Maybe selling a Yamaha C3

[James Henderson]

Hello,

I'm thinking I might put my Yamaha C3L on the market. It's serial number is 6183061 and I bought it new in (I think ) 2007. Since then it's been voiced and serviced twice, by two Steinway-trained technicians and tuned regularly. Tonally it's excellent - more mellow than the average Yamaha. There are a couple of minor scuff marks on the music tray and on the inside of the front section of the lid (the bit that folds back over the main section of the lid) which occured when it was delivered but I didn't notice them until it was too late. I have some photos but haven't been able to work out how to attach them to this post.

I appreciate it's impossible to give an accurate estimate on any piano without inspecting it , so I'm not asking for that. I wondered if anyone could give me an approximate estimate for what a piano like that MIGHT be expected to fetch these days.

Many thanks,
James

[mdw]

As its a Yamaha Its value is determined by what all the thousands of other Yams are selling for on the web, so search for the model work out and average and knock off a chunk to cover moving, tuning and no guarantee if its a private sale compared to from a shop. Case marks might be costly to repair but might be worth dooing if the rest of the case is perfect. Try the shop you purchased it from but be prepared to take a hit.

[vernon]

without knowing your circumstances, I could guess that you are not giving up playing and if you contemplate replacing it with a decent Kawai or similar, do a deal with your dealer in part exchange.

[James Henderson]

Thank you for the replies. You're right Vernon, I'm not giving up playing (although God knows, I probably should). I'm in no particular hurry to part with the C3 but on the other hand I would be interested in finding out what else is out there. I'd like something with a less 'clinical' sound but I don't have the floor space for anything much bigger than the C3.

James

[joseph]

Maybe you should just have your C3 voiced differently? They're pretty good pianos and one so young will just be coming into its own about now. I like the sound of my Brodmann, really beautiful tone, sweeter than Yamaha BUT the build quality isn't all that great, which I'm not too bothered about as I'm going to run it into the ground anyway. Perhaps the new ones are better.

If I had £20-30k to spend on a new 6 foot piano, I'd look at Kawai, Yamaha S, Boston (I really like the heavy action on it), Petrof (who are making some really sweet instruments) and I'm sure others could recommend others.

Of course, if I had £50-60k to spend, there'd be a choice of one. Can you guess which one?

[James Henderson]

Joseph - I'm certainly interested in trying some Brodmanns as everything I've heard about them so far has been positive. I see what you mean about the build quality versus tone, but wouldn't you rather have a piano that retained some value rather than one that was 'run into the ground' and therefore not worth much/anything when the time comes to replace it? It seems as if the better quality Yamahas (i.e. C series and above) do quite well in that department.

I'm trying to guess which piano you would go for for 50-60k - a new Steinway B?

[joseph]

I know what you mean but I'm a pianist and piano teacher by trade, and we always wear our pianos out. Goes with the territory. I think in about 5 years or so (all being well) I'll get a new piano, maybe a Kawai RX or a Boston 215, Yamaha S or something, and keep the Brodmann for all the heavy work and teaching using the newer better piano for finishing work. Or I might just keep playing the Brodmann oblivious to the fact it's falling to bits around me. Pianists are also quite good at that! Oh I forgot I still have that old Bluthner somewhere. I should go on Jonathan Ross, what with two grands, an upright and a digital its clearly four pianos and a ....