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LFL raises a valid point..the age of the player..if your 60..unless your a Rubinstein or
Brubeck living into your 90s and still playing, chances are you'll only have that one piano.. investment value is a moot point..

May I add to my post. If you are going to get 20-25 good years out of your new piano you are going to need a top class technician to look after it. It makes a lot of sense to choose your technician first; your piano will only be as good as your technician in the long run. I understand it's harder to find good technicians than good pianos in some areas.

You are sensibly treating your piano investment only in terms of yield. Your technician, your investment advisor, should be able to assess the potential of your proposed purchase as well as its current state, and may even be able to point you to a better option. It will then be up to him or her to maximize your returns.

Nicely stated, Withingdale! Admirable and excellent advice.

Withindale--I found the "better" option, I think. After extensive (and perhaps overly analytical)financial considerations, including looking forward for 20 years, I decided to get a new SK5, instead of the used one and instead of the restored Steinway. Although it is more outlay of $$ initially, it seems like it will cost me the equivalent of (only) $400-500/year extra, over the next 20 years--taking into consideration the cost of the used SK5 plus the additional cost of regulation plus the anticipated reconditioning in 8-10 years (replacement of strings, damper felts, etc). For that, I get the Millenium III action, fancier birds-eye maple on the inner rim, longer keys, ABS-carbon fiber whippets (instead of just ABS on the 2012), reinforced key slip, the MPA visit, 10 year warranty, and a hopefully worry-free instrument for the next 20 years. The 2012 Shigeru has some presumably improved design features. Seems like an acceptable trade-off.

Dear LFL,
Congratulations on your wise purchase! Shigeru Kawai are superb pianos and the SK5 will give you the power and range of a 6'+ grand piano.
As an aside, and with respect, you made a delightful malapropism in your above post when you referred to parts of the piano action as "whippets". I think you intended to say "whippens or wippens". A whippet is a British breed of dog!!

May you have a Happy Christmas with your new piano!

Robert.

1. I think a good piano has more than 20-25 good years and a lot more if one replaces parts that eventually need it.

2. The only need to choose a tech first is of one needs or wants help selecting a piano. In fact, it is hard to choose a tech first because the choice can and I think should depend on how well one thinks the tech cares for your piano. One can reasonably choose based on other people's recommendations also.

3. Thinking of a piano as an investment and a tech as an investment adviser is not a particularly good approach IMO.

4. I think it's misleading phrasing to say that one's piano is only as good as one's tech in the long run. If one could buy a Bosendorfer or other Tier 1 for the same price as an very inexpensive one with the caveat that one only could use a "decent", but not expert tech I bet a lot of people would choose this scenario. A more accurate statement might be that the care one's piano gets is only as good as one's tech.

Much more than an acceptable trade-off.......it's a very wise decision. Congratulations !!!!!!!

Yes, LFL, a better option indeed. A fine example of rational decision making coming up with the right answer. Endless possibilities to explore and enjoy. Who could ask for more? Best wishes.

Congrats to a very smart choice! Please share pics with us when you get it. We all love those threads here on PW!

Sorry about that typo, Robert. Thanks for the correction.

Stranger still, it's the street name for a can of whipped cream, used for the Nitrous Oxide high.

Congrats! Your new-to-you piano will give you a natural high.

Congratulations on your new Shigeru! I'm sure you'll be ecstatic with it's sound and performance. No matter what you decided, the fact that you researched the options, tried different pianos, and made your choice based on your tastes, playing, and needs, means you made a well-informed decision that you can feel happy and confident about.

Please post pictures when it's delivered. Congratulations again. Fabulous Christmas present to yourself!

greetings,
Why would you think you need new strings in this piano? I have many pianos in my care with strings 60-100 years old and the strings are just fine. In fact, a number of Steinways from the '20s and 30's I care for have less false beats than brand new Steinways.

Spend your money on regulations and voicings, instead.
Regards,

pianoloverus,

Maybe we should change it to say,
"A piano is only as good as the long term maintenance it gets by a qualified tech over its lifetime." We've all heard the sad tales of high end pianos that went for years without tuning, voicing, or regulation.

j&j
Please note I have started this thread to discuss these issues. I think they are out of place here now that the OP (who knows the importance of maintenance) has decided on a new Shigeru SK5.

Not really. The condition of the piano is dependent on the care of the tech.

But if one starts out with a very poor piano no amount of tech care will make it great. And even after 20 years a sensational piano that's not played eight hours a day and is kept in an appropriate environment may very well sound much better than an inferior piano even if the the sensational piano is simply tuned once a year by a tech with average ability. Of course, it also goes without saying that more frequent care by a great tech will make it sound even better than minimal care by a tech with less skill.

Suppose you had these two choices:

Choice 1:You are given a well prepped highest quality performance grade piano(the very highest level in the Fine rankings)of your choice for free. You play it 1-2 hours a day and keep it in a room with stable humidity at the correct level. You have it tuned once year by a tech with decent but not super skill. Every ten years you can get one day of voicing and one day of regulation by the same tech. All the tech services are for free also.

Choice 2. You are given the same size intermediate level consumer grade piano for free. You play it 1-2 hours per day and keep it in a room with stable humidity. You have the services of a super tech who comes twice per year for tuning and also does lengthy regulation and voicing every 4 years for as much time is necessary. The tech services are for free.

I bet a lot of people would choose choice 1 and that their piano would sound and play far better after 20 years than those who chose the second option.

Ed--thanks for your input. All I can say is that the RPT who inspected the used SK5 is VERY reputable and that is what he advised. I think, in retrospect, it was more of a "consider this" but not "you'll have to". And, he was coming from a very professional viewpoint of keeping the piano in "optimal" condition, not just "acceptable".

SK-5 (new) delivered today...with assistance of a crane to reach 2nd floor of the house...video to follow.

http://www.pianoworld.com/Uploads/files/IMG569.jpg

Unbelievable!

Going to see some tomorrow myself

Congratulations!!

See new thread "SK5 delivered"