Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Brand new Kawai K-3 and a b-stock Kawai K-3

The dealer offered us a brand new Kawai K-3 for $5,495 OTD. Is this a good price? Since our budget is $5,000, she also offered us a b-stock K-3 for $5,195. What is b stock? Is this a good price? Thank you in advance for your valuable input.

Fine prices. Ask the dealer what b-stock is, specifically. Usually there could be some cosmetic issues.

Welcome to the forum, Tom2000. "B stock" can mean several different things, including pianos returned due to damage on delivery or warranty issues. Sometimes a piano is considered B stock for what I would view as very minor and unimportant reasons, e.g., a blemish on the finish, and I wouldn't hesitate to buy in that case. But sometimes it involves a situation where the piano was damaged in a more serious way, and the dealer made repairs, but you're left with nagging concerns about the longevity of the piano or the adequacy of the repairs.

If you have played the B-stock K3 and liked it, I would ask the owner for a detailed history of the piano and why it was considered B-stock, and find out the details of the warranty. If there had been water damage, I'd steer clear of the piano.

+1 on what Monica said.

Thanks all for the great information! We talked with the owner about our concerns with the b-stock. So she suggested us to go with the brand new one and lowered the price from $5,495 to $5,100 OTD. But she said she can only tune the piano once at the store and cannot come to our house for tune-ups. Is this a big deal? Thanks again for your precious time.

Does OTD mean delivery is extra? If delivery is then extra it's not a savings because delivery is often a few hundred dollars. If the only difference is that tunings are on you once it's in your home I would take the deal. The price here for a tuning varies from a low of $55 (surprisingly good job) to over $100. You're going to need to get used to hiring a tuner to maintain your piano so you might as well get started now. By the time your new piano has been in your house for a month it will need a tuning. The better tuners have busy schedules, especially during the holidays so you may want to get something scheduled for a month from when your piano is delivered. I'm sure your dealer can recommend a tuner, but as you get used to the process you may want to try someone else. Good luck.

$5,100 includes delivery, tax, and a tune-up at the store. They usually provide another tune up in 90 days. But in this case, she said only once was included. We just don't want the bargain price to discount the quality of the piano. Thanks again for your valuable input.

I think OTD means Out The Door...

"...$5,100 includes delivery, tax, and a tune-up at the store. They usually provide another tune up in 90 days. But in this case, she said only once was included...."

...and that clarifies it. The price strikes me as fair. Your new piano will fare best with four tunings the first year (and two or three the second year, and at least one or two thereafter), so find a piano tech you like.

It strikes me as significant that the seller did not urge the B-stock unit on you after you inquired, and after all, the difference in price is quite modest. However, I don't think they would be offering it at all if there was some really significant problem. Maybe I'm naive. Anyway, for you, I like the new one better.

Best wishes; hope you enjoy it.

Hi Tom2000,

You have gotten some sound advice so far. By not paying for an in-home tuning, it simply moves the burden of doing that onto you to pay for at a later date. Tunings around here run $90 a pop, but urban areas can be twice that amount for somebody with a top reputation. You'd want to budget for about 3 the first year (new pianos go out of tune quickly in their first year and often require minor adjustments) at least, then a couple for the next year, then as needed thereafter. You are buying a floor model that you've tried and verified is in tune (at least for now), right? Also, you may not want to wait 90 days after delivery for the first tuning (the last two new instruments I've played needed servicing only 2 weeks after delivery... but these pianos are played 3-5 hours a day).

Best wishes with your new instrument.

+1 to Steve's +1 on what Monica said

Sounds like a good price to ME, wish I had gotten that price

If you buy the B stock, double check the warranty term and I mean check with Kawai. With electronic keyboards the B stock doesn't always carry the same length of warranty.

Kurt