Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Help, acoustic to digital? Or both? Will I regret it?

Hello, I'm new to this forum & Piano World. I've been reading the posts about digital vs. acoustic because I have been seriously considering selling my acoustic & replacing it with a digital. My reasons are purely financial...I bought my acoustic when I had money and once the kids and bills started piling up and I quit my job, our savings became depleted. Now I am in a position to sell my acoustic for at least what I paid for it. We aren't desperate, but the offer is a reasonable one.

I should also say that I am not a good piano player & would like to resume taking lessons in the near future. I am a beginner. I have two children, 4 & 7, who may be taking lessons also. We plan to keep a piano in the house for a long time.

I've seen posts here where members have both types of pianos...my husband mentioned this last night and I thought it was funny. It wouldn't solve our financial situation, but it sounded interesting.

Finally, is there a place to go to find out real prices on digital pianos versus what the stores will tell me? I just called up the local Yamaha dealer and asked for a price on the CLP-280. He said "$5695, but we're having a sale." I'm not in the mood to bargain or negotiate. If I do buy a digital piano, I want to go in with a price I can live with.

Sorry about the rambling post...I have about a thousand questions running through my head right now, so it's hard to organize them. Oh yeah, I'd be selling my Steinway medium grand...would I regret it?

CLP280 is the best CLP model, but the price sounds way too high. you might want to check with some other dealers who carry it.

If the Steinway is in good shape and sounds and plays the way some can, then you will NEVER be able to duplicate that with a digital. I know, because I own three acoustic grand pianos, (one a Steinway Model B), AND a very advanced digital. Also, the digital will not hold its value the way a Steinway does. As you and your kids get better at playing you will want an acoustic piano for the ultimate playing enjoyment. That is when you will realize what a mistake you made selling the Steinway. All this changes, however, if the Steinway is a piece of junk that requires a complete rebuild to ever play well again, but I am assuming this is not the case.

Thanks for the replies. The CLP280 price seemed really high too, so I definitely will call around if I decide to go that route.

The Steinway is in excellent condition. I know it will hold its value, but if a digital costs $2000 and is worth nothing in 10 years, then I've only lost $2000. If the Steinway is worth $30K now, I'm not sure what it will be worth in 10 years. I've heard that it will be worth less.

Hang onto the Steinway, assuming you're not in dire financial straits. In the first place, it doesn't matter if you're "not a good piano player." As long as you think you will be wanting to start again, then having a good piano to play on will only help your progress. If you sell the Steinway, get a digital, get back into playing or your kids get into playing, you'll find yourself wanting to buy a grand again in a few years and kicking yourself for selling the Steinway!

So, if I were you, I'd keep it until I was sure nobody in the family was going to play the piano. Then I'd sell it. There's another reason to hang onto to it longer, anyhow: If you sold it now, the 30 grand would get spent on current needs, e.g., home repairs, new car, whatever. If you wait until your kids are in their teens to sell it, you'll have a nice little college nest egg all ready.

The Steinway will still be worth a lot in 10 years. You've got little to gain by selling it now and a lot of potential downside.

The money would get spent on our current credit card bills (at 0% interest) and general monthly expenses. I'd probably think about buying a new sofa & hiring someone to dig up our garden and relandscape a small portion of it. I'd buy a digital piano. Some would clearly go into savings, but it might only be less than $10K.

On the other hand, I think we might be able to hold for at least two years and maybe those credit card bills would be gone. Then both kids would be at the same school and I could potentially play/take lessons more often.

I guess I was thinking that given our current debt, owning a Steinway wasn't a practical thing and that I should sacrifice it for a bit of financial breathing space. It's the only thing we have of value besides our home. And having an offer in hand makes it tempting to "pretend I never owned it in the first place" and take the money.

Two years ago we paid somebody $2K to weed out our perennial beds and landscape. We let it slide (big surprise there) and now it looks like it did before we spent the $2K. Keep the Steinway and forget about the landscaping.

The CLP-280 is a very good digital piano. But it's a digital. It has no soul. Keep your Steinway.

Would you consider selling your home to pay off bills? Of course not!! Nor should you consider doing that with a piano like this. We are ALL telling you the same thing for the same reason. Because you are not yet a player, you cannot yet see this from a pianist's perspective, but when you begin to play you will look upon this piano in a whole different light. You will have nothing but regrets if you give it up for a digital. If your husband is pressuring you to sell it, then sell him!!! What do you think he would fetch?

