Help me choose the right piano

BenEadir

Hi all,

I'm based in Dublin and looking to get a 2nd hand piano for my wife to use (hasn't played in years) and my kids to learn on. What would the piano enthusiasts out there recommend? Ideally I want to spend as little as possible but know that the freebies available to anyone willing to collect could be rideen with wood worm, won't have been tuned in years and are probably not worth the hassle of picking up.

I'm also savvy enough to know that a €1,700 piano of some quality is a lot more value for money than a €1,000 piano which is a piece of c**p.

The following sites all have 2nd hand pianos for sale in the €1,250 to €1,750 range all of which come with some form of guarantee and have been recently tuned.

http://www.thepianogallery.ie

http://www.precisionpianos.com

http://www.thorntonpianos.ie/pianos_showrooms_dublin.php

http://www.hollandpianos.ie/upright.html

http://www.moloneypianos.com/gallery.php (based in Cork unfortunately but seem to have large selection of beginner pianos)

Are there any kind souls with a knowledge of pianos out there who can look at whats on offer in these stores and give me some recommendations as to what model to buy? Without some independent advice/receommendations we'll end up buying whatever the sales person wants to sell us.

I'm not usually this tight but REALLY don't want to spend more than €2,000 for something which might end up gathering dust after the six month honeymoon period is over.

All help and comments much appreciated.

Ben

jimi_t

Tbh you're not going to get an awful lot in that pricerange. Had a quick look at the sites specified and didn't think a whole lot on what was on offer.

If you're looking at buying at the cheaper end of the market, secondhand or new, I'd advise looking at either Yamaha's or Kawai. I've played almost every Yamaha available in Ireland and I reckon that they offer some serious bang for the buck - the majority of music colleges in Ireland use them as their main brand.

If you're that convinced that its going to be dumped after a while then you're as well off getting a freebie one. I've yet to see one with woodworm in them and while the timbre and tone are usually less than ideal, as long as the keybed is even and free and the tines and hammers are intact then they're fine for learning on. Best thing to do is to find a friend or acquantaince who has played before to go along with you.

eoin5

Have you considered a digital piano?

BenEadir

Hi Jimi, thanks for the advice re Yamaha and Kawai.

Eoin, not interested in a digital piano. Has to be the real deal.

Ben.

BenEadir

Hi all,

Thanks for all the advice. Having looked at the various online sites I wandered into Waltons today as I was just passing and there it was, a lovely black reconditioned Kawai KU1D. Haggled the price down from €2,799 to €2,500 and had a matching seat thrown in. Brought the wife in to see it and she preferred the slightly bigger KU2D as she felt it had a better feel which cost an extra €100.

Have I bought the right piano? Whats the main difference between a KU1D and KU2D? Did I get a decent price?

Included in the price (in addition to the seat) is delivery and tuning onsite 10 days after delivery once it has acclimatised to our house.

Comments anyone?

Regards,

John