Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum should I buy a sonjin?

Hi,
Were looking for a piano for our 6 year old son who is doing really well with lessons. Does anyone have any thoughts on this piano?
Sonjin - Black baby grand (4'9")
Model PG-1 (serial# Go23693)
3 years old
they're asking $2500.
found from private party on Craigslit.
Not sure if this brand is any good...we were originally looking for a yamaha u1, but we'd love a baby grand and this price seems afforable to us...
any thoughts?
thank you so much
Lanette

It's a great price. You should try out both pianos and compare the sound and touch (action) just to be sure you like all aspects of the baby grand.

3 years old? I don't think so. Sojin stopped making pianos 15-20 years ago.

Welcome to the forum.

It's hard to conceive of a 4'9" piano as anything other than a toy or piece of furniture, but to be fair I've never played that specific piano. The U1 has a very solid reputation but condition (verified by independent tech inspection) trumps reputation as the instrument ages beyond a decade or two. Try to be objective about sound and feel before looks if it's something primarily for educational use.

The pianobuyer site (linked at right) should have some info as to what you may encounter in both the new and used market.

I love it when sellers have a lapse of memory as for their realistic time of purchase. This piano as Dale stated was manufactured in 1988 which would make it.....22 years old.
I could see how the owners could get a bit confused in that their daughter who took lessons is now 25 years old instead of 6 years old. They think the age is not verifiable. Little do they know of.... Piano World!.

A 22 year old Sojin PG-1 is not what you want at any price!So...ask the sellers if the 10 year warranty is transferable for the remaining 7 years. It must be late!

Ah yes, herein lies the dilemma of shopping for a pre-owned baby grand/grand piano. Misrepresentation of age is probably one of the most common things that happen; yet, the current owners may be confused/mistaken/mislead themselves.

First of all, descent, pre-owned (euphemism for used ) grand/baby grand pianos in the $2500 range are very rare, except for the very old, or the very undesirable. Secondly, though I would never publically disagree with Pianobroker (I may need his professional opinion free of charge one of these days ) the Sojin might be a good starter piano, depending on the condition, which only a qualified piano technician could discern.

So, should Lanette pass and keep looking? It’s hard to say. Perhaps if the current owner is made aware that their 3 year old baby grand is actually 20+ years old, they might be willing to come down on the price even further. Just a thought.

Best of luck with your search!

Rick

Wow, 22 years old, thank you all for your help! I was'nt sure how to check on the Sojin's serial #'s. I'm used to checking the yamaha's on they're site!
I'll mention to the owner about the age, he said he paid $7k, maybe he has the receipt and I can see where he purchased it!

Just FYI, we looked at a U1 and it came to find out the owner/dealer/whatever he was....shomehow chaged the serial # and was lying abut the age as well! Gee, so many dishonest people out there!
Thank again!
Lanette

There is some mathematical law at work in the minds of used piano sellers, running something on the lines of "The recalled age of a piano varies inversely as the square of the asking price, except when the old beater is desired to be priced as a rare, expensive, and costly antique."

Given enough data points, the function could be stated more precisely.

And I'll bet a graph would look interesting.

One way to check serial numbers is to post them here. Lots of the posters have Piano Atlases and can look them up for you.

We looked at the piano today, it looked/sounded good (for a sojin I guess), obviously not a yamaha, how would I find out the value, or what I should even offer?
thank you for your help!
Piano World is awesome!!

Hi Lanette,

I’ve always heard that something is worth what someone is willing to pay and the seller is willing to sell it for. If you think the Sojin baby grand is something you want and would serve your son’s musical needs, then make them an offer.

I doubt you will find a similar baby grand for less than $2500, but then again, some have said they wouldn’t recommend the Sojin at any price. It’s a tough call…

If you really want the piano, offer them $1500 and see what they say. If they say no, neither of you have lost anything. If they say “heck no”, then you know you have made them mad . Who knows, they may accept your offer.

Take care,

Rick

A friend of mine bought a Sonjin a few years ago. I had never heard of them.so I did some research. Hate to say it, but the impression I got was it was one of the worst pianos to ever hit the market.

Don't buy just it because you can get it for cheap... it doesn't mean you'll end up liking it. Of course you can probably sell it again later for very little difference.

Oh really? I thought the Tokai piano was the worst piano to ever hit the market.

Rick