$5000 to spend on an acoustic piano....Which one do I choose?

[chprout]

My mother just gave me $5000 cash and wants me to have a nice piano.  I have never had anything like this happen to me before and it sounds extremely spoiled, even when I say it.

She was going to buy the Yamaha T121 "professional" line upright and have it delivered to my house.  However, she handed me the cash and told me to purchase it instead.

The Yamaha is still at the top of my list of what I've seen, but I was wondering what acoustic you guys would buy if you had $5000 to spend.

Please don't tell me a digital or electric unit, but I would love to hear your recommendations for acoustics. 

Someone suggested a Kawai also, as being comparable to Yamaha.  I am also wondering about resale value.

[CeeDee]

Mine! - gimme your money!. You can buy japanese sounding pianos in the UK (I think they are called Kembals or something similar) but I think they are made here. Anyway, they sound really good - about $1500.  If I had $5k I would look at a preowned Yamaha baby grand - they might not sound any better than a good upright but they look a whole lot better. Cheers, CeeDee

[tosca1]

For $5000 you can not go wrong with either a Yamaha or Kawai vertical piano.
I would recommend a new vertical piano. A grand piano at $5000 is not a sensible option as it would be either very old and in need of restoration or it would be an inferior quality piano.  $5000 would get you in at  the price entry level for new Yahama and Kawai vertical pianos. Our music department recently bought two new  Kawai vertical pianos for NZ$5000 each and they are both very responsive and warm sounding pianos.
Another option is to buy a second hand Yamaha or Kawai vertical piano of a larger size higher quality.  Ultimately the only sure way to decide is to try the piano and if it is a second hand piano check its condition and tuning stability very carefully.

Kind regards,
Robert.

[chprout]

Thanks.  I did go look at the Kawai's today and several other brands.  After hearing an experienced player play on many different models today, I decided on the T121 Yamaha 48" upright.  The sounds was wonderfully huge and full and I loved it.

[MarkAllison]

A used Yamaha U3 or U1, maybe even a full height Kawai.

[charliza]

I have the same dilema I'm looking at the Kawai K3 and the Yamaha T121 I really don't know which one to pick. Can some body help with this?
Out the 2 pianos which one is better instrument for the money? I don't know anything about acoustic pianos and I'm going purely on brand names.
Thanks in advance.

[keys60]

Love my Charles R. Walter for around that price. Solidly constructed. Good bass for a 44". American made.

[pianist1976]

I'm looking at the Kawai K3 and the Yamaha T121 I really don't know which one to pick. Out the 2 pianos which one is better instrument for the money?

Both makes are reasonabily good for mid price and both models you posted seem to have equivalent features. Which one is better? Depends on the personal taste. In this case, the only way to choose is going to the store, trying both and choosing the one that makes you feel better playing it regarding to tone, comfortability of the action, etc. If you know nothing about pianos yet, the sensible advice would be to ask for help to a professional who will try both pianos, maybe your teacher or just even the piano salesman.

As an additional advice, I think that it's insane to buy a piano without having tried it before "in situ" (must be avoided buying by the Internet, by mail catalog...). (I don't know if that was your intention)

[bosendorfer175]

I just went piano shopping for a back up piano and bought, for less than $3,000, a used 45" Schimmel upright, about 50 years old.  The piano has a  very nice touch, great sound and lots of character.

[keys60]

You can find some decent well regulated and smaller Knabes and Chickering and Sohmer baby grands in that price range. Usually in the 5' - 5'4" range.