Hi !

I received an offer for K.Kawai(this is how the name is written on the piano) baby grand piano for very small price.

1. I did a little search through the forum, and found out that K.Kawai are real Kawai.

2. Is there any information about time period for K.Kawai production run ? Owners told me that instrument is about 20 years. Still waiting for a serial number.

3. Owners told me that during transpiration, pedals somehow got damaged. Is it a big deal, and can this be fixed ?

Thanks !

K.Kawai is the designation for grands.

Kawai is the designation for the uprights.

Do you know the model? It may have the ABS action, but someone more experienced in this field can give more info here.

When you get the serial number you can check here for the age of the piano:

http://www.kawaius-tsd.com/pages/serial_manudate.html

If you want to buy the piano, do have a technician check it for you before you buy. The technician can tell you how difficult it will be to repair the pedal, and will also be able to check the rest of the piano for problems.

Alright, seller responded back to me
Model Kg-2e
Serial 36Z2419

Thanks! Seller is asking for $500

The KG2E is not a baby grand but is refered to as a parlor grand. It is 5'10" long. That would not be the serial # of a KG2E. The KG2E was of the late 80s to the early 90s therefore a 7 digit # beginning with 18..... to maybe 2..... Umm...$500 for a KG2E is an incredible deal or steal. If you do decide to pass on it for some reason....pass along my # if you will.

P.S. Buyer beware; If a deal is too good to be true theres usually a catch. Buyer beware!

There are no Zs in Kawai serial numbers...

More info
I just came back.
Here is the full album with the pictures
https://picasaweb.google.com/110146515501872187967/KawaiGrand

1. Serial number turned out to be non-existent. By that, I mean that I could not find it ! I have looked everywhere. I don't know where they got the number 36Z2419.

2. There are some issues:
a. Pedals are damaged (I don't think this is major, see the pictures)
b. There is a damage on the piano itself. I don't mind, and they are not structural (see the album)
c. Broken string (album)
d. Several Missing dampers (album), though they were in the plastic bag inside of piano.
e. Hammers have good grooving. Hammer in the upper register(86-87) was touching the wood peace.(I can't really describe it in words)

3. I have inspected Frame, no cracks. No cracks on the soundboard. No buzzing when played, though it is out of tune.
4. It is in very nice church.

What do you think ?

That's awesome damage to the pedals. Someone must have been trying to play very very quietly.

The pedal board thing at the bottom of the pedal box can probably be glued back on. And the hammers look quite good for a church piano. I still think its a good deal, just needs some fixing up.

Looks promising to me!

Thanks for reply guys.



Last line - rule works 100% of the time.
So KG-2E was in the production run from 80s - 90's. WoW !
When I was looking at the instrument, I have totally missed the fact that it was not baby grand, but actual parlor grand. Double Wow!


I think the idea was - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62_0ZHhOo58



Tried my best to somehow zoom on the hammers,but all of them came out blurry. There is a grooving on the hammers, but they looked very good.
==================================
I can't believe I might end up buying modern grand for $500.

You really should get a tech to look at it and give an assessment and estimate for repairs. This piano has serious damage, and could possibly be a money pit.

But still, it's decently playable, if you put a book in between the pedal lyre and the ground to keep the broken piece of wood from moving too much. The dampers are marginally more concerning, but at least they are near the top treble, and not in the bass, where it is more of a problem. I'd think that if it still works, it's not complete junk, even with the obvious problems. And if you needed to refurbish it, 500 is good to start with, and it's playable for the mean time.

Good luck with it!

In my neck of the woods, that kind of price for a piano like that is unheard of. I'm with pianobroker, if you don't want it, I'll send you my cell phone number!

Of course, it makes me think of the old saying... if it sounds too good to be ture.

Good luck, and keep us informed.

Rick

So are you going to offer them $350?

I made a decision. I am buying it. Tomorrow, for Lulz I will call and make an offer of $400.

Ha! I was kidding - kinda!

Years but years ago there was a house in foreclosure which the lender wanted 120K. It was a righteous deal to say the least. I thought I would be slick in that nobody else made an offer on the house. The lender agreed that they would accept my 110K offer IF they didn't receive a full price offer by the following day. Sure enough an investor came in at the last minute made a full price offer a half hour before the deadline. He later flipped the house for 300K a few months later. Is there a moral to this story ?.

I have a KG2D which I bought new in 1984. I don't know for sure, but I think a KG2E would be slightly newer than a KG2D.

When I remove the music rack entirely, my serial number is printed about 8" or 10" to the right of the KG2E designation, a 7-digit number starting 151xxxx. It's a little harder to see without removing the rack.

For comparison purposes, I'm selling my piano to a friend (to whom I owe many favors) for $4,500. The highest I could have possibly expected was $6,000 if I sold it myself, and it might have taken a lo-o-ong time to sell at that price. $5,000 is more reasonable.

To get a similar piano, even with the dust and scratches and pedal problems, for $500 sounds like a bargain to me. I feel certain you could get the problems fixed up and have it playable for less than $4,000!!!

Gentlemen(and Ladies if there are any), I have another question.

This thing weights a ton(I would expect close to 1000 pound, experts can correct me)
Considering the fact that I live in average US house, will the first floor support of my house even support its weight, or place it in the basement(fully furnished and dry).

Thanks !

I doubt it wieghs 1000lbs... maybe 500 to 600 or so. You can go to Kawai's website and look up the specs of a similar size paino. My Yamaha C7 (7'6") comes close to 900 lbs.

If your house is structurally sound (no termites ) it should easily support the weight of the piano.

Good luck and keep us informed!

Rick

The RX2 is 5'10" and it weighs 661 lbs, probably similar to the piano your considering. I did a bit of reading on floor strength and this topic recently, and you shouldn't have anything to worry about. My Kawai is 823 lbs and no issues (so far, haha). When they moved it in, my RX2 was in the same room at the same time, so that's about 1500 lbs of pianos, plus 2 big piano movers and myself, and nothing went through the floor

It's an interesting project. A lot depends on your expectations, patience, and having money to put into it. To get it to work well and look good, you'll have several times your initial investment at least. So long as there are no major flaws in the structure or pinblock, you should come out okay or perhaps well ahead. I'll be interested in what happens next.

Update:
Tomorrow, I will take my piano tech to have a look at the instrument.
Will let you know the results.

Update: I bought the instrument !!!!!!!
Took Tuner along with me. After inspection, I have asked Tuner if I should buy it or not. He told me, that we not buying it -"we are grabbing it and running away" He saw no problems, he told me that instrument has seen very little use, even though the interior is in rough shape.

So yes, $500 for this beauty.

Thanks to everyone who assisted me, especially pianobroker who pointed out that instrument was made 80-90's and the size of instrument.

Grats!

A piano like that weighs as only as much as three big guys. I attended a party in a small house recently, there were 25 people there, half of them crowding the small first floor kitchen the rest in the small/average living room. You do the math on the weights and tell us if the house should still be standing...

Very nice!!! Congratulations on a great piano, especially at a steal price!

when will they deliver it? We do love pictures when it arrives in your home!

All the best, and congrats once again!

It should be in my house by the end of the week.

wow, incredible! What a steal! Contratulations!

$500 Kawai Grand is Back !!!!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/110146515501872187967/Home

Gentlemen, hide your swords and pistols, I know it is by fireplace, but we rarely use it.
On my planet, new grand lyres are worth as much as grand pianos.