|
|
Post by YetAnotherKlavierist on Jan 12, 2007 22:38:19 GMT
Posted this on TOP, but didn't want to deny those without access the opportunity to respond to my wonderful thread  . AP and I have just moved house and are looking at supplementing our trusty digital piano with an acoustic one. If we were to buy one, we would be looking at keeping it for 10 years or so, then replacing it with a new instrument to last us from then on. We were wondering, if we were to buy an instrument now, what would it be worth in 10 years' time, assuming we had it tuned regularly and looked after it well? The piano we're looking at is a Yamaha GB1, which seems like a good sized piano for the size of room in which we intend to put it. I played one quite extensively in a shop a few weeks ago, and was very impressed. The RRP is £7499, but one can get them for around £5000 through reputable Internet dealers. Thanks for any advice  . |
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Jan 13, 2007 1:06:26 GMT
A little scared of replying, because you probably know more about this than I do, but just to say that you're unlikely to fare badly if you go for a Yamaha, financially speaking. But maggiemay and self agreed on another thread on TOP that Yamahas can feel very mechanical - like a digital. If money's not the issue, as in 'will you get your money back?' I really love the response from a Kawai piano, and despite having moaned about it not holding its tune for long, thre is nothing that pleases me more than my own Hyundai (when just tuned, and for a week and a half afterwards). It's a great Baroque and Mozart piano, being so crystal clear, but can sound harsh when it starts to slip. But you're probably looking in an altogether higher price bracket than this. My Hyundai was about £3000.
|
|
|
|
Post by Steve Hopwood on Jan 13, 2007 6:20:18 GMT
A new piano drops in value the moment you take it out of the showroom because it is second-hand. Nobody who has researched prices is going to pay the same for it as they would for a new one. I bought my first new piano in 1975 - an upright Yamaha for £700. I kept it as a second instrument after buying the grand in 1980, selling it privately in 1991 for £1200. In this period, the price of the same make brand new had risen to over £3,000. I paid £4,000 for the grand and have been told I could expect to part-exchange it for about £6,000. The top 'list' price for a new one is about £14,000 (these are quoted figures, not those I would accept or pay, but it gives you an idea). The rising price of new instruments drags the price of second-hand ones along behind them, but the distance between the prices increases as time passes. On t'other hand, you should be earning vastly more in 12 years time than you are now and be able to afford something more expensive. My advice is; buy the best instrument you can now and worry about what will happen in 10-12 years time in 10-12 years. ;D  |
|
|
|
Post by YetAnotherKlavierist on Jan 13, 2007 21:31:00 GMT
Thanks everyone for your replies . Steve - your last point is an interesting one. We have wondered whether we would want to replace the GB1 with a new piano if we bought one, as being thrifty we might find it hard to justify replacing one in-tune well-regulated grand piano with another. We don't want to spend as much as we can afford on a piano as we're putting money aside towards future steps up the property ladder. So how much we can afford is not such a clear issue. Hence, wanting something that has a good resale value so we can exchange it when we get tired of moving house. So, I wonder, if we were to spend a bit more on a piano now (say, get a Yamaha A1 (a C-series grand) rather than a GB1 (a G-series baby grand)) would that help with the resale value, and leave us with a better instrument should we not be able to bring ourselves to part with it at some point down the line? Eventually, we have our eye on a Boston but we're not parting with that amount of cash yet, plus our front room isn't big enough to do it justice. The added complication is that I could look into having my upright acoustic piano moved up from home, for the cost of piano movers plus parental negotiation. They'd probably part with it, since neither of them play it, but I think it would upset them for it to go as I couldn't play when I went to visit and they do rather like it as a bit of furniture. I have to say though, I do rather fancy having a grand piano  . |
|
|
|
Post by Steve Hopwood on Jan 14, 2007 11:58:30 GMT
Steve - your last point is an interesting one. We have wondered whether we would want to replace the GB1 with a new piano if we bought one, Probably, especially if your own playing continues to develop. I looked into this recently. My C3 is too big for the music room and the sound was overwhelming. I solved the problem by having new hammer heads fitted (25 years after buying the instrument - pretty good considering the work load it sustained) and by having a new music stand made. This sits on the closed lid, but the business bit hangs over and down, so the music is pretty much level with where it is when the kids play their uprights at home. Nifty. I also wanted more space in the music room, so I phoned a dealer in York to ask how the GB1 (£5,999) would compare with my C3. My tuner is also a technician who has taught on the piano technician course in Newark. He loves tuning my piano and says that technology has moved on apace in the last 25 years, and that a modern C3(L) is a magnificent beast. I asked the bloke in York how close the tone of the new GB1 would match that of my old C3. Summarised, his reply was that anybody looking to buy a baby grand would be thrilled by the GB1 but I would not be able to replace my C3 with one - not enough bass. I would be able to consider an exchange once I arrived at the C1L (£8,875) - 9 inches shorter than my C3 so taking up considerably less floor space. He also warned me that if I actually played the C3L (£11,200), I would not want to go home without one. ;D I think you need to have a really good play on these instruments. Work your way up the range and decide which one fits the inevitable compromises between the pocket, the space, your pianistic aspirations and the longevity of the space in between now and starting to thrutch for the next, better instrument. Either that or follow Steve's solution, set out below. Steve's solution to the intractable problems created by buying grand pianos: become filthy stinking rich; but a mansion with a small school hall sized music room; put two Steinway concert grands side by side. There you go. Problem solved. ;D Just need to find a way to do it. ;D |
|
|
|
Post by stumac on Jan 15, 2007 13:12:07 GMT
For what it's worth my Piano tuner / fishing pal, who is also a piano restorer with interests in a second hand music shop, says that the market for Grand pianos is very variable. He spends a lot of time valueing / restoring pianos and says it can be almost impossible to predict how much they'd get at auction.
A lot of people are moving out of traditional Scottish houses with huge rooms and simply don't have room.
I would agree with Steve though, if you can afford it, then buy it, enjoy playing it and worry about a replacement when you decide to get a new one.
|
|
|
|
Post by semele on Jan 15, 2007 13:59:55 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Feb 5, 2007 22:36:23 GMT
I got a phonecall at the weekend from a guy who owns a music shop, and he was saying something about Steinway that you might be interested in. Apparently if you buy a Steinway Upright at the minute, the company will honour what you paid for it for up to ten years against the price of a Steinway Grand. It might be worth ringing Steinway, or a local shop, to see what the details are.
|
|
|
|
Post by YetAnotherKlavierist on Feb 5, 2007 22:39:53 GMT
I think they do the same with Bostons - can be traded in for a Steinway within 10 years. I wouldn't like to buy anything on the basis of being able to afford a Steinway in 10 years though - I have no plans to leave academia for merchant banking . |
|
|
|
Post by Dulciana on Feb 5, 2007 22:43:28 GMT
No, me niether, sadly, which is why I didn't really listen too closely to the details myself!
|
|
|
|
Post by kerioboe on Feb 6, 2007 19:20:16 GMT
I think they do the same with Bostons - can be traded in for a Steinway within 10 years. I wouldn't like to buy anything on the basis of being able to afford a Steinway in 10 years though - I have no plans to leave academia for merchant banking . I too am in academia and my seven-year-old keeps saying what's the point of going to work if you don't earn enough money to buy a grand piano. ;D |
|
