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Hi, Clearly --

At your level of playing (far beyond mine), consider going with a used 9 ft. They can be had for surprisingly low prices sometimes. When they're no longer up to snuff for a major concert venue, the universe of potential buyers shrinks to just high end players such as yourself, and rich folks who need to fill up a big living room. Both are few and far between.

For instance, at livingpianos.com in Santa Ana, there's a 1970 Mason & Hamlin CC for just under $30k. You'll probably find some locally, there seem to be Baldwins everywhere. So, get out the tape measure, set out some dining room chairs, and visualize where a 9 ft. could go.

I got lucky. Though our house isn't big, we did have a perfect place for a 9 ft. So my wife let me get it.

Another recommendation: You'll probably get approximately bupkus for your upright, so don't even think of trading it in. Hang on to it for at least a few months after you get your grand. When you notice things that you remember being better on your former piano, you'll be able to check them out.

Clearly

Up until now you have received some good advice.

However...as usual on this forum...

We are now beginning to enter the "Piano Twilight Zone"

Furtwangler nailed it!

Earth to piano lovers.
Earth to piano lovers.
Calling Earth.

Blue Book is not industry supported and is known within the industry for having many misleading errors. Unlike the car industry, there is no reporting of selling prices.

I take issue with their online appraisal service as having any validity; you cannot appraise a used piano without an in-person inspection of condition. If their appraisal costs 1/5th of a real appraisal, then I shouldn't be surprised if it is 1/5th as accurate. This common sense failure invalidates the rest of their assertions for me.

BUT (@Clearly):
Keep in mind that 2m70 pianos were built to fill out a huge concert hall. So maybe it will make your room explode acoustically.
And: If you have neighbors who live wall to wall, then maybe a smaller piano is the better choice; or a grand piano with a silent system. The Yamaha C2 SG I bought last year is just 1m73 long (5 feet 8 inches), but it can be heard in the whole house. My neighbors told me so.

In the Piano Buyer's guide there's an article about how to make a piano room sound grand; where it is recommended that the length of your walls should be at least ten times higher than the length of the piano. So unless your living room is at least 6x8 meters large, I don't know if a 2,70m piano is the right choice.

I must agree with all the wise advice to take your time and resist the tempation to "settle" for something that you will not be happy with a few years from now. Don't assume that you will "trade up" in the future. I recently spent 6 weeks "shopping" and investigating, including travelling half-way across the country to check out a number of pianos. Consider maintenance costs that are to come. I will only add, as one of the above responders indicated, that a Kawai RX3Blak can probably be had (new) for around $25K and and RX5Blak for around $30K (very approximate figures). The Kawai you played is not appropriate for your apparent skill level and IMO is not a good value. Also consider finding a restored Steinway A, which can be had for around $25-30K in some locations. If you'd like, send me a PM and I can point you the right direction to investigate those.

It has been stated almost every time that site is mentioned that it is virtually useless. If you read the PB you'll understand why. Besides the "invoice prices" in the Bluebook being useless some of the writing contains major and obvious errors about the piano industry.

Well, Clearly, I'm a Kawai fan (enough to have bought one), but I agree that you can do better than 1977--- I think you can get one new within your budget. They have just discontinued the RX-series, and this could be a very good time to negotiate a good price on the model.

Poor bluebookofpianos! It's today's punching bag, it seems. But, they have brought their troubles on themselves. Possibly, there was a time in the past when it was more reliable.

You will need a piano with a lot of life left in it. Obviously, you are not getting one so you can have something else to dust. My personal suggestion would be, don't shop for anything older than fifteen years at the most, and always have any serious candidate inspected for condition by an experienced piano tech, before you make an offer. It's a hundred bucks well-spent.

As tempting as a retired concert grand might be, it's a lot like buying a retired racehorse. It's going to take a lot of stable space, and a lot of oats, and you might be surprised at how much good saddles run these days--- a piano is almost a bargain by comparison. Most residences would not be right for a nine-footer. You were right in the first place, six to seven feet will have plenty of voice for a home.

Shopping in a rush, succumbing to piano fever--- these things are your enemy. As they say, marry in haste...

