Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Need feedback on Perzina GP122

Hello,

We are shopping for a new piano for my son and my wife. My son is 6 and has been taking classes for a month now. My wife has not play the piano for almost 20 years, she got to the highest non professional level more than 20 years ago.

There is a local group buy of either Yamaha U1 or Kawai K300, but we decided to go to a local store to listen to the piano in person and make a decision instead of just jumping on the group buy.

While at the store, we tried the U1, K300, Pearl River, Ritmueller and Perzina. My wife did not like the sound of U1 or K300 at all. Her preference in terms of the sound goes from Perzina being the best, Ritmueller, and Pearl River.

The Perzina GP122 is the highest price compared to Ritmueller and Pearl River. We were told by the salesperson that the GP122 is European parts assembled/made in China. I was not able to find any review on the GP122. When I googled it, I saw some old post from 2008/2009 that says it is over-priced and that is why I am here.

Are there any reasons I should not get the Perzina GP122? Anything I need to watch out for or ask specifically? Is it a good quality piano that we are buying? How about resale value? I have no knowlwedge on piano and would really appreciate any feedback or suggestions.

Hello,

You can find a lot of information related to this piano in the Piano Buyer online. Included in these links are a ratings chart (read the explanation, too), a list of "staff picks", an explanation about pricing, and a link to information about the brand (with a link on that page to current pricing).

http://www.pianobuyer.com/fall14/42.html

http://www.pianobuyer.com/fall14/47.html

http://www.pianobuyer.com/fall14/203.html

http://www.pianobuyer.com/fall14/184.html

I remember to have played a few Perzina grands a few years ago. I think it was the GP-175 or similar. They have a pretty good sound, open and light. I can't comment on the uprights



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perzina

I've played a number of Perzina uprights over the last few years and consider them to be the top of the heap in their price/build category. I helped one on my college level students buy a piano about 18 months ago and he settled on the perzina gp122 after playing a bunch of different instruments. It was the right price for what he was looking for and he is happy with his purchase.
My two cents worth: I think the Kawai K300 is head and shoulders a better upright than the gp122. Far better action, and a more even tone across the range of the instrument.
Your wife's preferences could also be a reflection of the general level of prep and or how in tune the instruments she played were. I wouldn't make any decisions to hastily. Good luck.

I guess with your wife's credentials as a player, there's no point in arguing with her.

Perzina salespeople have always stressed that theirs is a European piano that happens to be assembled in China. It sounds good but it's dubious. The action, one of the most important components, is Chinese. The polyester coating of the cabinet is Austrian, but I don't know how important that is. It's just marketing. Every piano maker tries to market with a unique angle.

Still, Perzina is a survivor with a track record in the hyper-competitive Chinese piano export market. They have built their own Chinese factory; they're not just ordering pianos OEM. The action feels fine (to me) and the sound is pleasant, except that (to my ears) the 122 is a little bottom heavy -- really strong bass and nondescript mid-range and treble.

Ritmuller and Pearl River are from the same company, Ritmuller being the higher line of the two. I think the lower prices reflect the fact that Pearl is less well-established in the US market than Perzina. They've been here longer, but the first generation of pianos they offered here was not so great, and Pearl got a reputation for being bottom of the barrel cheap. Their newer lines seem to be a huge improvement.

I don't know of any red flags with any of three three, but reading all those links to Piano Buyer that terminaldegree posted would probably be helpful.

Any reason you're not including Essex or Boston in your search?

If resale is a concern, go with brand recognition---Kawai. But if you plan on owning it for life, just go with what your wife likes.

Ask the store about their trade-in policy. If it turns out Perzina is not for you in a few years, they should give you a chunk of that to upgrade.