Forget price for a minute (even though the new Samick will comeout cheaper) which is a better piano, an A condition '89 C3 or a new Samick SIG 61. Both are 6'1 so a good comparison. Thanks in advance!!

Also, what is considered a good price for a new Samick SIG-61?

Rarely do these kind of comparison delemas hook me to respond. Yours is interesting to me.

Before going further, any used piano should be survayed by a competant tech who is not related in any to the seller. Assuming this is ok, let's proceed.

The Yamaha C3 is an industry workhorse design. Many teachers recommend and use this model Yamaha.

The SIG series, Samick Indonesian Grand, in the 6'1" only go back to about 2004 and are not entirely time tested as many others might be. I am a fan of Samick products and believe most to be good values.

I regularly propound the notion that Asian pianos have a useful musical lifespan of 35-40 years. This would make your 1989 C3 in the middle of its musical life. Assuming moderate play and regular servicing.

The Yamaha will have gone through its akward stage and should be nicely seasoned and stable.

The Samick will have to go through several tunings and some regulation to perform at its potential.

IMO you will likely be able to achieve more dynamic range and tonal color on the Yamaha.

Ten years from now it will be easier to sell the Yamaha for a decent price than it will be to sell the Samick.

In this specific comparison it may just come down to which sounds and feels beter to you.

Excellent response, I appreciate it. Since I am looking for something to sound great right NOW I guess I'd be better off looking for a slightly older piano. But a friend highly recommended the Samick based on their tone and value. I don't care to go through the "breaking in" stages though.

So I continue my search for my Yammie.

I was in a situation very similar to yours November of last year. I had to pick a new piano and it was between a new Sammick-made grand under the name Remington, which was intended as a budget model for Baldwin (the wurlitzer), a 1994 Yamaha G3, and a 1972 Yamaha C3.

I chose the Yamaha C3 by a long shot, it's in my living room right now. Even though it was more aged than the others, the quality put into making it has shone through greatly for me.

I do not like Sammick models either. One of the reasons is that many of them use an "all-spruce" and not a "solid-spruce" soundboard. Solid spruce is a solid piece of wood vs. all-spruce is usually three layers of spruce with air in between. This provides for a durable soundboard at a low cost, but it produces neither the quality of tone or dynamic range that a good solid spruce soundboard can produce, in my opinion of course. The C3's action is impeccable and tone greatly rivals the Sammick's, as well as the newer G3 I considered.

This is all my opinion, and my advice. But I also strongly urge you to go play the pianos for yourself and see what you think. Every piano is different with it's own character. Some you may like, and some you may not. Regardless of brand.

p.s. I'm not sure what your price range is but check out the Essex pianos (by steinway), Petrof is also worth checking out.