Samick pianos

[kghayesh]

Does anybody know the quality of Samick pianos and how well do they compare to Yamahas, Steinways, Kawais....etc.
I have recently seen a new Samick upright that is the same category as the Yamaha U3 for about $3800.

[Axtremus]

kghayesh wrote:

"I have recently seen a new Samick upright that is the same category as the Yamaha U3 for about $3800."

What do you mean by "in the same category"? You mean they are both of the same height at 52 inches?

[kghayesh]

Yes approxiamtely the same height

[c18cont]

I found, in my travels of the last two months,

Samick made piano's were similar. or less than Pearl River Consortium in my recent search for a servicable unit at economy pricing.

I bought a Ritmuller after looking within 200+  miles of my home, (including Knabe)..I got the Ritmuller in my home town....

John Cont

[Glyptodont]

Our piano was manufactured by Samick in a joint venture with Baldwin.  It is sometimes referred to as "Howard by Baldwin."   It was built in Korea, but incorporates at least some Baldwin parts.  It is a 5' 8" grand.  We bought it in 1990 -- I don't think this model is made anymore, but quite a few of them were sold.

I like it, and have had no trouble with it. 

Larry Fine in his THE PIANO BOOK says that these Howards vary piano by piano.  Some sound good to his ear, and some do not.  They represent a lower cost line.  He says if you can listen to individual pianos and identify one you like, they can be a good buy. 

Is a Ford Escort "just as good" as a Mercedes?  You have to compare apples with apples.

In Fine's book he also comments that many of the Asian-made pianos can be very uneven in quality and sound.  Sometimes it goes by year.  Back in the 1990's there were major labor strikes in Korea.  For a year or two after each of these headline-grabbing national strikes, Fine noted a fall-off in quality with Korean pianos.

Every time one reads another edition of Fine's book -- I think he is on the 4th edition and I don't know how many annual updates -- he keeps revising his rating of some of the Asian pianos.   With some, he expresses dismay at a fall-off in quality.  Others he praises for improving quality.  This keeps changing.

Does Samick make good pianos?  I think so.  Have they made some poor ones?  For sure.  But Fine would say that the same is true of Baldwin, a much more prestigious manufacturer than Samick.

So, "let the buyer beware."  Remember the old maxim, "act in haste and repent at leisure."