can I afford one, unless I tap into my kids' college fund and retirement savings..lol

I will definitely take my time on this decision. Thanks for the feedback, everyone!

Again, Perzina is nice but it is Chinese and not German. It has some German parts but it comes down to how you like the overall tone and touch.

Is there a less "salesy" dealer you can go to?

Ceb, the Yamaha U3 is a stellar upright.

I live in Chicagoland, so I've got LOTS of piano stores to choose from. I plan to visit a store called Chicago Pianos next. They specialize in Yamaha's.



Rui, thanks for the tip. The U3 also has a very hefty price tag as well. I will definitely go used/2nd hand if and when I upgrade. BTW, I lose track of where you live now, but I know you play on a Yamaha yourself when you live in __________. You're right. It's an awesome piano. One of my YouTube friends plays on one. Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cFkae0j_Ns

Throwing out what the dealer said about "german made" and the manner and tone in which he said it, did you play the Perzina piano? They are wonderful instruments with a beautiful rich tone and touch. I like them very much and have been quite impressed with them. I don't think you would be unhappy with playing one to compare whether they might be a choice with the other pianos you may play. If you have room a grand would be wonderful.