Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum In case my vintage shopping doesn't work out. . .

Here are a few local listings:
weber wg-50 G078937 - excellent condition but has not been tuned since 1999. $3800.00

Samick SG-172 $5000
Samick Classic Grand Piano (5'9") Polished Ebony.
Model# SG172
One owner, rarely used.
Excellent Condition.
Kept in smoke free residence.
Matching Bench included

Young Chang Grand Piano and bench PG-150 serial no. 0133601
asking $7500 (way over our budget, but wondering if it is over priced and we could make an offer)
Beautiful polished white in color
5 matching stools
Player piano capabilities
Like new
It was purchased in December of 2003 and tuned in 2003, 2004 and The disclavere was added in 2005.
Paid $13,250 (used I believe?)
Have all paperwork and documentation

I am personally more excited about the vintage options at a local RPT store where he has several vintage rebuilt/reconditioned grands available including the Baldwin R I posted about a few days ago. From what I understand, if done right these rebuilds could be a lot more exciting and musical than the ones above. I am going to look at them on Friday, and then will send an independent tech to examine, but my boy is in dire needs of something decent to practice on. Right now he is using a rented small keyboard with a non working key on it. ;( So just working on a plan B so it doesn't take too much longer to get him his much needed instrument!

Thanks, Karen

The Young Changs I have seen had such dreadful treble tone for several reasons but the killer one being the metal of the castings is too hard and the noises that engenders in the tone. Webers of recent vintage are a Young Chang product so I expect the same. But I don't know for sure.

I doubt the YC has a Disclavier, that is a Yamaha brand and they only put it in Yamaha's. The player is probably Pianodisc or QRS system.

Samick's often have some "mystery" sluggish action centers. This sluggishness only manifests after the piano has been played for some time. the solution is re-pinning flanges and when that includes the damper action you need a tech who can regulate dampers. These can play and sound decent if worked on properly.

Hi Karen. I bought my first grand piano a couple years ago and learned a lot from the process. I don't know the market well enough to know if they are overpriced or not, but I have a couple thoughts...

Buying a piano that hasn't been tuned for 15 years has some negatives. 1) you can't evaluate how it sounds because it is out of tune and 2) you will need to factor in the cost of 4 or 5 tunings to get it up to stable pitch. Then, if you don't like the sound after all that, you've just spent a lot of money to realize you have a piano that you don't like that you probably paid too much for. (not good)

This is a buyer's market for pianos. There are a lot of pianos out there and relatively few buyers. This is good for you, but you have to be patient. You really don't want to buy the wrong piano because it will be very hard to sell and take a long time and you could lose money on it. If there is any way you can lengthen your timeline, it might be very good. If you get a good piano from the start, you never have to sell it and you are done.

If your son needs a better practice instrument...just buy a $300 digital keyboard for the short term and then sell it when you buy your acoustic. It would be a bummer to quickly buy the wrong piano because you feel like you are in a rush. If you buy a used keyboard, you can sell it in 4 months fro the same amount of money and it won't cost you anything but will give you more time to find the right instrument.

Keep in mind I don't know the details of your situation so this advice might not be too valuable.

Thank you for the advice. I may do just that. Get him a better digital and keep looking. I picked up the rental last night. It's only 61 keys and one doesn't work! . Not good. My boy is really into paying, practicing, taking lessons etc. and I want to provide the right instrument to coincide with his passion right now, and frankly this small (broken) keyboard isn't it.

I'm still hoping I find success at the shop with the vintage pianos. Seems no one is super excited about newer small grand options (in my limited price range) for one reason or another.

Open to any comments!
Thanks!
Karen

I like the idea about the vintage, name-brand options. A really nice, brand-new, brand-name baby grand is going to cost you almost as much as a new car. You can find some very nice, older pianos from the more reputable brands that won't break the bank account.

Having said that, I have played a few Young Chang baby grands and thought they sounded and played nice, but I think the one you mentioned is a bit over-priced (but that is just my opinion). I have played a few Samick grands and thought they played well also, or as well as the YCs. The price on that one is more in line with what I usually see in regards to the price of used pianos, but still room for negotiations.

And, I agree that it is a buyer's market... I know from experience that pianos can be hard to sell, even at ridiculously low prices. So, a little patience may be advised so that you can find a really good instrument for your son.

On the other hand, I know what it is like to want a piano NOW!!!

Good luck, and keep us informed!

Rick

Hi Karen,

Have you considered renting a piano while you conduct your search?

Yes, but if I can find one suitable now then I'd rather do that. I don't think we'd have a bigger budget to wait, and of course more money out of pocket all together if we rent now and still need to buy.

It's very helpful to be able bounce ideas around here. As I've said, I don't play. Well, actually I can play Dreams and Old McDonald as I'm learning along with my son. . But with four boys in the house we consider instrument purchases to be a part of providing an inspirational and stimulating environment. And especially now with heavy interest by one of the aforementioned boys.

Thanks again!
Karen

Here's one more private owner consideration. Is it worth considering?
If so, what is decent price (assuming it checks out by a tech)

Weinbach-(Petrof) 5'9" Grand Piano #261432 - $6500 (again over my price range, but since buyers market, maybe? )
beautiful Weinbach-(Petrof) 5'9" grand piano, mahogany finish. The finish on the piano is intact with no cracking of the polyester. There is fading of the color on the bass side of the body (previous owner had positioned it in front of a large window) Soundboard and bridges are all intact. Beautiful, rich base sound and mellow treble tones.
Overall, very good condition, well maintained and regularly tuned. Adjustable bench included.

Thanks, karen