second hand Hupfeld 112 renner vs

[mdenisa]

Hello everyone. I am new to this list. I would like to buy a second hand piano (mostly for my four year old to learn to play but also for myself- I studied as a kid, then I rebelled, and now I am keen to play). I hesitate between a hupfeld 112 renner ( height 125 cm, 22 years old, listed price 4460 euros) OR a romanian brand Caraiman renner (115 cm hight, 24 years, listed price 3470 euros). I like the sound of both but I am also thinking about the reselling value. Both are eastern european brands and not cheap ( for my budget at least). Both should have been tuned, checked, etc. and are up for sale by a certified dealer in Paris. Many thanks in advance. Den

[Colin Nicholson]

Welcome....

I would never buy a piano myself or compare on-line until I have actually tried out and played both pianos, and come face to face with the dealer. Either piano may be OK - one no better than the other, it's a matter of personal choice and your budget.

We cannot give re-selling valuations here on the forum - this will depend on the future condition of the piano, and how often it is tuned and fully serviced/ regulated. The taller piano will have a better bass - longer bass strings.

If you buy on-line, think of the warranty/ return of the piano if problems/ tuning on delivery/ any personal problems.

With respect, your 4 year old child may be too young to learn the piano (having lessons) - it depends on their concentration levels. Certainly nice to own for your child, but you yourself need to think of the purchase, not your child. Most young children will play anything with piano keys and a piano sound.... even digital. When your child is older, then that's different. Buy the piano (for now) mainly for yourself.

The best age for a child to start piano lessons is around 7 years.

Best wishes

[mdenisa]

Dear Colin, thank you for your answer- lesson learned. I also thought the kid cannot properly learn so early (could certainly hit the keys but that's not learning), but then there is some sort of social pressure to start things early, ha ha. I will then make the decision based on my own preferences for the moment. It does relieve some pressure of buying "now", I could take some more time to enjoy the experience.

I heard a recording of the two pianos on line (assuming it is a trustful recording); and I liked both. I was actually able to eliminate many "great" brands by just listening to the sound on line but I agree with you I should go directly to the store.

The thing is that there are many online stores or blogs about how to choose a piano (but I liked this one by far !!!) and many of them say bluntly do not buy eastern european brands ( e.g. the romanian caraiman) or eastern german brands (e.g. hupfeld). Although these may be both excellent pianos, I would rather be more conservative and buy something I like and "the market" values. I know we will be moving in 2-3 years and I may not be able to keep this particular piano for long. But I do want to play again, after a long break I now have the maturity to enjoy the instrument in a different way than when I had to study for competing.

Thanks again, and I hope I did not break any rules of the forum. As I said, I enjoyed a lot reading some posts here, and I learned a lot ! Hope to be able to contribute some day.