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I am looking for the best value grand piano I can get for $10,000. Any reccommendations?

I currently have a 1969 cherry Knabe vertical (40" or so) and it sounds great/ plays great. I just want to step up to something better that will last me the rest of my life. Also my wife prefers that it fit in better with our decor -- she prefers the polished ebony finish.

Any suggestions?

I'd first read The Piano Book, by Larry Fine.
It is a great introduction to pianos.

Personally, with a budget of 10k I'd be shopping for used grands.
Be sure to find a tech to evaluate the piano for you.

I went through this just recently. We started with a target of $7500 to replace our old grand piano. It soon became apparent that with that budget we would shop a long time for a used grand that was in satisfactory condition, right finish for the house, etc. or buy a good quality upright. If you can push your budget up to the mid to upper teens you really have some choices in 6' and under grands. New grands under $10K were not as playable nor did they sound as nice as our old piano and the old one needed new strings and pin block.

I agree with Bronicadave. Think used. What area of the country are you in?

Jim

You might do a search on this forum under Chinese pianos. There are some who think they offer a good value for a new piano in this price range .... esp. with some good negotiating on the price and some excellent dealer prep. ..... It all depends on what sounds good to you. Find a good dealer and play enough different ones ... you can do research on them here. and you may run across some good used pianos ..... just take your time.

Touch, tone and looks!!

I know I am taking a risk by saying this, but here I go. Beacuase I know them better than any other piano out there, I would like to say this. . .simply try the new Yamaha GB1. I just had ours tuned and prepped and it IS much improved over the GA1. Granted, this is a small piano at only 4'11". There certainly is a world of other pianos out there, so look around and take your time. Used is also always a good option. . .from a reputable dealer. Cheers!

When we considered pianos in the 5 foot class we realized we were paying a lot just to have a grand. In terms of sound and action there were better uprights to be had than anything I saw in the short lengths. There is no question that there are good used pianos avaialble from dealers. However, there was nothing I saw at the time that would have met our criteria. Now that doesn't mean that one wouldn't have come in the next day.

hgiles;
Agree with FranklySpeaking.

As to recommendations I could give you my biased opinion as a consumer, but it depends where you live.
IMHO Definitely do not consider anything under 5'2" or 5'5" (my dealer was absolutely right) - you want that length in the strings and more sound board, otherwise stick to the vertical - unless it is for furniture. And with the Chinese grands it really depends on the prep and if it is "beefed" up (ie. better components etc). (Now of course I am speaking in terms of Canadian dollars) Played some Chinese grands and was not impressed - others can be shockingly good.

disclaimer - I own a Chinese grand that has been substantially upgraded.

CPS ,
Good post! (IMHO) -- you identified your bias (we all have them) and gave a good option for hgiles to consider while also telling him to "look around and take your time"... hopefully no one will think that is a problem, cause I sure can't see it.

Went by Virgina House of Music here in Charlottesville Virginia and see he has a used Yamaha C1 5'3" for about $11k. Is this too good a deal to pass up. He remarks that it is a C series and not a G, of course I don't know what that means.

$11k is the price on the tag and I also have a good trade in. I figure I can be out the door for less than $10k on this piano if it's what I want. I really want a 5'8" or so , since this seems to be the 'breaking new ground' size.

I trust the reccomendations for the Yamaha, but feel I might always wish I held out for a 5'8".

BTW, the local piano rebuilder her (Cville Piano) is a really passionate guy whom I tend to like a lot has really high prices on his pianos in comparison to House of Music.

Just thinking out loud.

Maestoso from Piano Craft in Gaithersburg, Maryland (301) 840-5460 might start from $11k for 5'5" and $12k for 6' if my memory serves me right. This is a Chinese DongBei piano customized, thus made it a much nicer piano, by Piano Craft, who is a reputable rebuilder for many prestigious brands such as Steinway. Search for Maestoso in this forum and you will find more information about it. Good luck!

Haywood:

You have a lot of ways you can go with this, but one option to consider is a used Yamaha or Kawai. While there are better pianos out there, these are both well respected brands. They have different feels and sounds, so you’ll have to try a few and decide what you like. If you have the room for a 6’ 1”, I would definitely consider a Yamaha C3 or Kawai RX3. You get a big jump in quality and sound when you cross the 6 foot threshold. Yamaha has been using the C3 model for many years. The older models of Kawai will be called GS-30, KG-3, or CA-40.

