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We were Yamaha dealers from 1961-1998. I was just going thru some old files and found Yamaha price lists dating back to 1980.

If anyone is interested I'd be glad to share the info.

For example, in 1980 The U1 had a List Price of $2650. A C3 was listed at $7595 and a CF Concert Grand listed for $17,500!

Steve: What was the list price of a 1984 Yamaha G2?

How about an '82 G1?

Just curious, I grew up playing one.... Thanks!

How do those prices compare "relative" to todays?
Piano Dad?

To think - I could have had a CF for only $17,500..???

Mike

Could you just print a list of common models every few years or so from the time period mentioned? That would be intersesting to follow.

To take consumer price inflation into consideration, you should multiply the 1980 price by slightly more than 2.5 in order to find the 2006 equivalent.
Approximately:
U1 = $7,000
C3 = $20,000
CF = $45,000

Although I don't have access to US prices of these pianos, that is more or less what the U1 and C3 still cost in Europe.
I presume the CF III S is quite a bit more expensive, but has the instrument itself improved?

I'm home now for the weekend. Price lists are at the store.

I'll address all requests on Monday.

Steve

What sort discounting off of list prices could a consumer expect in 1980?

Same as today - primarily dependent on the buyer's negotiating skill (which dealers never tell you.)

Yen-to-Dollar exchange rate has been chaged a lot since late 1970s and this is contributing increasing prices of Japanese products in foreign countries. It was jpy250 to usd1 in 1975. It was jpy140 to us1 in 1988. Now, it is jpy115 to usd1.

Sorry for the delay.

Most of the price lists I saved were at wholesale. I had a few MSRP lists. Here are some sample MSRP prices directly from Yamaha published price lists:

1978

M202 Console $1995
P202 Studio $1845
U1 E/P $2395
G2 E/P $5795
C3 E/P $7495
C7 E/P $9595
CF $17595

1983

M212 Console $2630
P22 Studio $2640
U1 E/P $3375
G2 E/P $8000
C3 E/P $10075
C7 E/P $12920
CF E/P $29455

1991

M302 Console $3295
P22 $3995
U1 E/P $5495
G2 E/P $14695
C3 E/P $19295
C7 E/P $28295
CFIII E/P $71695
DC3 E/P Player $28695

1995

M500 Console $4195
P22 $4895
U1 E/P $7495
C2 E/P $19695
C3 E/P $25495
C7 E/P $36195
CFIII E/P $97795
DC3 E/P Player $41795

2004

M500 Console $4795
P22 $5795
U1 E/P $8895
C2 E/P $25095
C3 E/P $34195
C7 E/P $46795
CFIII E/P $126395
DC3 E/P Player $N/A

Steve -

Why did you stop carrying Yamaha?

We had been carrying Young Chang in addition to Yamaha for several years. We encouraged shoppers to compare the brands based on similar selling price. Yamaha had escalated their priced to the point where a 5'3" GH1, which was a "promotional" model, was selling for the same price as a 6'1" G185, a full-featured model.

Based on that type of comparison, many of our shoppers thought the YC a better value. Yamaha sales dropped. Yamaha eventually told us that if we did not "focus on Yamaha", they would find someone who would. While we were still selling lots of Yammies, they basically put us to a choice...Yamaha or Young Chang.

1st, we resented the pressure. 2nd, we felt that we didn't "work" for Yamaha, but for our customers who voted with their pocketbooks.

Eventually, Yamaha moved the line to another dealership who has since gone out of business. There is no current Yamaha piano dealership in the Baltimore market area.

Steve, I don't doubt your story one bit, but we tried selling YC's two different times and bombed with it. We had to pitch 'til we were blue in the face. I think it was because we got no positive feedback from the music community here. We'd show customers what a value they were, blah, balh, blah, send them out the door & everyone they talked to said "a Young what?" Yamahas are not cheap anymore & Norbert's right about the Chinese in our future, but When we show a Yamaha to a customer our job is easier because of all the Yamahas at local Universities, churches, & schools, not to mention homes.

Clint Tucker

We had to educate our shoppers. We did this with a presentation that is very well known in the piano industry. It was developed by my father in 1962 for presenting Yamaha, a brand no one associated with pianos. It is the well-known "nuts and bolts" presentation.

This is the one where you pull out the actions on grands to compare the quality of construction and materials of different piano. Young Chang compare well with Yamaha. Many of our shoppers purchased YCs as they felt they go much more for the money.

True. Years ago we were the Kimball dealer with a Baldwin dealer one mile up the street on our left, and a Steinway/Everett dealer one mile down to the right. Even though everyone bad-mouthed Kimball, we gave such a great nuts & bolts pitch that we got way more than our share of deals. The Baldwin dealers' pitch was "its a Baldwin". The Steinway/Everett dealer had no pitch I can recall. Then we did the nuts & bolts thing on Yamaha & it worked, too. Now I really believe that we and a lot of Yamaha dealers have gotten complacent. Our pitch now is "its a Yamaha". I believe we are exactly where Baldwin was 25 years ago & had better be on our toes.

A lot of dealerships have become complacent.

I know this, not just from my consulting work, but even moreso from the shoppers who post her on the Piano Forum.

I remember a salesperson [who worked at the pianoshoppe that's mainly a Yamaha dealer] telling me several years ago that the price of these pianos go up 10% every year. I don't know if it's true, but I've also noticed the trend, b/c pianos ARE in fact are costing more and more every year.