First Piano

[Scott]

Right well here goes,

I'm a classical guitarist by nature and know jack all about pianos! I am currently working towards being a music teacher and so have decided to learn piano aswell to increase my general music knowledge/abilities as a teacher (plus the fact Ive wanted to learn for ages). Ive been learning for about 6 weeks so far using a keyboard my teachers leant me and have decided its time to finally get my own.

So here comes the catch - Ive got about 2 grand to spend and very little idea of what Im doing. I know that I want an upright, and that a second hand one of better quality is a smarter buy than a new one. I know that the taller the piano the better the sound quality. Ive also read lots of reviews about playing the piano before I buy, testing the weight of the keys, making sure i get the same piano that i try out etc and using reputable dealers but wonderd what sort of range I should be aiming for? Ive played a yamaha u3 recently and loved it but having looked around i doubt im going to find one in a decent nick with the right serial number for the 2k mark? If not then should i be looking at maybe a u1/ the b series?

Any thoughts/ opinions greatly appreciated!

[Barrie Heaton]

You have to get the piano in your budget if you want a U3 then you will have to buy one that is a bit on the old side look in the Pianos for sale by Shops there are plenty on there near your budget

If you want new then its going to be far east imports there are a few out there 2K and under again look at Pianos for sale by Shops but you will have to go for the smaller size pianos

Barrie,

[bartgovaert]

(second time I try posting a reply).

Scott,

You can negotiate quite a lot on new list prices. Kawai K2 is a very nice piano, the list price is approx 4K but you should be able to get it for 3K (outside London).

One thing you will have to deal with, as a classical guitar player, is nails. I play piano, now also learning classical guitar and I am growing my nails. To be honest, it is driving me nuts when I play the piano. I am considering playing guitar with short nails anyway, I understand this was quite common before Segovia.

[vernon]

Scott
good advice as Kawais are excellent pianos with a strong qualified monitored dealership.
Contact Kawai and they will give you their list of approved dealers with whom you can negotiate

[sussexpianos]

For around £2k you are a bit limited but here are my recommendations.
Steinmayer 108/110/118 = good pianos for the money once regulated well.They range £1900-£2300.
Samick 042/043/112/115 =Good value for money with German strings & hammers.£2100-£2500
Good secondhand piano from your local dealer.

Its easy to shop around for prices but bear in mind that the price dealers charge cover the transport, preparation time, tuning and aftersales service. Try and buy local if you can as pianos are complicated things and you will need a good reputable local dealer who has good technicians to help. Some dealers do send out pianos un-prepared and the customer only realizes when the piano starts causing small problems. Cheaper is not always better.