Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum buying charles walter maybe?

Iam looking for a piano for my son. He is 13 and has been playing for 6 years. I didn't think it would be this much work.My budget and room size limits me.I have read some past posts and have gained some great information.I have it narrowed down to a charles walter upright.He has played it andlikes the piano. He liked the steinway better but maybe after i hit lotto. Any advice you could give will help since i don,t play.Also I heard that cw is changing the actions on their uprights.Anyone know a good dealer on or near long island. His piano teacher said to look at baldwin. We now own an old wurlitser that he has outgrown. thanks

The CW is a very nice instrument. I'm sure that if you purchase it from a reputable dealership, you will be pleased.

Ditto, Steve.

CW, you're in a very good position. The instrument you're looking at has a good reputation. It's new and will be under warranty. Your son likes it. I don't know about the change in action, but with Charles Walter's reputation, I'm guessing that they're doing it because they think the instrument will be even better. As I see it, all you have to do now is negotiate a fair price. There should be ample information on this forum for you to do that, if you search under "Charles Walter" and remember that the very lowest prices might be special cases, like a dealer who's going out of business.

I'm wondering whether you have a concern about the dealership where your son played the CW, or whether you'd just like to try another dealer to see if he/she has a better selection or price. If so, you might check the Walter website to see if there's a dealership directory.

In the end, just make sure you trust the person you buy from. It's important, business-wise, but trust is important to me personally, too. I like to work with "good folks" and I consider it a form of voting with my dollars. It's good to support small business owners who are out there trying to make a living in a tough marketplace, while still doing it with integrity.

Mary Anna
http://www.maryannaevans.com

thank you for the help. MY problem with the dealer is that my son tried several brands and felt that the action was different on several of them even the same brand. Also some were out of tune. It seemed to me that a good dealer would keep floor modles tuned and regulated?

It is entirely appropriate to point out short-comings in piano(s) you may be interested in, and ask that they be corrected in time for a return visit at a future time.

Not to try to justify poor dealer set-up, but pianos are one of the last "machines" with moving parts made from wood. And newly-formed wood parts can and will change as they adapt to varying temperature and humidity.

Give them a chance to make the instruments right before you seek another dealer.

By the way, I'm a *very* satisfied owner of a Charles Walter vertical. I have no doubt that it is a fine instrument and will be a big boost to your son.

again thanks for your input.The dealer also says that they will give me the purchase price toward any future purchase.Is this of value or is it just some sort of weird trade in thing.

Just some weird trade in thing.

CW pianos are very nice, though. That would be an excellent choice for your son.

I sell CW (so I am a little biased), but I can tell you they are fine pianos that are backed well by the Walter family. If you ever have a problem, they will bend over backwards to help.

Good Luck,

I second what Rich just said.

As far as the full price trade for upgrade...
It is basically just a "weird trade thing". I mean, an honest dealer is going to give you a fair price at any time.
It's the same rule with any trade-in really.

I just called walters co. and was informed they are changing from"Langer" to"Renner" actions should I wait so that my son can try the new action? thanks

Tried new Walter studios and concoles, was not overly impressed. Then the dealer tried to get me to commit to one that was in a warehouse elsewhere.

Bought a Petrof studio with Detoa action, love it.

CW,

All comments on CW uprights implicitly refer to the current Langer actions. Many people like it the way it is, I know that I do on mine. For that matter, a friend of mine, a quite picky pianist, preferred it to the "full" Renner action in a nearby S&P upright. By all means, this is a personal preference. Rest assured that the current Langer action is excellent and this should not be a reason to not get the piano, if the current touch and tone are on your liking. You might get even a better price going for a piano in stock.

Can any of the dealers comment on why CW changes from Langer to Renner on their uprights? I know that Langer is owned by Walter family. It might be simply a business decision, rather than a technical one.

I was told by walters that they use Renner on their grands and were starting to use them on the uprights. As to why I don't know vary much about either.