Seeking some advice

[George]

Hello everyone.

Looking for some advice. I know nothing about pianos and looking to get my daughter one this week. Its a upright Yamaha c110a its in a shop local to me. I thought it was brand new, looks mint condition but shop says its 20-25 years old but he said it must of just been mostly an ornament. Not been used much at all.
So just really looking for advice its priced at £2500 don't mind paying that but would like to know if its a good deal or overpriced.

Also i would quite like to learn the piano myself, daughter has a keyboard the now and i used her app simply piano and the past 3 days ive been playing around 2-3 hours a day and ive started to surprise myself and learn the very basic stuff.
So my second question would be and i know it’s probably going to be impossible to answer but i am desperate to learn to play clair de lune by debussy my wife loves that and i do too. Would like to just surprise her one day and play it. How long would it take if practicing say 5 days a week to learn something
Iike this ? Also would i learn so much faster with a tutor or should i maybe lean the basics more first ?

[chrisw]

I can't comment in detail on the Yamaha C110a upright. However Yamaha pianos have earned a good reputation for being robust and standing up to a great deal of use. It is important however that the person going to use it most likes the feel of the keys under their fingers and the sound the piano makes.
The starting price for a modern upright piano bought from a shop is going to be between £2000 and £2500. If you were after a Yamaha U1 upright it would be at least £3500. Make sure you get a free tuning and a five or ten year guarantee thrown in with the price, perhaps even a new piano stool.

And now to Clair de Lune. It is not an impossibly difficult piece of music and the first two pages are much easier than the remaining four. It took me six months to learn all six pages years ago so I could give you a guess that you may need twelve months if you have no previous experience on piano. However it all depends on persistence and sheer hard work and it seems that there are numerous people who populate various Facebook music pages that tackle difficult pieces immediately on acquiring a piano. If I was a piano teacher, which I am not, I might suggest spending a few months on the basics of reading music and doing some technical work on arpeggios before starting on Clair de Lune. My first piano teacher as an adult did actually start me on this piece before I was really ready for it so it took a long time to learn. You will however succeed if you want to.

[Barrie Heaton]

No, it is not a good price that Model was badly made in China. You can get a new Yamaha B1 for £2400 if you shop around, they are made in Indonesia and far better piano than the C110

Barrie

[George]

I am going to buy one from this shop, just because its local, doing a 10 year guarantee and service is only £60 per year.
My daughter is only 13 and doesn’t want a old looking piano as she said and must be black. Shop only has two options the upright piano or a baby grand at £10,000 so its the upright or nothing the now lol.
Are they really that bad ? I know there a entry level piano, would ideally like to buy this one and wait 2-3 if my daughter really gets into piano I’ll invest in a baby grand then.
Was talking to the shop again yesterday he can take a few hundred off and comes with stool 10 year guarantee and said service was £60 per year so didn’t want to ask for free service.

[Barrie Heaton]

Compared to the ones made in Japan, yes they were terrible and not as well made as to the ones made in Indonesia. At 25 years old, you will find that the bass strings will start to go, and the top treble was false as hell.
A 10-year guarantee that helps if they are still around but you are paying more for a 20-year-old piano then a brand new one of the same size and better model a B1

it is nice that you are supporting your local dealer

Barrie

[George]

Yes if I'm honest i really want to buy local. Got talking to the man and he told me he took over the shop when his father passed and he's been in the piano business for 40 odd years. Plus when i went in he pointed me to his cheapest piano £200 and it was 100 years old, so didn’t try to turn me onto a expensive one.
He’s telling me its a great first piano and is mint condition.
What would be a fair price for a c110 in mint condition? Think im probably going to buy this Monday.
I appreciate you opinion and if he had the better version in his shop i would certainly take your advice and get it but as i said its only that he has at the moment in black.

[NewAge]

Whatever you do, please heed Barrie's excellent advise. Don't buy this old, Chinese C110. Piano forums are full of buyer's remorse having not heeded good advise to pass on a piano they "fell-in-love" with whilst wearing rose-coloured spectacles........
What ever the seller states, I will argue that there is no way a 25 year piano will be in 'mint' condition, even if it has been refurbished. It may look mint aesthetically, but it's beauty will be no more than skin deep.
So many first-time piano buyers fall into a common trap of rushing into a purchase. Finding a good used piano can be a very rewarding experience.
My advise is, take a few steps backwards, take your time, cast your net further and above all read up on which pianos are recommended and especially those to avoid. This doesn't imply that I'd never recommend buying a 25 year old piano, but being forewarned is forearmed.
If you insist buying locally, negotiate with your piano seller for a new Yamaha B1, as Barrie says it would be far superior.
And regarding price negotiation, insist on an in-store preparation, a free in-house tune after a few months, and a free stool. If no satisfaction take your business elsewhere.