Hello, I have narrowed my search down to Yamaha U1, Kawai K3 and Kawai K5. Most probably, I will be buying either a K5 or a U1. I think the qualities of all of these pianos and opinions have been widely debated so I don't want to waste your time. However, my question is, how much did you pay for a brand new piano (never been played, made this year in Japan and shipped to the US), including delivery, minus any taxes (which I will add because they are different everywhere).

This will give me a target to negotiate.

Thanks in advance.

Judging from the lack of responses, I would like to broaden my search. Any guidance on what is a good price for a Kawai K5 and/or a Yamaha U1 (new)? If this is a touchy subject for this forum, my apologies but do let me know. I hope to return as an owner of one of these pianos soon.

Thanks again.

I would suggest purchasing the annual supplement to the "Piano Book" to get that information, along with a LOT of other related pricing information, negotiating tips, and model year updates for just about every piano available in the US market. It's available through a link on this website.

Some of the information posted in response to these sort of questions on this forum can be misleading, false, or true... and it's hard to tell which sometimes. Beware of the posts saying "I know someone who got XYZ for $5000"-- they are often secondhand information, or outdated information [the MSRP for these pianos changes yearly], or for uncrated pianos which are unpacked at your home [you want to try the specific instrument BEFORE you buy it, of course].

Hope this is useful to you.

homes, I've sent a private message to you regarding some of the questions you asked.

Aaron

Thanks for the information, very helpful. Agree on the "I know someone who is selling pianos for a grain of salt". I am good with the pricing now, just needed a couple of data points; negotiated enough deals in my life so all's good.

Aaron, this is a duplicate question for you. PM if you wish.

I went to the Kawai website and it has a way to track serial numbers. I would imagine if my serial numbers begin with 2566223...the piano I am getting is a 2007 (K5). Although the dealer seems trusting, I want to ensure I am getting a brand new piano shippped from Japan to his store (and after prep time), straight to my house. He also wants a small deposit which I am okay with as he doesn't have the color I want in stock. The same question applies to Yamaha as well.

What other things would you recommend so this deal doesn't turn sour? Based on this forum and the web, here is a list I have come up with:

1. Check the serial number. How do I ensure this is not a B class piano?

2. Make sure the dealer does the proper prep including Regulation and voicing. As a novice, I would have to assume it is done and/or take a tech/teacher there. Do this before the piano is shipped to me.

3. Have them tune it a month later which is part of the price. I prefer six months, is that ok?

Thanks,

Homes

Regarding the dealer prep, here is my story.

I was not satisfied with how some of the treble notes sounded in the showroom on my K-5, so I asked the dealer to voice and regulate with that in mind (some notes were too bright), and to do that prior to delivery. When they delivered the piano, I felt that the job done by the dealer made things worse (after the dealer voiced the piano, it was uneven, and the sound was too muted). Also, a couple of keys started sticking when the weather got humid (certainly not the dealer's fault). And there were some noises here and there, etc. (nothing ususual there either).

None of that mattered in the end. What mattered is that I had a good piano techinician on my end, **and** that the dealer (Schmitt Music) paid for him to tune and regulate the piano to my satisfaction. It took 3 visits by the technician before I was satisfied. Schmitt Music never once complained about that -- they paid his bill. As a result, I have a nice piano that is set up to my liking. I am very satisfied with my experience buying from Schmitt.

So to me, the key is to make sure that the in-home "tuning" includes what is necessary to voice and regulate the piano to your satisfaction, and that the dealer will pay **your** techician for the technician's work. If you have any questions about whether the dealer will pay, talk to the technician before you buy the piano and ask them if the dealer pays their bills.

I don't know if I would wait six months for the free tuning and regulation. I had mine done in May maybe 4-6 weeks after delivery (to give it some time to adjust), and I am having it tuned again soon now that the weather has changed from summer into fall/winter.

Keep in mind that I am a piano novice. Although I play other instruments, I've only been playing piano around 3 1/2 years. Other people on the board will have more valuable information and insights than mine.

Aaron

PS I know nothing about determining whether a piano is B stock, sorry.

I also have had a good experience with Schmitt, although it's not done. There were 3 Kawai RX-2's at the Galleria store, I preferred the look but not the touch of the walnut one. I asked them to see if their tech could fix it, and after adjusting the letoff and tuning it, I'm very happy with it. They also said they would pay for my tech to do the free tuning. I'm satisfied with the regulation already, so I don't expect to have him do much, but it's good to hear they'll pay him to do what's needed.

I plan on scheduling my tuning as soon as I start to get unhappy with the tuning. If that's too soon, I'll just expect to have to do another later. I'm getting the piano to enjoy, if I can't enjoy it because it's out of tune, I'll do what I have to. I've heard new pianos often need 4-5 tunings in the first year, so I'm ready for that if necessary.

I couldn't find the serial number feature on the kawai site. Got a link?

Good tip and a question I will be sure to ask if they will regulate and tune to my satisfaction. Any recommendations on a tech on the north side of Chicago (or Niles, Skokie, Des Plaines, etc.)? We only seem to have one Kawai dealer in the Chicago area. I don't know about the tech situation, maybe the owner tunes the pianos.

Goatrider, here is the link to s/n that I found: http://www.kawaius-tsd.com/pages/serial_manudate.html

Thanks. As I suspected, mine (2555861) was made in 2006, which I guessed because there was about a year of dust on the soundboard :p

Ok, decision is made, deposit is put down on a brand new Kawai K5. I anticipate receiving it in 2-3 weeks. Can't wait. Thanks for the presonal responses (especially Aaron) as well as the valuable insight this forum provides.

Cheers all.

Great, let us know how things work out!

Aaron

Congratulations on your new piano, homes! The K5 is a nice upright. Please post some pictures when it arrives. What finish did you end up ordering?

Incidentally, I agree with the others that you should not wait 6 months for your first tuning. Your piano will acclimate to your home environment in the first couple of weeks, which will affect its tuning. I'd schedule the first tuning for 4 weeks post-delivery, and then get it tuned every 3 months after that for the first year.

Thanks. I have to say, I can't wait for this thing to show up at my door; will be sure to post pics. I ended up ordering the ebony polish, seems to be the most popular (resale value) and we liked it so...

Thanks for the tip.

The K5 was my first choice before I got up-sold to a grand. Grats!

We are also seriously looking at a new K-5 also at Schmitt Music here in the Twin Cities.
Could anyone tell me if in their experiences the delivery fee in included?The bench appears to be quite small and looks awkward when placed with the piano.
Are there any other alternatives to the K-5 to consider?

Not sure if there is a norm so to speak, normally around 150-170. Alternatives galore and you will find all opinions in this forum
Enjoy reading them. As for us, we read Fine's book, this price was in our range. You can't go wrong with Kawai is what we were repeatedly told and we liked the way it sounded compared to the Yamaha U1 which was nice too. One message I read over and over in this forum, go with what you like.

Schmitt adds on delivery charge. For my RX-2, it was $200.