Upright vs. Grand

[forzaitalia250]

I'm going to be getting a new piano soon, which I have needed for quite some time as my current piano is utter crap.

Anyway, with a budget of about 15-20k I was wondering if I'd be better off with a high quality upright, or baby grand (no more than 6/6.5 feet due to space constraints) of probably lesser quality (due to cost constraints)

Intuition tells me I'll be better off with the upright because I'll get a higher quality piano for the money, and the action is more important than the sound for me.

I've gone shopping around just to test the waters. My favorite of the uprights so far was a Charles Walter, the action was simply incredable! It had a lovely tone that the Yamahas seem to lack (too bright for my taste, which is nice for jazz sometimes, but I play predominantly classical).

I sampled some other Asian pianos as well and was very dissatisfied. I've narrowed my selection down to only hand-made pianos because I feel the mass-produced pianos are no where near of the same quality (of a good handmade at least) and also, in terms of an investment, I would think the handmades would fare the test of time better.

In terms of the grands I've tried, I've played Steinways, which would be my ideal choice, but they are well out of my price range. I've also played some Petrovs, which ranged from neither here nor there to terrible. I also played some Yamaha grands, but they were, again, too bright and in my opinion, over-priced for a piano that's mass produced.

I liked the Baldwins I played the most, though many seem to be out of my price range. I did come across one that was lightly used for around 20k that was very nice, but that's at the very outer limit of my price range, where as the Charles Walter (which I preffered the action to over the Balwin, though the grand trumped in sound quality) was only 12k.

Also, the Baldwin was used, and I don't know if I'm comfortable buying a used piano.

Anyway, basically that's my story. Any advice would be appreciated!

[forzaitalia250]

/bump

Anyone have any advice on the above?

[jlh]

Honestly, get what you want.  It seems you might be looking for validation or authorization to purchase a cheaper upright.  If that's what you want, then enjoy it.  I personally think you'd be better off in the long run with a grand piano of some kind if you can financially swing it. 

By the way, don't get a baby grand piano... get a grand.

Here's a "baby grand" piano.  Notice how small it is. 

[alzado]

First of all, a grand that is 6' to 6-1/2' feet is by NO MEANS a baby grand.  It is certainly a mid-sized grand -- choose whatever exact term you want for it.

There will be some considerations beyond just what you like.  What kind of space do you have in your home?  How often do you expect to have to move?  My grand is 5'8" and weighs about 800 lbs.  They are expensive to move.

There are some uprights I like a lot.  Grands are nice, of course, but there are going to be good ones and medicre ones.

Some of the top-line Yamaha uprights are very excellent, and I can't imagine being that unhappy if I had to trade my present grand for one.

I hope this helps.

[flashcat]

I would take my Baldwin upright over 95% of all the grands on which I have performed. There is such a depth and richness and *playability* that is simply unmatched. When shopping for my piano, I was told that money wasn't an issue. I played everything in the store, grands included, but I kept coming back to this one. Found out later it had been played in an outdoor concert, in the rain . That might explain why it strangely seems less affected by humidity than any other piano I've known.

( I am in no way suggesting we leave our pianos out in the rain simply to save on tuning frequency, I'm merely vouching for the high quality of the Baldwin brand)

You buy artwork for how it looks. You buy a piano for how it Sounds. Close you eyes and go by sound to guide your choice.

[jinfiesto]

You don't buy pianos just for sound. You buy them for touch too. Anyways, I'd go with the grand hands down. I don't think you'll find an upright to match a grand of that price. Plus uprights have physical limitations on an action. IE repeating notes can't be done quite so fast on an upright because of how the action is oriented. As for a good quality grand for that price, I would look at a yamaha, a kawaii, or a petrof. Yeah, yamaha's are bright, but you can get the hammers plucked and shaper, and that'll fix that. A voiced yamaha should feel and sound as good as almost anything save your uber expensive piano brands. I would go with a japanese or a european though. I don't think american pianos are that great unless you're talking steinway. I'm not much of a baldwin fan.

[txmuslguy]

Take some time and investigate the Mason & Hamlin pianos made in the USA. Very good to excellent.

[jolly]

Bohemia.

If you're looking at verticals, they make a nice piano for the money. I would also try to find a properly prepped Petrof 131 (although distribution of Petrof in the U.S. is a little up in the air right now)

If you are on the West Coast, drop by Fandrich's shop, and try out his action.

Grand-wise....go play a Charles Walter....it's out of your budget range, but it doesn't cost what a M&H or a Steinway does, and IMNSHO, is of better build quality than Steinway.

If you do have to stay south of $20K, look at Estonia, Knabe, Yamaha C, Petrof and the Kawai RX-2 to see what you can find. I don't think you can find a Baldwin R for less than 20k anymore, but I'd certainly play them, to check them out.