Hi all, I need some opinion to help me make decision pls!

I have an offer for a K & C baby grand piano, model KDG 500D, year 2005 for the price of 3600 USD (not include warranty, delivery or tunnning). The piano looks new to me, and the sound seems nice and mellow (I dont play piano. I want to buy the piano for my kid who has taken piano lesson for more than a year). Per the dealer, it is a consigned piano and the owner bought it as a decoration piece, so it is in very good condition.

Do you think 3600 USD is a fair price for this piano? I couldn't find the KDG500D model on the K&C official web site, so I wonder if that means this model is no longer manufactured and has been discontinued or what?

Any opinion/experience to share regarding this subject is very appreciated. Thanks.

It seems fair.... Have a Technician check it out. A piano that is 100%+ flat can be very mellow.

Welcome to Piano World!

I agree with Dave B... the price sounds reasonable to me. And, I second the suggestion to have it inspected by a competent piano tech.

Good luck, and happy new year!

Rick

Samick (manufacturer of K&C) changes model names frequently but the actual changes to the piano are usually minimal.

This piano is either a 4' 11" or a 5' 1" piano -- you should find out which. I wasn't all that fond of the 4' 11" piano but the 5' 1" piano (built either in Korea or Indonesia) we both good pianos for their size and price.

One of the things I (as a technician) liked about the K&C pianos was their hammers -- they used good felt were nicely pressed. They were easily voiceable. If the piano was originally purchased as a decoration piece the original purchaser may not have been too fussy about the pianos initial prep and tuning. It would be wise to have a competent technician take a look at the piano to determine the condition of the action regulation, etc.

Also, Samick uses wippen assist springs in their actions with little leading in their keys. What leading there is tends to be erratic. Our practice was to reduce the spring tension to just balance the wippen and install more conventional leading in the keys. This change gives the action a much better touch and feel.

It is doubtful that your child with just a year or two of lessons will notice the difference but it may become an issue later on. Pianos that are played regularly need periodic regulation and voicing anyway and this could be done (if desired) at that time. It would add a little bit to the cost of regulating but it shouldn't be all that much.

ddf

Thanks everyone for your advice. Just an update, I ended up not to consider the piano any longer due to the dealer putting a lot of pressure on me to close the deal within the same day and he didnt seem to be an honest person to do business with. He raised the selling price by taking out the delivery, tunning from the 3600 that he originally quoted me. He also played game with me by saying a church offered him 4500, so i need to compete with that price and move fast. He said he liked me so he wanted to give me the chance to get it if i can pay the new price 3600 w/o delivery, tunning and close the deal within the day, blah blah blah.....after all, i dont feel right abt the whole thing, so i told him to go ahead sell the piano to the other party.

Now, i will continue my journey to keep searching for a good piano within my budget :-). It is definitely not an easy process... Pls wish me luck. I am sure that i will come back here again asking for help from you all. Thanks for helping me.

Hnbui.

Sounds to me like you made the right decision... good for you.

Enjoy your quest for the right piano. You will know it when you find it.

Rick

I agree with Rickster; you made the right decision. If that dealer comes back to you with the original deal--i.e., original price and including delivery in in-home tuning by the technician of your choice--you might reconsider. But only after having the technician of your choice inspect the piano to be sure it is really as presented.

ddf