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My daughter has a 5'-10" kohler campbell 10 year old piano. it kept having minor issues. lately after playing couple of lower Cs, we hear a ring sound. From tonight, i started hearing buzz sound after she played one of the F sharp. I am not a musician but those sounds become really annoying. I had a technician checked it. He could not find anything wrong. He is well regard in our area. I went to a piano store consulting. after they heard who has checked, no more advise was given. I started looking for a new piano. our piano teacher recommending boston. I was given a price of 24k for 5'-4". I would really like to get some advice from all of you. First of all, I'd like to know the problem I have can be resolved or not. Secondly I want to know the price i got is reasonable. please help!

Yes, the issues you have are minor, and should be fixable. The new Bostons can be nice, but not really a good value, IMO, and I would stick to a minimum size of 5'10".

if the issues are fixable, should I try other technicians? or i should wait for a while. someone said it could be weather. It started when it gets cold. 5'10" is 277. To me it is a little bit out of range and I don't think my daughter can be a professional. the reason i go for Boston is that I got my current piano from there and it can be traded in at full price. would you mind guess what might cause the issues i am having now?

Could the buzz come from another object in the room? That happens more frequently than not. But then again, you already had a tech come check out the issue...

I agree with the posts above. A 10 year old K&C likely needs a decent regulation, and a good technician should be able to determine the cause of any buzz and correct it.

The fact that it started when the heat came on is a strong indicator of parts that need tightening.

we have decide to go for 5'10" boston as the store is running a special. i have friend recommending kawai. what will be your opinion?

They're both well made. Have your daughter pick the one she likes better.

You mentioned that the 5' 10" Boston was too expensive before -- and couldn't afford it. But anyway, there's no need to stick with any one brand. Yes Bostons are good, but other newer brands may be less expensive and yet sound just as nice. I agree with gnuboi as well, Kawais and Bostons are both nice pianos. If the price is right for both pick the one your daughter likes better.

In the interest of disclosure, I happen to like Kawais a lot as I have a 2001 RX-2, and frankly, it's my most treasured possession, even more so than any car I've owned. Luckily, its also the most difficult item for someone to steal

edit: sorry just noticed you want to use that store because they will give you a great trade in. In that case I guess you'll just have to pick from what that store has.

yes, i think the price of 5'10" is above my range.but my husband wants to be done with the piano buying.. trade-in process... our teacher said if you buy a 5'4", you might consider further upgrade. but 5'10" is sufficient. The money might come from vacation, or whatever who knows...the store is out of stock and they will order two more in. so we will be able to pick one. Under this type of situation, should I invite my teacher or the technician to help select one of the two? The piano world is so complicated. It is way beyond my understanding. i have been reading on internet for the last week feverely. But all the knowledge are nothing but on paper as I am not musically trained and lack of a pair of good ears,which i think might be the most important in the purchase process. All the inputs are greatly appreciated.

Lanli-piano ....

Seems like you are putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on yourself. First of all - there is probably nothing really wrong with your current piano that a good regulation wouldn't fix. Spending a few hundred dollars to have this done by a competent tech would make a lot more sense than buying a brand new instrument out of an already stretched family budget. Face it - $24K to $27K is a lot of money. Even though your husband wants to be done with the piano buying/trade in process, it probably doesn't make too much sense to rush out and buy a Boston primarily because a particular dealer will take your K&C in on trade. Who's to say that down the road, the Boston won't develop the same types of problems you are experiencing with your current instrument? Acoustic pianos are acoustic pianos, after all. Even the most high end instruments can develop buzzes and clicks over time. I understand how it feels to be "driven" to buy a new piano - and I also can appreciate how complicated the piano world can be. What I've done, when in similar situations in the past, is try to simply step back and and give myself a little more time. The only pressure here is the pressure you are creating for yourself. Your child's teacher has recommended Boston. Did he/she say why? There are many other good - and often more affordable - brands available. If you really must move forward at this point, by all means involve the teacher in selecting the instrument from the dealer. I'm not sure how much a tech can help you with selecting a "new" piano - but it might not be a bad idea to get the tech's perspective on a particular instrument as well - or at least talk to a tech about the pros and cons of a particular brand you are considering.

