I'm looking for some comments...

I have a Kawai CX-4, 1985, that I purchased about 18 months ago. I love the exceptionally light touch but I am not happy with the tone. At the time, I'd been playing on a hundred year old baby grand that sounded awful and had such a heavy touch I felt like I had to pound it to make a sound. So, when I found this one (estate sale) it was such a dramatic improvement I bought it without shopping as I should have. So, I'm going to be shopping again. It scares me.

I'm spoiled by the light touch of my present piano. Is there any reason that I should consider something with a heavier touch? (Does being used to this light touch limit me in some way?)

I thought I was an "okay" early intermediate player until I recorded myself, and I'm appalled at how bad I am. It makes me not want to shop for fear of playing in public. How can I get over this?

I have a good RPT, but if I'm shopping at a store, is it unusual to bring a technician?

I know that the trade-in on my existing piano won't be as much as if I sold it privately, but that may be a hassle, is there enough difference to make that worth my while?

I don't know if there is any 'best time of year' for a purchase but I thought maybe there might be good sales after Christmas. If I buy through a dealer, they'll back their product. If I buy privately, it will cost less but I'll have to pay my RPT to go with me to look at a couple of instruments, so is there that big a difference?

I think I'd like a small grand. I'm fine with used, since my budget is around 5k. My room is 15x20, with adjacent areas that are 15x8 and 15x12.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

1. The first thing I'd do is discuss your present piano with your present tech. Perhaps the piano can voiced more to your liking. You haven't indicated what it is that you don't like about the tone.

2. It's hard to comment on the touch of your piano because all we know is that it's lighter than your old piano and you like it. And one person's idea of light might be another person's idea of medium or even heavy. This is another area I think you could discuss with your tech(i.e. how light is your piano compared to most newer pianos)and your teacher if you have one.

My personal thought is that pianos at either end of the spectrum in terms of touch are less desirable then those in the middle. Both very light and very heavy actions have disadvantages.

3. I wouldn't worry much about your skill when playing the pianos in the showroom. I'm sure the salespeople have heard far worse and their goal is to sell you a piano. You can get a pretty good idea how a piano sounds without even playing music, i.e. just some single notes or chords throughout the compass.

You only need a couple of very short piece to test a piano musically. You can also ask the salesperson to play for you since most can do this. If you have the type of salesperson who likes to stand close by while your try out a piano, I'd politely ask them to give you a lot more breathing room.

4. There should be zero problem bringing a tech into a store to help you decide/evaluate a piano whether it's new or used. It's absolutely critical to bring a tech if you buy a used piano even if it's from a dealer.