Any issues with Essex? Need help with piano selection

[neilq]

Some background: Both my wife and I are in our 50's  and started lessons last year..We have been using a yamaha p105 DP but now would like to get a grand piano. In short we are total novices when it comes to piano selection

We are looking to buy a new Essex 173 (5'.  I know from the pianoworld forum archives that a lot of members feel that the Essex's are overpriced  and some new or used pianos may be a better choice etc. So I know we will be paying more than other choices so I ask that you set price aside.

I would very much appreciate some feedback from any Essex owners or others who can comment on any issues (other than price) I may encounter with an Essex (eg premature issues with the action parts, wont stay in tune, etc) or whatever. I'm not even sure what other things I would need to worry about. Or perhaps price is the only negative?


 Any help you can give us newbies is greatly appreciated

[richard black]

I don't own an Essex but I have played a lot of them in colleges etc. They are OK as cheap pianos go and sound quite nice when they are new, but they really don't last well - the felt on the hammers gets hard very quickly and things start to squeak and rub internally. I don't really see any way in which they are better than even cheaper pianos, and by spending just a little more you can get a better instrument. Second-hand is great, of course, as long as you have the time and patience to look around and are able to enlist some expert advice to check for hidden problems.