Kawai/Samick Grand - Need Advice

[carazymcmahon]

Some new options.
There is a 5'10" 1966 Kawai for around $6,500.
https://reno.craigslist.org/msg/571963292.html
For the size and price, it looks like a great deal but I havent played it yet and I dont know enough about pianos to know if smaller Kawai grands are worth it.

Then there is a 17 yr old Samick baby grand for around $3,500.
https://reno.craigslist.org/fur/569444826.html
Because of the price, I'm leaning towards this already.

Does anybody have any advice on this. I've never even heard of a Samick and I dont know too much about Kawais (except that many people dont like them). Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[iumonito]

Kawai is a quality piano.  What you describe may be a KG3.  It is small for my taste, but serviceable.  Unless it has been fully rebuilt, you should not pay more than US$ 3,800 for it.  I doubt it has been rebuilt, because who would spend the time doing that instead of rebuilding either a bigger one, or a better piano, like a Mason A, which is about the same size?

The Samick, well, that's not really a piano.  I wouldn't take it even if they gave it to me for free and delivered it to my door.  You will grow to hate it quickly and have to end up paying somebody to haul it away one way or another.

On the other hand, you should consider a new Chinese piano.  In that size a Perzina, which is a nice little piano, should sell for about $5,000 (try for 50% of what the dealer offers it for.  There are a few dealers that are serious about what they do and do not price their pianos that way, but most will simply double the wholesale price and then offer a material discount (for high end pianos lees than for the entry level ones).

[richard black]

Samick is one of the Korean makes. A lot of their pianos get rebadged with some German-sounding name. I'm not a big fan, but they're not the worst. Modern Kawais are good but 1966? Can't help you there, I don't think I've ever seen one that old!

[pianochick93]

And here I was thinking that Samick made bows...

[andric_s]

With one exception, every Samick I've ever played has been terrible.  The exception was an upright at a steady gig I had.
But I've had two other steady gigs on Samick baby grands that were just awful.  One of the practice/teaching studios at my old college had one, too, and it was the worst.  And I've probably tried 20 of them in piano stores, none of them even remotely decent.

[tsagari]

I agree with the others. Samick no way Kawai yes

[rachfan]

I agree with the others, go with the Kawai.

[tsagari]

I think Kawai should give us all some bonus for our support

[rachfan]

Hmmmm.... I was thinking of this more as the lesser of the evils in a forced choice.

[carazymcmahon]

haha, well its good to know that the samick shouldnt even be considered.

Theres a sale at the local steinway store this weekend. I went in and played some Boston's and Essex's, around the 12-15k range and found a 5'8 Essex that had a really good sound, action was prety smooth too. We can get it down to atleast 11k for sure, maybe a little lower but the pianos are being shipped back to NY monday (I'm in Nevada).

Does anybody have any advice for this ordeal? I could really use some help with this.

[jinfiesto]

Wow. This is weird. You live in Reno, and I teach at that steinway store. Lol. 11 for an Essex is a good price. You should let me sell it to you... Hahahaha... mmmm comission. But seriously, I'd take the Essex over the kawaii or the samick (god forbid) any day.

Seriously, if you want, message me, and I'll meet you down at the steinway store on monday, and I'll see if I can't help you out a little bit.

[andric_s]

Wait a minute, they're selling New York pianos in Nevada?  Aren't pianos supposed to be aclimatized to a specific climate?  I'm no expert, but I thought that a piano that had been sitting in the northeast would have serious problems if moved to the desert.  Or was that just more marketing hype by the New York Steinway people?  Anyway, my impression is that this is a serious issue.

I don't know about the Essex pianos, but I think the Bostons are overpriced, owing in part to the "Steinway-designed" hype (I bought a Boston GP163 in 2004).  Be careful about the time-pressure.  I fell for that one, and I regret it a little (one of those "invitation-only" sales).  I could have bought a better instrument for the money if I'd waited.

11 grand sounds pretty good for a 5'8" piano, if it's a good instrument.

[carazymcmahon]

Wait a minute, they're selling New York pianos in Nevada?  Aren't pianos supposed to be aclimatized to a specific climate?  I'm no expert, but I thought that a piano that had been sitting in the northeast would have serious problems if moved to the desert.  Or was that just more marketing hype by the New York Steinway people?  Anyway, my impression is that this is a serious issue.

yah, I thats what I was thinking too. Maybe I heard him wrong, or the pianos have already been here a while.