About to compare / look at buying either the Kawai CA-63 or brand new CA-65. I can't find much about pricing, even what MSRP is on the new CA-65. Before I head into the local Kawai dealer I wanted to hear any thoughts on how this will be priced vs. the CA-63. Is this eventually replacing the CA-63 and we can expect similar price points when the CA-63 was their mid-level digital piano or is the CA-65 something different, a new mid-high range digital piano that warrants a higher price? Thanks...

The CA65 is the successor to the CA63, and should therefore be priced similarly.

James
x

I posted the details in the specific pricing thread but I couldn't resist and bought a CA-65 today for delivery in 2 1/2 weeks to Illinois. They have arrived in California from Kawai and are shipping immediately and in stock for dealers.

I paid $2995 out the door with tax and delivery included. I'm not too sure if this was a "good" price as the piano is so new. It was showing an MSRP of $3895. They were wanting to sell us a "3 month old" showroom model CA-63 for $2400 out the door vs. $3000 + TAX + Delivery for the brand new CA-65 yet to be delivered (arrived in California last Friday, available for immediate 2 week shipping to other states). I talked them into a brand new Rosewood CA-65 for $2995 including tax and delivery (about $2750 for the piano before tax etc.) I am sure this piano will fall into that $2600-2800 common price range, but being literally brand new I think I might have paid a bit more for it, but the new feel system and new voices etc. are worth it to me.

Congratulations!

Please do return to post your thoughts about the CA65 once you receive the piano.

Kind regards,
James
x

I certainly will, we are quite excited. I do not play the piano (would like to) but my wife had 18 years of playing (high level, playing for small orchestras etc. and a starting a music piano minor in college) but then stopped for the last 15 years when life intervened and she didn't have ready access to the upright her family owned or the grands she was used to playing elsewhere. Her dream has always been to have her own Grand Piano and we are truly (not just saying it) about 3-4 years away from making that happen but we can't wait another day for a piano after I saw how my 7 year old daughter reacted to the chance to play a cheap keyboard. She needs to start right now, not a day more, and then I saw my wife sit at a piano, perhaps playing for the 3 or 4th time in a decade and a half, playing just incredibly from memory and I almost wanted to crawl in a hole that I didn't get us the piano she has been waiting for so much sooner. Its a crime to deny someone who can play so beautifully the opportunity to do so. Since the Grand is still a couple of years off our choices were the repair and tuning of a poorly maintained low end upright from a family member, a rental, or a digital piano. I didn't want to purchase a decent upright only to sell it a couple of years later. The digital piano was my idea, my wife frankly played when the technology didn't really exist and digital pianos were nothing but no action keyboards but I researched it and she has played them now and likes them a lot. Her comfort with the action makes us comfortable our children can learn on these and still find the transition to acoustic pianos reasonable. My favorite part is that when we get the Grand we will keep the DP for silent play and computer composing and recording in our finished basement, something none of our other options offered. Very excited.

Sounds like a great plan!

James
x

If you're still checking the forum, what store did you buy from?

The prices-paid thread has these listings:
CA65
Aug-2012 . . Illinois . . . . $2995 inc tax
Sep-2012 . . England . . . £1850 ($2994 US)
Aug-2012 . . England . . . £2000 ($3219 US)
Dec-2012 . . England . . . £1890 ($3029 US)

CA95
Sep-2012 . . Minnesota . . $3200
Sep-2012 . . Indiana . . . . $4082 inc tax
Sep-2012 . . England . . . . £2610 ($4226 US)

Yes, I saw those in the prices paid forum (though not sure how you were able to compile the data like that).
I was wondering what store he got the piano from.

MacMacMac

Correction -

Sep 2012 - Minnesota $5400 + 7.125% Tax plus $180 Delivery

So, you didn't get the CA95 for $3,200* as posted above?

As I wonder who could have offered such a low price!

*That would be closer to CA65 pricing, not CA95...

Perhaps that's why the dealer asked him not to post the price in the thread?

James
x

If you got it for $3200, then it's a killer deal. I couldn't get the price down to even $3400, maybe $3500 is possible.

If you can negotiate a price of $3,400 - $3,500 on a CA95 then you are doing very well indeed, as I negotiated a price of $4,082 with two trade-ins, i.e., Casio AP-620 & Wurlitzer spinet acoustic (1958 - year of model).

Do negotiate with the dealer as this is the only way to get the best deal.

Never pay the MSRP as I am sure that any store would love that!

The Dealer I purchased my 95 from, uses a Marketing Model like this.

"Provide a great product at the lowest price possible. Garner a large customer base, and soon, they will come back for a more expensive one."

Here in MSP it is one of

"Charge all we can, and sell just a few pianos. After all, our company name is Xxxx.".

What I came to really dislike of the MSP Dealer? Being initially naive to how pianos selling price is determined, why haggle with a sales guy only to find out someone else, haggled more and got a far better deal?

I also found, so many sales folk are really ignorant to selling digital pianos. As, for most, they are simply a high priced product used by the sales guy to be a stepping stone to a used or low priced acoustic piano.