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I'm looking at buying a used Grand piano. I've found a Diapason 5'7" grand. The store doesn't know the exact age of the piano, but estimates it to be around 1990. The serial number is 106587 and the asking price is $7750. It looks and sounds great, but I don't know much about this brand and what it's value should be. Any thoughts?

Hello, and welcome to Piano World!!!

I'm no used piano price expert by any means, but from what little I do know about pianos, that price is probably twice what it should be, and even then it would be overpriced in my view. You could likely buy a brand new 5'7" baby grand of various makes for close to $8K or less.

On the other hand, something is worth what a buyer is willing to pay and a seller is willing to sell for...

Good luck!

Rick

Thanks Rick. I thought it was a bit high myself. Does anyone know anything about Diapason pianos? I've learned that they are manufactured by Kawai, but I don't really know what their reputation is. I liked the tone of the piano, but I'm just wondering if anyone else has any experience with this brand at all?
Thanks,
Kristin

The ones I've seen were nice pianos but price appears too high for a piano at least 30 years old.

Norbert

Thanks Norbert,
What should a 30 year old piano in good condition cost? I'm also looking at a 1987 Baldwin Model L. That one is priced at $5700. It's also in very good condition. Does that price seem reasonable?
Kristin

Yes, that's a very reasonable price on the Baldwin L but do hire an independent piano technician to evaluate that the piano is in fact in very good condition.

Yes, that's a reasonable price, depending on condition. I agree with others; the Diapason price seems high. Is there some reason it's so high? Repair / rebuild work?

Thanks for the opinions. Sorry I haven't replied. I had a technician check out the Baldwin for me. She wasn't overly impressed with it. Needs some regulation etc. So, I'm still thinking about that one. I'm guessing the Diapason is priced high because it's being sold at Classical pianos of Denver, not a private party. So, you get tuning and regulation included as well as a warranty, etc. I did call them back and they've come down to $7000 on it. Still seems a bit high, but I did really like the tone of that piano. Any thoughts? I'm really hoping to get a Grand that's at least 5'7". I don't really want to have to settle for a baby grand. Am I being silly in that? I could certainly get a baby grand for much less than $7000.

I've bought three pianos from Classic in Portland (which is owned by the same family) and have a few thoughts. First, they do seem to price their pianos high, so you may still have room for further negotiation. For me personally, I don't think I've ever gotten a really great deal price-wise from Classic, but that doesn't bother me because I have received excellent service and post-buy support, and so I've gotten great deals in that sense. For example, my tech is coming out tomorrow to tune my piano, and it will be the first tuning I've paid for in over a year, because I've somehow managed to get Classic to pay for the last four or five tunings and voicings I've had (including one visit from their excellent master tech). If they won't come down on the price, see if you can get them to throw in some extras, like an artist's bench and/or two free tunings instead of the standard one. I would also ask them why they are only offering a 3 year warranty on the Diapason and see if they'll increase it to 5 years (they gave me a 5 year warranty on the original 1927 M&H I bought from them). Maybe you can't get a really great price, but I would think you could still end up with a great deal.