I am in my "mid 50's" and ready to purchase my first baby grand. I don't currently own a piano but in my younger days I owned spinet pianos, organs, electronic keyboards, played in club bands, etc.

I have purchased and spent a lot of time reading and studying Larry Fine's latest 2000 edition piano book, and also his newest 06 - 07 suppliment. Additionally, I have been checking e-bay, visiting local dealers, etc.... so... I have a basic knowledge of what I want and what is out there both used and new.

I am looking for a baby grand in the "$5000 or under range". From what I can gather there are many used baby grands with Korean names, or "American names", that are 5-20 years old selling in that under $5000 range that are in overall good internal and external condition.

I am also of course aware of the recent explosion of inexpensive Chinese brands, and the fact that many so called American names, or Korean names, are now made by Chinese firms. I have also noticed that in the past year or two many folks have indicated that Chinese brands have increased in quality and are now possibly a "Good buy" in that $5000 range for a brand new one.

I am after a baby grand to occasionally "play around with" - I not an accomplished pianist... and my ear is not all that good. For example, when I recently sat down and played a new $10K pianos (non Chinese) and then a $50K new Steinway, I could not really tell all that much differance.

So - my question is : In that $4000 - $5000 price range... am I better off going with a brand new Chinese made baby grand piano...knowing the quality may be lacking a little... or am I better off with a 5-20 year old American or Korean brand name that sold new 5-20 years for $10K?

Hello sitiakab...Im not a tech..But i am a pianist..And as a pianist you need to buy what sounds nice,and also what feels nice to the touch..Those are the most important things to a pianist...

I would much rather have an American piano as opposed to an asian piano though...Although i own an asian piano right now...And i love it!!But i couldnt afford an American !!

I'm not aware of any new grand piano in the $4000-$5000 range in my market. The cheapest new grands are in the 4'7" range, and to my ear, are much worse sounding than most 48" uprights.

For $10,000, you can get a nice new six-footer. But in your price range, go for a used piano.

--Cy--

Thanks Cy for the comments... I found a brand new Chinese Otto Meister (Ottomeister) - as I recall 5'2" - at a local dealer in NE Kansas that they are willing to sell for a little under $5000 which includes delivery and a tuning after it settles in. Any thoughts?

For that amount of money you could get a higher quality used instrument, and you would probably be alot happier in the long run with tone and the action. Most dealers offer some kind of warranty on used instruments also, plus delivery and a free in home tuning.

Alan,

You're the one that has to live with the piano, not us! :-) I second Mr. Loaf. But if the Steinway doesn't sound noticeably better, what can I say?

If you've played in bands, the feel of the action is probably important to you. $5000 would get you a much better digital instrument, for example, than any 5'2" piano.

If you've read The Piano Book, you know that he rates them based on performance, confidence, quality, and warranty. If you want to give different weights to those factors, go ahead.

I personally prefer grands over at least 5'5", and I myself wouldn't drop $5K on a brand with no track record, especially on a bottom-of-the-line model of that brand. There are other Chinese brands that do have such a record (see p.86 in TPB).

But in a few years this might turn out to have been a killer deal. Apply your own level of risk-taking.

--Cy--

I wanted to thank everyone for their comments - much appreciated!!!!!

i hope you visit KC... there are a couple dealerships with decent used inventory.. the Toon Shop and Schmitts.

i've recently played a couple small grands.. relatively inexpensive.. not bad little pianos BUT they both wobbled.. as if the legs were not secure.

Sitiakab:

In your price range, you might want to check out the Yamaha CLP-270 or CLP-280 digitals. The Omaha dealer (the one listed in Yamaha's web site) quoted me $4200 for a CLP-280.

Although a good acoustic piano beats a good digital, a good digital beats a junky acoustic.