You should read Larry Fine’s “The Piano Book” and search this forum for information on “gray market” pianos (i.e., used pianos from Japan). Some people will tell you to avoid them at all costs, but many others will tell you that they’re fine. To be in your price range, you will be looking at a 10 – 20 year old piano. This is still a young piano, which should last you a lifetime. Many of the ones that I looked at had beautiful finishes and looked almost new.

Don’t limit yourself to your local dealer. There are a lot of used Yamahas and Kawais on the Internet. I can point you to some sights, if you’d like. I’d even check out eBay. However, don’t consider buying a piano without first having it checked out by a registered piano technician! You can find them at www.ptg.org.

Good luck on your piano quest. Take your time deciding what make and model you want and then wait for the right deal to come along. My story is very much like yours. I had an old upright and a $10K budget. I started my piano search thinking that I was going to buy a 5’5” new Chinese piano and ended up with a 25 year-old 7’4” Yamaha.

Barry

10K?

Do a search on that, and you should generate a lot of stuff, some new, some old.

As for the Yamaha...that would have to be a mighty cherry C1 to command 11K...say less than 10 years old, and in immaculate condition.

Tell you what I'd do...1)Piano Book, as always recommended 2)shop used, which is what you've been doing, 3)shop Korean. Young Chang is having a few problems right now, and some dealers are moving them out. Since pianos tend to have few warranty issues (and I think Samick would honor all issues, anyway), I'd sure be tempted at your budget to see wha I could get a JP series for...and 4)shop big Chinese, well prepped.

hgiles,
I second Christopher Smith. The new Yamaha GB1 is nothing to sneeze at. Check it out...
Ghost-

I ordered the FINE book with supplement, so I will soon be able to stop bugging you guys!

It seems like I've targeted the right brands (Yamaha, Kawai, Baldwin, Knabe, Estonia) or rather they've targeted me due to my price limitations ($10k) and size requirements (5'8").

If anyone hears of any killer deals, keep me informed.

Hgiles. . .

Are you limited to a certain size?

I know of a used Yamaha C5 just above your price range, its about 17 years old.

I agree that 11K sounds steep for a used C1. With just a little luck you should be able to find a used C2 or similar piano for that price.

I suspect that PERHAPS the price reflects the common practice of "trade-in mark-up." In other words, someone without a trade-in might be quoted $9800 right off the bat, but since he knows you expect something for your trade-in, he starts at 11K and ends up with the same profit. Of course this only applies in cases where the trade-in piano is really of no value to the dealer. Does he have 35-year-old uprights on the floor? If not, he might have a warehouse full of them, many of which are ultimately scrapped. (Of course I know nothing about your piano other than your brief desciption).

Hello, first post. (Although I'm an avid MINI2.com poster.)

We are in the market for a grand, and we were impressed with a Yamaha C3 at our local dealer -- and even though he came way down off of list, ouch on the price. We'd like to keep this under $20K.

I've seen a couple of postings on eBay, such as from Piano Outlet of Florida, at what seem to be very good prices for slightly used "new" condition C3s.

Advice on how to approach such a sale? Also, we live in Texas, and are a little worried about shipping.

They claim to offer a 5-year warranty, but I know that will likely do me no good in Texas.

Thanks in advance.

SIZE LIMITATIONS?

Not really, but under 6'1" seems about right for the size of the room/house. The physical dimension between a 5'1" and a 6'1" seems small and easily accommodated yet the price difference between them and the sound is huge.

Seems worthwhile to go up to 6'1" if the budget allows. Acoustics of the room (wood floors, wood furnishings) is such that even my vertical piano is quite loud in there.

BEST BANG FOR THE 10K BUCK?

The room is about 13x13 with 10 foot ceilings. I guess what I really want to know is which Pianos (new or used) offer the best Value in the 10k range? I am still thinking used Kawai/Yamaha, but can be persuaded into at least trying a new Nordiska or something. A C5 seems like it might be out of my price range. That's a large piano at 6'5" isn't it?

Still waiting on my book to arrive. I am sure the book will answer most of my questions... Thanks though!