First grand piano: Beale 4ft 8 or??

[ang15]

Hi Everyone, I'm Ang, I'm new here  I am 35 yrs old and have been playing the piano since I was a small child, and teaching for the past 5 years. I have had a Kemble upright for about 20 yrs. I am looking at getting a baby grand piano. I did Grade 7 ABRSM in 1995 and then had many yrs break.. was starting to study Grade 8 in 2010 when a motorbike accident caused me a shoulder injury and I had to give up lessons and spending extended periods of time at the piano. So I just want a better instrument for pleasure mostly, I can spend more time at the piano now but both shoulders are still not up to riding a motorbike or studying for a piano exam. (I have sold the motorbike!!) I have seen and played a brand new Beale 4ft 8 baby grand recently, it is the cheapest new one I have seen at $11,000 New Zealand. Any advice would be much appreciated. I think I would spend much time just improvising on it as I fell in love with the touch of the keys and the tone of it..

[lukediv]

Hi Ang,

I would think twice about buying a Beale. The first piano i owned was a Beale and i was happy with it for many years until i got the chance to play other pianos.

I find Beales have a very hard action, and a super bright sound. Their quality went downhill a lot after manufacturing moved from Australia (my country) to China. When made locally in Sydney they were a much stronger piano. Beales pre 1980ish are supoosedly better, however i would look at Kawai or Yamaha for a better quality instrument. Definitely spend the extra bit, you will be happier with a better quality instrument/sound.

[iancollett6]

Hello,
         Im in Australia as well. About 1 year ago after six months of researching I bought a Yamaha YUS1 121cm upright.
 I tried quite a few different pianos but kept coming back to the Yamaha. I compared it back to back to the Yamaha baby grand, which was the same price, and I feel that the top grade upright was superior.
 The feeling I got was that in the AUD$10,000 area, the new grand pianos available were entry level, and were more aimed at consumers interested in the aesthetics of a piano.
 But you have been playing for a long time and Im sure you know what a good piano feels like! Good Luck.

[hfmadopter]

My only suggestion is to play many different pianos before you buy. Purchase the one that you sit at and want to play and play. Keep in mind that as a teacher now, you may want industrial strength. Students can be tough on your most loved instrument . They don't all have the best respect for it. You may want to keep that Kemble around for students. I've taken the reverse tact. My grand is old and I keep it going for my own joy. I've switched to teaching my couple of students I have from the grand to my digital ( even I pound on that with rock and pop music, never goes out of tune and is a well built Kawai).. I keep the grand reserved for just my own classical practice and playing.

I don't know anything about the new generation Beales but there are imports that are well made according to the tech at the piano rebuilding shop down the street from my house. He says many have accuracy built in by precision cutting ( computer run CNC machines etc.) and shaping of parts that a human couldn't do by hand. Mass generation of accurate piano parts and pieces also has driven down the cost of many decently built pianos. He says it's really killing the rebuilding market though. What you need to find out is if Beale is one of the better pianos made over seas these days.

And hey, at least you survived the bike crash ! I've known people who did not.

[ang15]

Thank you everyone,  have extended my budget to Nz$15k a bit more than the Harley sold for but nevermind my piano technician is going to look at a 23 yr old Yamaha c3 for me as I played one in the store but it was far too expensive!! Tomorrow i am going into Auckland city to see what is available there my technician advised that with this budget second hand is the best option and yes I wish to keep my Kemble for the students and they can (maybe) play the grand in the annual concert (I don't hhave much choice as it is held in lounge!) and maybe students studying for grade 4+.. Any further advice welcome i feel so lucky to have my piano tuner he is excited and keen on my behalf and is not chasing for the inspection though i hhave o waite till he's in the area nextwk!!k

[hfmadopter]