I see a red flag when the teacher is recommending a product - they may be getting a commission?

Boston is one of a number of similar quality/price pianos, and probably not the best of them.

I think you need to slow down. If the shop has a good price and trade-in, chances are that if they discover that in a month or 2 you've checked out all the other options, they'll be ready to improve the deal. You can't really tell if they are giving you a good price unless you look at the other options.

Yamaha and Kawai are 2 that come to mind, but not knowing your market (you haven't indicated in your profile what country you're in), I'm not sure what others to consider too.

But getting back to your existing piano, there should be nothing unable to be adjusted in it. What service life has your piano had - regular tunings, has it had a full regulation done. I'd be checking with another technician if yours can't fix it.

As was mentioned, check that something else isn't rattling. Crockery in cupboards is one I've had - it sounded like in the piano, but it was across the room. My organ was rattling one of the kitchen cupboard doors. If you don't investigate these issues, they'll be the same with a new piano.

Carey, you are so right. If my friends saw the long-gone acnes back on my face, sores in my mouth.. they might think I am suddenly a teenager again..I really appreciate your input and will check more.

backto_study_piano, I appreciate your input also. I have been trying to tighten up all the screws in my rooms and move things around. so far, i haven't be able to solve it yet. I do have the same concern that the new piano might have the same issue. I will keep trying. For people like me, blame the piano just seems to be easier..

About six months ago I was looking at pianos and played three Bostons, the 5'4", a 5'10", and the smallest, I think about 5'1". I noticed that the location in the room had a lot to do with how they sounded. The biggest one was near large plate glass windows and didn't sound as nice as the smaller, 5'4", but if they switched the locations, I think that would also be reversed. They were pretty nice pianos. Later I tried the Kawai RX-2 BLAK. Bostons and Kawai RX's are each built in Japan by Kawai, but they are different. I actually liked the sound of the Boston a little better, but really preferred the action in the RXs. (Millenium action.) The Kawais were a lot less expensive. I think there are many pianos worth checking in this size and price range. I think $24,000 was about the price they were asking for the 5'10" model, not the 5'4". Of course, prices may have gone up since I looked. There are many good options for you, including getting your current piano worked on, as has been posted, but if you replace it with a new 5'10" grand, you will enjoy it I am sure. If they are offering a full-price trade-in for your existing piano, they are probably asking more for the new piano than you could pay if you had no trade-in. Just a thought. If you could sell your other piano yourself, and made a cash deal, they might lower the price.

I would like to make two suggestions.

First, get a really good tech to look at your existing piano, as others have suggested. It may not be a terminal case.

Second, if the current piano must be replaced, look at some of the better chinese pianos. Let your daughter play them, and make a decision based on what her ears and fingers tell her. The Hailuns, Ritmullers, Brodmans (and possibly others) are way cheaper than what you are looking at for a Boston, and they are very fine pianos in their own right. The price difference is so substantial that the trade-in value will not make a difference. And if she still prefers the Boston -- you are no worse off.

To all of you, I have fixed the piano myself!!!Yea!!!!

I asked my daughter kept playing the trouble keys with my crawling around to listen as I thought the sound was low and someone said his trouble from air vent. It was so surprising that the problem is the piano itself. Our center pedal( can't remember the tech. term) doesn't work to begin with and somehow the rod got out of the hole. that is how the sound comes from.

thanks so much!

Cool!

So much for "well regarded" technicians and I suppose it's the Steinway/Boston store that put so much stock in his reputation?

Ironically, I'm just out the door to get a tuner/tech recommendation from a piano shop.

KZ

Yay!

I always think it's great when someone puts forth the effort and attempts to tackle the issue themselves.
You've got nothing to lose and after all, you're much more motivated to get the problem fixed than any tech.
And if you happen to actually fix the problem it's a great feeling.

Good job!