You will have an inner feeling when you find the right piano. When you come back for that second and third audition, knowing the market and the vendors, you'll be in a good position to negotiate a good price, for a piano that's right for you. And the ones you turned down, you'll know why they weren't right. This is an opportunity for a very interesting education. Then you'll be sending us photos and recordings... so, try them all--- why not. It's not really such a burden, going around town, meeting people who share a common interest, trying out pianos, and doing a little reading-up.

None of us really knows what's out there, before we go out to see.

Good luck to you.

Well, having done it in reality rather than in theory, I beg to differ. Mine hasn't blown out the windows or deafened the neighborhood. My tuner/technician has no problem keeping it alive and healthy. There haven't been huge extra costs, though a damp chaser would be a couple hundred more. So, Clearly, if you encounter one, give it a try. It could be a very cost effective solution.

Funny that you should say this . . . August Forster changed my world today. And probably ruined it.

The 190, never had an owner, but is about three years old. Thoughts? I told him 30k was my max, he said he could come near it.

I cried playing this piano. I cried listening to him play this piano. I'm currently looking around my house for things to sell.

Keep looking until you find what you love, unfortunately it takes time and persistence. You should travel to other cities to play many used grands since this is probably the best bang for the buck in concert quality instruments for 25K max. If you think you can handle a true concert grand (think 8-11" plus) in your space, then definitely don't rule it out. I was surprised you weren't looking at older larger Yamahas like C7 or CF, I have never heard them described as muddy! Play some older larger Baldwins if possible, they can be great values. Have a good tech check anything out before buying and Good Luck!

NOW YOU'RE TALKING!

I am shocked at the price being potentially that low. I am not shocked that it hasn't sold in 3 years (not a well known brand).

I would kill to have one myself.

Go for it!

You deserve a piano like that after all the hard work.

Good luck Chopin girl. Play the Barcarolle on your Foerster for me sometime.

Have you seen this?

http://www.august-foerster.de/cms/en/27/Videos

The August Foerster 190 is an exceptional grand. Hard to beat, especially if you can get it close to 30k. Good luck.

Rich

LOL. You have made a good choice, Clearly. Pat H was right. Estonia and August Forster are the two "value" makes among performance-grade pianos - superb tone & touch, with no compromises in longevity or fit & finish, but less expensive than comparable-size pianos from Bechstein, Bluthner, Bosendorfer, Fazioli, Steinway, etc. Once my niece has recovered and is able to resume auditioning pianos, I am going to insist that she audition the Estonia and Forster models in the 72-90" length range.

My niece is a young lady with good but expensive tastes. She likes the Schimmel Konzert and Shigeru Kawai pianos that she has tried, but she is still enamored of the Sauter 220 (her music teacher's piano). That said, she realizes that her family has budget constraints, and she promises to keep an open mind until this "piano quest" is over. Hopefully she will like one of the Estonia or Forster models as much as the Sauter.

Enjoy the August Forster 190, Clearly. You made an excellent choice.

Normally a Foerster 190 is much, much more expensive than an Estonia 190.

Probably 50% more.

And I would say here in the USA probably would normally be perhaps 30% more than a Schimmel K189T. Normally.

If you can get a Foerster 190 for anywhere near what you have indicated - you are very fortunate.

Here is one Petrof data point for you. I bought a 10 year old Petrof IV about 2 years ago. It still seems to be in excellent shape although I have no idea how much it was played before I got it. And of course, I still love it.

Seeing as you are in Seattle, I am very surprised no one has mentioned Darrell Fandrich yet. Whatever you do, you must contact him and see some of the magic he does. His pianos are known among players to be some of the smoothest playing and lovely sounding pianos out there. I believe you can test drive a Steingraeber there, and you know that you haven't lived until you have played a Steingraeber...
Fandrich & Sons

Even given the multitude of variables that can affect selling price it seems strange to me that an August Forster with an SMP of 67K could sell for close to 30K. That would be more than 50% off SMP.

Even though these pianos are rated very highly I wouldn't place them in the bargain category*unless they really sell for such a low price) for Tier 2 pianos. IMO that distinction goes to Estonia, Shigeru, and Mason Hamlin.

STOP!

The language you used in your post shows that you have found what you are seeking.

Even if you had to finance a small balance, we are talking about your "love-forever" instrument.

it's like that one puppy in the liter that crawls up and licks your chin!