Thank you everyone,  have extended my budget to Nz$15k a bit more than the Harley sold for but nevermind my piano technician is going to look at a 23 yr old Yamaha c3 for me as I played one in the store but it was far too expensive!! Tomorrow i am going into Auckland city to see what is available there my technician advised that with this budget second hand is the best option and yes I wish to keep my Kemble for the students and they can (maybe) play the grand in the annual concert (I don't hhave much choice as it is held in lounge!) and maybe students studying for grade 4+.. Any further advice welcome i feel so lucky to have my piano tuner he is excited and keen on my behalf and is not chasing for the inspection though i hhave o waite till he's in the area nextwk!!k

That's how it went when I bought my grand. Only could afford used and barely at that ,considering raising a young family at the time. My old tuner was doing a partial rebuild on the piano I bought and is who suggested the piano to me and my new tuner helped me move it which is how he ended up being my new turner. Techs are great people or mine were anyway. That was more than 30 years ago, I still own that piano.

Next week is just a few days away compared with a lifetime of piano ownership !

[ang15]

The good news is, I have had the 1990 C3 checked out by a technician and he advises that it is in very good condition and that NZ$18,500 is a fair price..(I believe it is 6ft 1 but need to confirm) (it is on an online auction site). Obviously not included would be delivery, tuning and etc. a piano stool..
I have seen on a website, at a local dealership, a brand new Yamaha GB1 PE 5ft NZ$17,995 (to be confirmed but this may or may not include a piano stool, teacher discount, delivery.. ) and the brand new warranty...
So what I would like some impartial advice on is, why would a person spend more on a 23 yr old model that is 1 ft larger? I understand the brand new C3's are $53,000. Excuse my ignorance but I would love some impartial advice as sales people just try to sell you the one they think you are most considering... I will discuss with my technician too of course...
Thank you pianists you are being very helpful 

[j_menz]

The GB models are, I believe, made in Indonesia, and are of cheaper construction (cabinet/soundboard/strings/pinblock) and design (no duplex scaling, no sostenuto pedal (it acts as a damper for the bass notes only), tackier key surfaces and is harder (physically) to tune due to the position of the pegs, no sliding  music rack. It's a budget model and they have undertaken a lot of shortcuts to get it to that point. The C2 is part of their midrange, and is made in Japan, and has pretty much everything working/in place as it should be. That extra foot makes a difference, too. More than you might think.  If the used one is in good condition, as your tech appears to indicate, it's a MUCH better buy.

[hfmadopter]

So what I would like some impartial advice on is, why would a person spend more on a 23 yr old model that is 1 ft larger? I understand the brand new C3's are $53,000. Excuse my ignorance but I would love some impartial advice as sales people just try to sell you the one they think you are most considering... I will discuss with my technician too of course...
Thank you pianists you are being very helpful 

There should always be some warranty with a used piano. Secondly, obviously you have to play the piano to know if you like it or not.

Beyond those two items, the two pianos you mention are not even close to being in the same class. Additionally a piano in great shape used, that is a foot larger and of a higher standard than the smaller newer one should resonate all over the new one. Especially the bass, should be full and strong. If any of this is not the case then don't buy that C3. However, the C3 should be the superior piano in this comparison. The C3 is a well sought after model and in my way of thinking the size is a nice large living room or decent sized studio sized size piano at 6'1".

All that may not pan out to be so for you but that's how it "should be", if all is well with the C3.

 

[ang15]

Hi thanks again for the helpful advice  I am going to check out the C3 tomorrow. So far in my search a second hand C3 was my favourite except for a Schimmel which is out of my price range. Another C3 has come on the auction website, it is at a dealership claiming excellent condition. It is 4 yrs older but nearly $6000 less... I wonder why?? 

[hfmadopter]

Hi thanks again for the helpful advice  I am going to check out the C3 tomorrow. So far in my search a second hand C3 was my favourite except for a Schimmel which is out of my price range. Another C3 has come on the auction website, it is at a dealership claiming excellent condition. It is 4 yrs older but nearly $6000 less... I wonder why?? 

I'm sure there is a reason, could be anything from cosmetic to a crack in the sound board. Have your tech look it over.