 |
Welcome to the Piano World Piano Forums
Over 3 million posts about pianos, digital pianos, and all types of keyboard instruments.
Over 100,000 members from around the world.
Join the World's Largest Community of Piano Lovers
(it's free)
It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
|
|
|
|
36 members (Davidnewmind, Dfrankjazz, brdwyguy, busa, benkeys, Burkhard, Erinmarriott, David Boyce, 20/20 Vision, 5 invisible),
1,131
guests, and
293
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9
Junior Member
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9 |
Hi all!! I'm kind of new to the piano forum and I'm excited to have joined! I just had a few questions about a Yamaha G3 grand i have found thats for sale. The asking price is $9,900 and the serial number is E2033201. I was wondering if you guys know the price range for Yamaha G3 and any more information on such pianos and price.
Such as, is it a discontinued model? I'm not sure what year it's made but I was told its not made in canada/north america. I'm uncertain whether painos made in North America are better quality or not? What would you think would be the best price for such piano? It's a beutiful piano with resonating sound. Just not sure if the price is too steep! PLEASE HELP!!!
ANy sort of information will be very helpful.
Hoping to get some sort of information out of this form and completely lost,
asunrisehighway
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,559
7000 Post Club Member
|
|
7000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,559 |
Welcome to the forum!
The G3 is no longer in production, but it's relative, the C3 is, and has gradually evolved over the years.
You can find the age of your piano on Yamaha's website
Although this model has always been built in Japan, there is a lot of controversy over pianos made for the Asian market vs. the US market. If you search gray/grey market pianos, there's a whole lot of stuff about it. It is also mentioned in the pianobuyer, which can be read free online (linked on this page somewhere).
Depending on age and condition, $9,900 sounds like it's in the ballpark of other price quotes I've read. There are other new and used instruments out there at the same price point that you may want to also consider.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9 |
Hey TERMINALDEGREE! Thanks for the welcoming  Along with all the information you have given me. I was wondering what other models I could be looking for that might fit within this price range. I'm mainly focused on the YAMAHA pianos just because I've been playing solely on Yamaha pianos (so i am a bit more biased). I'm still on the hunt for a Yamaha grand piano which is under $10k. Do you think the G3 (which seems to be in great condition) is good for $9,900 or should I try to go lower than that park range?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,683
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,683 |
E2033201 is a grey market piano and was not made for the North American market. According to Yamaha: Our engineers were unaware of the level of dryness that existed in North American homes. Most of the used Yamaha pianos being brought to North America today are pianos that were manufactured for the Japanese market. These instruments were manufactured using the same seasoning techniques that were used on the many pianos we had moisture-related problems with. In addition, these used pianos have lived in a very moist environment since they were new. Will one of these pianos develop severe problems after several years in the U.S.? Unless the piano is placed in a very humid environment (similar to Japan), the piano may develop problems that will be expensive to correct. We know this because of the numerous calls we receive from customers and piano technicians reporting dryness-related problems with these used pianos brought in from Japan. We do not experience these types of problems with pianos that are seasoned for the North American market. Parts availability is another problem facing the purchaser of a Yamaha piano not made for the North America market. Based on our experience with pianos not seasoned for the North American market, from a service standpoint, we strongly discourage the purchase of one of these used "made for Japan" pianos. http://www.yamaha.com/ussub/pianos/SerialNumberlookup.aspx You can decide if you believe Yamaha or not. Anyway, $9.9K is too much. Since you should be able to purchase a much newer model F series G3 that was made for NA for at least $1,000 less, if you really want it and it passes a piano tech inspection, I'd offer $7K. Maybe. That piano was manufactured in early 1975, so it is already almost 37 years old.
"If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to." MSU - the university of Michigan! Wheels
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9 |
Wow, $7K for a grand piano? That seems too hard to bargain. I've been trying to lok for a decent Yamaha Grand piano, but everything seems to be out of the price range for me. If I could get that piano for $7k or even $8k, that'd be wonderful. Would you think it'd be worth it if it was $8k? Although it is 37 years old, it looks REALLY NEW and sounds great!
I need more input on this because I'm not really a big piano person, just like the way it looks and have played for a few years when I was younger.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 38
Full Member
|
|
Full Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 38 |
I agree with you, Asunrisehighway. I really wander where Gryphon can find those $7000 Yamahas. I personally haven't seen one but - who knows!
Dimiter Terziev, M.Mus
Piano lessons and sales
Bohemia, August Foerster, Used Yamaha and Kawai
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 689
500 Post Club Member
|
|
500 Post Club Member
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 689 |
The G series wasn't the upper quality line and a 35 old could need expensive rebuilding. A piano technician is needed to evaluate it.
