Someone in my area is selling a polished ebony Samick SIG 54 which was purchased brand new in 2005 for $17,000 (CAD). The piano hasn't been touched in the last 3 years. I played the piano today, really enjoyed it, and am having a technician I know and trust coming to look at it in 2 days from now. The seller is asking $5000 for the piano. Assuming everything is in good order, this seems like a pretty great deal to me, but I know nothing about Samick, it's current level on the quality scale, or whether this piano will have any sort of value in the future. I do really like the piano, but am simply wondering if I should go ahead and "steal the deal" or wait for something better (within the same price range) since I'm not in a terrible rush, but would like a grand piano in my home soon :P Advice anyone?

I know pianos in Canada cost more, but seriously, $17k for it was too much. $5k now isn't totally unreasonable but it still feels high. Have you comparison-shopped in your area?

It's really hard for me to tell, since piano prices are all over the map, and the pianos are extremely varied in terms of make, year, size, etc. I'm having my technician look at it tomorrow, so hopefully he will have lots of information for me. I've done some research on Samick and the quality of their grand pianos doesn't strike me as superior or budget, but somewhere on the high end of low. For me, the appeal of this piano is its age...only 7 years old (still under warranty)! I'm only in my 20's and want a piano to last me for some time :P

First you have to verify that the piano was worth 17K in 2005 or equivalently what it sells for today if new. Unless this is a personal friend you cannot trust the seller about what they paid.

Buy the piano and not the deal. If you don't like the piano at all, then almost any price would be too high IMO. If you love the piano and if the original price and present condition check out, then it seems like an incredible deal. If you are somewhere in between those extremes, then only you can decide.

Canadian and US dollars are almost even now, don't know about back then, but 17K is way too much for that piano. $3500-4500 is more common here for that, with some people scoring below 3K.

Also, the vast majority of piano warranties are to the original purchaser only; I don't know if that is the case with a Samick from this time period-- perhaps a knowledgeable dealer will answer on the forum.

If the piano is only worth that much after 7 years, then either the seller is lying about the price he paid or overpaid by more than a factor of two.

Exactly.

I live in Toronto and can safely say that the seller is either lying about what he paid for the piano or got taken to the cleaners.
I know the used market in this city is ridiculously over priced, which is why I eventually decided to buy new.
I would definitely take your time shopping and read this article...
http://www.pianobuyer.com/fall10/92.html

Well today is the day! I'll ask to see a purchase receipt when I go, among many other things :P

Is the sellers name "Robert"?

No, his name is not Robert. I live in Ottawa, and this piano apparently was purchased in Winnipeg (again, this is simply what they are telling me).

OK so I went today to see the piano! My technician (who is very experienced in working with Yamaha, Baldwin and Samick pianos) praised the condition of the instrument, and pointed out many things that showed me this piano was of good quality. He removed the action so I got to have a good look at all the lovely insides. The hammer felts barely had any groves at all in them, and the need for regulation is minimal according to him. The sustenuto pedal was catching on one note in the middle of the piano, but he tells me it's a simple adjustment. All the dampers rest, raise up, and fall perfectly even, and the soundboard, ribs, bridge and frame all are securely attached and in immaculate condition. The piano has a duplex scale, and the lid has 2 height adjustments. The finish is perfect all around the piano except for one small little scratch on the left side. All but 1 or 2 strings are completely rust free.

The slightly bad news:

- The lowest B and Bb string make a buzzing noise when struck, so they will need to be replaced or can possibly be fixed by doing something to the strings (I forget what my tech said exactly).

- One string in the bass section has a small bit of discoloration (Looks almost like rust, but not quite), but this doesn't seems to affect anything.

- B above middle C sticks when the pedal is down; tech says it will require a small adjustment / lubrication. Some other notes in the middle section are slow to return when pedaling as well, probably just some swelling the the action from humidity. All other keys return quickly and smoothly.

- The small scratch on the side (not a huge deal).

So on the whole it looks like a beautiful instrument, has a great sound in the bass (nice and clear fundamental tone), and is a real joy to play (I'm very accustomed to playing on pianos 20 - 80 years old, don't play new ones very often!). My tech say's try for $4000 since I will need to tune it twice to get it stable since it's been out for over 2 years (Plus I have a picky ear :P), and have him spend some time with the action to get it playing perfect again. I'm going to think this over tonight...

Also, the guy says he has the receipt but has to find it, so I'll be making sure to take a look at that when he does.

[EDIT] My tech checked the serial number and the piano was made in Indonesia in 2004.

Keegan,

Until recently I had a Samick that was made in Indonesia. (Sig 50.). I was happy with it. If you liked how it played and can get it for a price you are comfortable with - go for it.

Good luck,

Jonathan

In 2005 that piano would have sold in the U. S. for around $7K max. Even today after several price increases, a new one can be had for around $8K. I doubt it would have cost more than double that in Canada. I think your tech is right about current value. I kind of liked the small Samicks I have played. They have a nicely musical and fairly quiet sound that is well suited for home use.

What ended up happening, did you trade for a different piano?

Thank you all for your input so far

My Samick was damaged and I ended up purchasing a new Ritmuller. When the opportunity arose, I decided to get a larger piano that in my opinion was a better quality than my approx 1997 Samick. Without the damage occuring I would still have my Samick.

Jonathan

Well the piano was sold to someone else (I'm assuming for $5000). Boo hoo oh well, I hope my hesitation was for good reason and I find "the perfect piano" soon enough. It's amazing how much can be learned from shopping around, hiring technicians, visiting stores, and last but not least, posting on Piano World Forums :P My technician said that this Samick piano actually has white keys a few millimeters longer than most other pianos, and showed me by placing a key top (which he said was a "standard size"), which he had in his bag, on the Sig 54's key top.

Is there actually a key top size standard for grand pianos? I feel like some uprights have smaller keys, but I can't ever be certain if they are, or I'm simply distracted by all of the differences in upright vs grand.

Console uprights have shorter keys. Not great but they work.

Have you gone into a piano store and looked at new grands in your price range? At least do that so when you go shopping for used you have a standard/reference.