Advice re: purchase...please be gentle!

[geoffsolomon]

I am considering purchasing a new Taylor 'baby' grand. It is 4' 9" tg 145. To say that I am a novice would be overstating the facts. I have 4 young children, who we would like to have take lessons; and my wife and I are both interested in doing so also.

I have read a bit about upright versus grand, small grands under 5', chinese made, etc. but the bottom line is that it is aesthetically pleasing, and to my untrained ear...sounds a lot like a piano. We have the room for it, but don't want to spend a whole lot not knowing the family's long-term committment.

Bottom line I can buy it for $5,000. Seems like a reasonable deal to me. Not expecting a 'Steinway', but I don't want to be wasting my money either.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

[awesom_o]

Don't get such a short grand. There are many fine upright pianos available that would serve your needs better than the piano which you have described.

Don't be afraid to try other Chinese brands.

[geoffsolomon]

Thanks awesom_o; is there no redeeming value of such a size grand? At that price point ($5,000), what upright would you recommend as a 'step-up'?

[awesom_o]

Grands under five feet have no redeeming value, regardless of manufacturer.  Look for a 52" Upright.

For that price you can get a good 20-30 year old Yamaha or Kawai, or a new upright from a Chinese manufacturer.

My favourite is Ritmuller, made by Pearl River, but they might be a little bit more $.

There is a regular Pearl River 52" model that is quite good that you should be able to get for closer to $4,000, although this could depend on the area in which you live.

Any 52" upright (and many good 48" uprights also) will be a better instrument than 4'9 grand.

There are quite a few good grands in between 5'3 and 5'7. But not 4'9.

[hfmadopter]

Thanks awesom_o; is there no redeeming value of such a size grand? At that price point ($5,000), what upright would you recommend as a 'step-up'?

Move to the next size range in grand piano styling. In Chinese pianos some decent brands will cost about $6500-$6700 US in the 5'+ range. You may find a decent used Japanese piano in that range as well ( both size and cost). The difference in cost will be worth while in the long run.

I personally am not a fan of grand pianos under about 5'5" or even 5'7", at those sizes the bass starts to fill out nicely. My own is 5'11" with a very full bass tone and resonance. Some of these new pianos have some nice bass tones though. You just have to play them, you can hear the difference as you move up in size. All brands are not created equal however.