It seems more expensive than some younger ones people have mentioned.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9 |
I completely agree with you, Dimiter! I'm sure that there are lots of pianos out there who are priced at a higher price and also have a certain value to them because everyone wants to make some money. What do you guys think that I have to tell the seller to get it down to $7k or 8k? Anything I can do to justify reasoning to lower the price of his "expected" sale price?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,749
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,749 |
The G3E's were very nice pianos. I like them a lot. I wouldn't worry about it being not made for the north American market. If it had any problems, it probably would have showed up by now. Get it checked by a tech, and if it's in good condition, see if 7.5k will work. God luck!
1942 Baldwin M
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,683
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,683 |
What do you guys think that I have to tell the seller to get it down to $7k or 8k? Anything I can do to justify reasoning to lower the price of his "expected" sale price? Tell the seller exactly what I wrote above. It is a 37 year old piano that was made and sold in Japan. It was not made for NA, and Yamaha doesn't recommend buying or using one in NA. Parts are potentially a problem. Whether or not this is Yamaha spin, you can show them that right on the Yamaha website using the link I provided you. This is the reason I say it is worth maybe $7K. That and the fact that a 15 year old F series G3 is worth $8K - $9K. And this is all dependent on you hiring a piano tech to check it out first and it passes muster. This will cost you about $100 whether you buy the piano or not. The G3 isn't a bad piano. It doesn't have much power, but in my experience it is also not as harsh and brittle as the newer, better C series. The action is nice, and it is a nice size. I play a G3 every week at church, but I mic it. Myself, I would prefer an older Baldwin to an older Yamaha.
"If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to." MSU - the university of Michigan! Wheels
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,749
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,749 |
In my opinion the G3E has quite a mellow tone compared to newer Yamaha pianos. Actually, I thought it was quite powerful, rich and warm, with a very nice soft dynamic range. For that price (7k) it would be nice. But it is definitely possible. But gryphon is quite right.
1942 Baldwin M
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9 |
The condition of the piano is really new that I kind of don't want to let it go (aside from the asking price)! The guy who is selling the piano is a piano tuner and technician, whose had 1 previous owner before him, was a piano teacher/pianist, so I'm thinking this piano has been kept in really good condition over the previous years.
He even said he'd give me a 3 year warranty on parts and whatever might be wrong with the piano once it gets into my door so I'm assuming that everything is still pretty good. I'd LOVE to try to bargain the piano at a low price of $7.5k, but it definitely seems to be way too low for me to bargain with the seller. With all this being said, I think the lowest he'd probably go would be$8.5k-$9k (assuming he'd take my counteroffer), but I still have this big looming uncertainty in the back of my mind that I may be paying too much with all the previous information you guys have given me! (thanks a lot by the way!!) I'm not so sure if it's a pretty good price, even if i went down to 8.5k-9k or do you guys still think it might still be too expensive for this particular piano?
I'm so torn! Please help! What would be a reasonable price, per say, if you guys were in my position? THANKS SO MUCH MY PIANIST FRIENDS!!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9 |
Whoa! I just saw your posts Rotom and Gryphon!! Thanks so much! So you guys are basically saying don't pay for the piano if it's more than $8K?
You guys are so awesome in helping me through this whole buying a Yamaha grand piano. I absolutely love this forum!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,683
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
|
|
Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 11,683 |
Where do you live? Are you willing to wait? A 37 year old piano is nothing to be too excited about. Pianos do wear out.
"If we lose freedom here, there's no place to escape to." MSU - the university of Michigan! Wheels
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9 |
I live in Los Angeles, California. I just don't really know where to look for pianos over here in California, but it's nice to have an idea of what people think/know about pianos. Not so sure if prices of pianos are higher over here in the West coast either..
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,749
1000 Post Club Member
|
|
1000 Post Club Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,749 |
If its hardly been played, and in good condition it could be worth 8k. This is where the technician inspection comes in. If it is in really good condition, then offer something you think the seller will take. I've played a barely played G3E sitting around for at least thirty years. It was one great instrument. If it s more more than 8k, it is a bit on the high side, is what I saying, at least. 7k is good, 7.5k would be quite ok as well. If you like it, I don't think there would be too much there to stop you.
1942 Baldwin M
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,559
7000 Post Club Member
|
|
7000 Post Club Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 7,559 |
Don't be in such a hurry-- this is a lot of money, and you don't mention that the piano has been inspected by an independent tech. Depending on your location, these imported pianos are pretty easy to find at a variety of dealers and second-hand through private parties.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9
Junior Member
|
|
OP
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 9 |
I will definitely look around after all the information I have gathered today. Thanks all! Rotom, you're right, I will definitely shop around until I get back to the G3E! If I could get it cheaper, it definitely will be a lot nicer
|
|
|
|
Forums43
Topics223,385
Posts3,349,183
Members111,631
| |
Most Online15,252
Mar 21st, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
