Kawai RX2: New or secondhand?

[PowersOfTwo]

I have decided that the piano I want to buy is a Kawai RX2. It suits me well, feels and sounds great, and it's good value.

I find it extremely difficult to make decisions so for me this is excellent progress. Please don't suggest a different piano

I have the opportunity to buy a second-hand RX2 from a competent and reputable dealer that I trust for just over £11K. It's a 2007 model that was sold and has been maintained by the dealership. I have played it for hours and I'm happy with it - it just needs a tiny bit of tuning and voicing. The price includes all set-up and regulation etc. £11K is my budget, so I was just about to hand over the money, when another option presented itself.

My local dealer is also trustworthy and keen to do a deal. They have suggested they could do a discount on a new RX2, mentioning the figure £14K and inviting me to make an offer. This could be "only" an extra £2K-3K for a brand new piano. It seems like a good deal, but it does take me well over my budget.

Can anyone help me decide between these two options?

Does the Kawai 10-year warranty transfer to a new owner when buying second-hand?

What is the depreciation like for each of the above options?

Are there technical reasons to buy new rather than a well looked-after 3-year-old piano? Or vice versa?

Is it worth going outside of my budget to get the new version?

Thank you for your help in making this decision.

[pdossantos]

Hi there,

A call to Kawai UK should answer your question about the warranty. If it is a reputable dealer the will give you warranty for at least 5 years.
I bought a 5 year old Schimmel K189 grand a few months ago and the dealer gave me 10 years warranty, everything is negotiable!

In favor of second hand pianos leaving the price aside is that it is played in already. Make sure the dealer tunes and voices it and sands the hammers and regulates the action before making a decision. Never buy a piano that still needs 'minor' work, buy a piano you love completely! You will then have a piano that is ready to go for a longer period, of course you will need to tune it but you will have no major service for a longer period of time.

New pianos have a breaking in period. this is part of the game, if you have a good ear and are a perfectionist, this will sometimes be difficult to you ears. Or you will need frequent tech visit's to keep the piano up to date. The good thing about new pianos are no scratches, brand new, feels fantastic psychologically! Only you pay the premium. Having owned a brand new Yamaha GC1 silent and now a second hand Schimmel I feel second hand/nearly new gives you the best deal financially, i.e. more piano for you money!

Is the new RX 2 brand new, meaning the 'black' series? Otherwise maybe it will be the same model as the 2007 model!

Good luck

[PowersOfTwo]

A call to Kawai UK should answer your question about the warranty. If it is a reputable dealer the will give you warranty for at least 5 years.

The dealer offered me a six-month warranty, but I will talk to them today about a longer one. And I will call Kawai UK on Monday.

Make sure the dealer tunes and voices it and sands the hammers and regulates the action before making a decision. Never buy a piano that still needs 'minor' work, buy a piano you love completely!

When I first played the piano it was out of tune and required voicing and I asked for this to be done. The second time I played it, it was 99% perfect. The dealer tells me that before they send it out they will do the regulation and a little more voicing. They also said that since it has not been played much in the last 18 months, it will need voicing after it has been played for a while.

New pianos have a breaking in period. this is part of the game, if you have a good ear and are a perfectionist, this will sometimes be difficult to you ears.

Right. How long is this period, roughly?

Is the new RX 2 brand new, meaning the 'black' series? Otherwise maybe it will be the same model as the 2007 model!

No, it's not the Blak series. Is that the new model? The new one is the RX2H; I think it is the same as the 2007 model.

Your comments are very helpful - thank you!

[pdossantos]

Great I could be of help.

Piano buying is daunting....
The breaking in period depends on how much you play a day. It will be six months to a year with 1 to 2 hour a day of use.

Try to get a longer warranty, if the dealer does not want to give it that would be strange, maybe that should be a warning.
My piano is 5 years old and came with 5 years warranty, new pianos at my dealer come with 10 years, when we closed the deal I said, I will buy it with 10 years warranty, no probs he said, I will put it in writing for you....

Piano warranties are long as they are sturdy instruments, long warranties are normal.


Good luck

[PowersOfTwo]

I made a mistake: After talking on the phone with the dealer today, they are offering a five year warranty, not a six-month warranty. Don't know where I got that from then. So five year warranty on a 3-year-old piano. Does that sound good enough? Or should I ask for more?

[pdossantos]

5 year is normal, any problems that you could encounter will come out int his time anyway.

You will have a better deal you stay within the budget but the big question is, have you played the new Kawai and how does it compare to the second hand one.
You are now buying as a rational buyer, you must also now play them both compare them and see which one you love... no piano is identical , see which of the 2 is perfect to you, then decide....

[PowersOfTwo]

I'm going to go with the second-hand one.

I played it for hours and I was happy with it; it's within the budget; it's a good deal. So why complicate matters by extending the search space?

I hope this sounds good. I feel pretty happy with the decision.

Thanks.

[pdossantos]

Congrats!

You will own a kawai RX 2 soon!

Good purchase! Great piano....

My teacher has had her Kawai KC3 for 35 years and never had a problem, all the parts are still original and it plays and sounds like a sunshine!

[RWAS]

The Kawai RX2 is, I believe, the most popular selling model of all Kawai grands. A 2007 RX2 will have the Millenium III action and although Kawai have refreshed the Kawai RX line with the new "Blak" series, the changes seem mostly cosmetic.
If you are happy with the piano, you have chosen well. I have a 2007 RX3 and I am delighted with it.

Congratulations on your excellent choice!

Regards,

Robert.

[PowersOfTwo]

Just an update for the benefit of anyone finding this thread later:

I have now had the RX2 for nearly a month and I am completely enraptured by it. It is such a joy to have an instrument that is actually capable of doing what is asked of it. For me, playing this piano is like breathing fresh air after you've been stuck indoors for ages.

Yes, it was a lot of money, for me, and for many people. I paid £11,200 plus delivery. But I made £1120 selling my old upright on eBay. And let's face it, it's comparable in price to a car, but a car will depreciate and die sooner, and a car doesn't sound so nice. So this is now our family's "second car".

It's great that the kids have been so keen to play on it too. I wish I'd had access to this kind of instrument when I was their age.

Thanks for all the advice in this thread; it helped me to make what (at the time) was a difficult decision. No regrets.

BTW, one unexpected result was that as soon as my wife saw the new piano in our lounge, she immediately decided that we needed to re-decorate and re-furnish the room. Apparently the beautiful piano doesn't match with our delapidated Argos furniture and builders'-paint walls. Ah well.

The only thing I must figure out now, is what to use to dust and clean the piano and the keys? Any recommendations there?

[RWAS]

Dear PowersOfTwo,
Congratulations and it is great news that you are delighted with your piano.

When dusting your piano NEVER rub dust as the particles of grit will damage the finish. I suggest a light, careful removal of the dust with a light cloth or feather duster.
After the dust has been removed, you can clear away finger marks etc with a slightly damp, soft, absorbent polishing cloth. These are supplied with a new piano and your 2007 piano should have one.
The ebony gloss finish is very durable, but always be careful, especially when cleaning or polishing the finish. For the keys I also suggest first removing any dust and cleaning any marks with the slightly damp cloth.

I love my Kawai piano and I wish you years of enjoyment with your RX2.

Robert.

[sussexpianos]

Use a micro fibre cloth, you can get a polyester spray which is good at repelling dust. Use black T-cut to remove small scratches.

[Still learning]

Re getting the dust off. My tuner says that they use a blower of some sort to get the dust off the soundboard.