Hmm, so if I sold my husband, could I afford a nice digital:D? Just kidding...he is actually the one who muddled my brain the other night after I thought for sure that we would sell the Steinway. He said, "If you are just going to replace it with something else, then just keep it." Now I'm swaying the other way...although it would be nice to pay off some loans and bills but then we'd just have more loans and bills.

Is an acoustic piano preferred for small children to learn on? Or is a digital more fun for them? Maybe I can find an inexpensive used digital and be more in debt..?

Many teachers actually require their students to have an acoustic piano to practice on, especially more traditional/classically oriented teachers.

I'm all for paying off loans and debts, but I think selling the Steinway to do so might end up being a decision you regret, should you or your kids become serious about the piano. I'd just stick with the Steinway and forget about a digital for the time being until your finances are in a state where you can comfortably go out and buy one to supplement the wonderful piano you currently have.

DITTO Monica.

YES! what CC2 and Monica said.

Yes, DITTO CC2

Well, you guys are great. I am so glad that I found this forum before I accepted the offer. My husband agrees with you too so I guess we will just continue to stay in debt for a lot of years. I think that this family will be disappointed, but maybe they can buy a new one for $45K...

Now to find a piano teacher...the last one I called hasn't called me back in 3 weeks. Another one I called last Spring, she said she'd call back, and now its almost Spring again. I called her again last night & left a message. I think this will be fun, again!

music4me2,

Let me see if I have this correct:

1) The bills are piling up
2) You have two children (whom obviously contribute to your ongoing financial drain)
3) You're not an accomplished pianist
4) You've quit your job (surviving on a single income)
5) You are going to "START" taking lessons again

,.....


Let me put this delicately,....


SELL THE PIANO!!!

Any other advice is just plain financially negligent.

My advice is that you sell the Steinway, pay off your bills, purchase a high quality digital instrument (this will be fine for many years of lessons and practice), or lower priced accoustic if that's more to your liking. When and if you or your children become truly committed to the piano, then consider a higher end piano purchase (as long as it's within your budget).

I am absolutely appalled at the financially irresponsible advice some of the forum members are giving you.


Rodney

Rodney!

DITTO

I agree with Rodney here. You are on the track for being a starving musician without being a musician.

Fiancially being stable should be your first goal.

If your steinway can be sold for $30K (and you bought for $30 just a few years ago), then sell it and pay the debt. To me food on my table, and roof over my head is more important than a piano. MAke sure you are paying the debt with the money and not spending it, becasue then you will definetely regret it. Do not spend the money on landscape or new sofa, that is debt increasing activity!!

If you can afford it, you can even buy an excellent quality digital piano for $4000 (you should be able to buy CLP270 for $3800 or less. I would't worry about paying premium for the wood keys in CLP280). They are plenty good enough for you and your children to learn for now.

When your finance improve in the future and you are a better player, you can always buy another Steinway. There is always another Steinway. They are not THAT special. Music should be joy and fun in your life, not burden and worry.

Hi everyone,

What a wreck I have been all weekend. I cannot tell you or understand why this decision is such a difficult one, but it is.

I played my Steinway for about 3 hours today, on and off. It was fun. Some of what I learned 8 years ago was coming back. I kept changing my mind as I played, sell it, keep it, etc. Finally, with much emotion, I decided that if I didn't sell it, and suddenly we needed the money right away (we need an emergency fund), I'd feel really guilty. Could I continue playing it now, knowing that it just wasn't a practical thing to keep? Would I always feel guilty if I didn't sell it with a buyer in the wings? I know another buyer would come along, but how long would I have to wait? I've shown it to two buyers and both have wanted to buy it. It is an amazing instrument.

Anyhow, I really really want to keep it. But I am selling it. I cried for hours, I'm still a wreck. But I must start a search for something else to play. Upright or digital, I'll be open minded. I'll need to pretend that I never owned it, though, otherwise nothing will feel right.

I'm sorry things are so tough right now. I understand how difficult it must be to part with the Steinway. But given your situation, I think you made the right decision to sell the Steinway.

I think you will find a quality digital that you can afford. But be sure to check out many different models before you buy. I would check out Kawai, Yamaha, and Roland digitals. (Personally, though they are very nice I think Rolands are overpriced. And, IMHO, Kawais are very good and are under-appreciated because Yamaha is more well-known.)