Hi all,

Im about to buy a 1990 YOUNG CHANG baby grand, for a reasonable price. I have not tried it yet (I will obviously play it before I buy it) but it is from a piano teacher, so Im sure it is in good hands at the moment.
I have read many different opinions about Young Chang, good and bad. I understand the sound quality may be poorer than a Yamaha or Kawai's but the price is reasonable and looks like it is in excellent condition.
Does any of you have a Young Chang? If so, what is your experience?
What do you think about these pianos?
Many thanks all!

Regards,
Luis

Hmm. I think you should get a piano tech to check it out before you buy to make sure there are no problems. In that environment, it could have had some substantial use.

How big is the piano? How much will you be likely paying?

Good luck, and keep us updated!

Thanks Rotom!

I will definitely get a piano tech before I buy it. It is the smallest size, baby grand 5"4 (1,50metres) I think. It is for sale for sale for 4200 euros but I have negocitated the price and cant get it for 3500 euros. What do you think?

Luis

Btw, It is a Young Chang G-157

I've encountered a couple of Wurlitzer 4'11"s that I think were made by Young Chang. They had very thin sound and a distracting tenor break. I would prefer to put that money on an upright instead.

This one you found might be better, though. Young Chang's baby grands today are much better from the new design work.

I think it's worth a look. Some Young Chang models have very nice scaling.

Hi guys,

Thanks for your help. I have decided not to buy the baby Young Chang. I going for a brand new upright instead, I think it may be worth it -> new against used. I have checked and the Young Chang is 21 years old and belongs to a piano teacher so, as some of you have suggested, it must be quite worn from the teacher’s work and use.

Considering an upright… Im not sure if Yamaha or Kawai, what do you think? I am also considering the digital Clavinova CLP-280 (think this one in particular might be better than the acoustic used Young Chang… am I wrong? I know you cannot compare a real piano to a digital, but considering the tech specs of the Clavinova CLP-280 I think it is very interesting.
In the other hand, Im open to a new acoustic upright too, depending on prices.

In general, what do you think about digitals? I owned a CLP240 and I absolutely loved it. The CLP280 is a different world, so Im sure I would fall in love with it too!
What about Kawai digitals vs. Yamaha Clavinova’s.

Thanks!

Luis

I think the experience of playing a digital piano is not remotely comparable to the experience of playing an acoustic piano. Not to say playing a digital isn't fun, I enjoy them. But I don't view either as a substitute for the other, it's like the difference between listening to a recording vs. attending a concert. Playing the acoustic piano is a much more complete and immediate experience, albeit also more trouble and highly variable from occasion to occasion.

When I decided a couple months ago begin again with playing piano after a 30+ year absence I assumed I would be doing so with a decent digital piano. Two things I found out quickly while shopping. The digital pianos I felt were worth owning cost in the neighborhood of $2,000-$2,500 and even then as I say the experience was not particularly satisfying in comparison to even a modest acoustic upright piano. So I rented an upright until I could shop for an purchase what turned out to be a grand piano.

FWIW, I totally agree with passing over the 20+ year old teaching tool. The piano I'm renting is roughly the same vintage and while it is in very good condition overall, the hammers are grooved and compacted in the middle octaves to the extent that the most-used notes have an unnaturally bright and chiming tonal quality. There are also a few minor bits of imperfect pedal action that probably comes from decades of hard usage. For $40/month it's a bargain and I enjoy playing it but I would not spend thousands to purchase an instrument with that degree of wear on the important parts.

Cheers guys! Thank you all for your help!