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Hi, I'm 17 and I've been playing piano for 1 and a half years. It's become my favorite thing to do and I can spend up to 5 hours a day at the piano. My dream is owning a grand piano one day so I've decided to start saving money for it so I can get one by the time I'm 25-30.

I am not closed to the idea of a baby grand but I'd rather get something around 6-7". What price range should I aim for to get a piano of a reasonably good quality but that's not over the top either?

It's still really early but I want to see how much money a month I should dedicate to that piano if I want to be able to afford my dream.

Since you have time, start researching brands and models and watching for what they sell for second hand. Prices can vary widely (private and dealer sales, used and new, etc). If you’re willing to buy second hand (and no reason not to), one of the best ways to score a deal is to be watching, and ready to buy. That may not be today or tomorrow, but as you build your savings and knowledge, you’ll be better poised to strike when an opportunity presents itself!

Pianos can be difficult for individual owners to sell second hand, so prices can get pretty low if someone’s anxious to sell.

All good sensible advice.

Also - take into account that, in 10-15 years you'll be hopefully earning far more than you are at present - wages generally go up with age and experience.

Also - don't consider it a "one-step" move. Many of us graduated through a succession of pianos as we progressed through life. I went:
- age ~20, old upright, worked OK but a bit sluggish;
- age ~26, new YAMAHA UX - was top of the range UPRIGHT YAMAHA - this piano was a workhorse for my diploma, children learning etc;
- age ~53, new SCHIMMEL 6' grand;
- age ~60, new GROTRIAN Concert 7'4" piano - finally my dream piano.

Grotrotian Concert sounds like a dream to me !

I agree carefull planning and awareness. Kawai make wonderful pianos but then so do Yamaha. I had a Kawai grand for 47 years .
I sold it to a dealer who was going to restring it and do a real work over on it and sell it again .
So yes just plan carefully and you will find your piano .

zerox029- it is a wonderful goal to buy a fabulous grand piano new or used to play every day for hours. There are a couple things that you’ll need along with the piano. You will need to live in a place big enough to place a 6 - 7 foot grand with thick enough walls to not disturb the neighbors. You’ll also need enough money for regular tunings, voicing, and regulation.
As other posts mentioned the used piano market is always softer than buying new but you do need a piano technicians evaluation before buying.
Just a suggestion here but besides studying playing piano, in your free time, study how pianos work, how they’re tuned and fixed. That way when you’ve saved enough and are in a place where you can finally get the grand of your dreams, you’ll also be very knowledgeable and can shop confidently. I wish you the very best of luck!

Hi zerox029, You might want to consult The Piano Book by Larry Fine, as well as one of the associated Acoustic and Digital Piano Buyer issues that come out a couple times a year. There is plenty of pricing information in these books to help provide a knowledge basis for your ultimate purchase. And yes, best of luck in your wonderful journey!

Hi Zerox,

You have a gift to be so motivated at a young age - think of piano pursuit as a long-term endeavor, considering the vastness of the repertoire and the expense of a quality instrument. In the Boston area, if I were aiming for decent a 6-7' grand, new or used, I would consider setting a budget of ~20-25K. But I recently tried some really nice Kawai GL series grands that were <15 asking price which is a good value to me.

I sent you a private message. Good luck.

$25K to $45K for a good to great 6'-7' instrument. Save up!

I have to think it can be done for 10-12k. I'm trying to do it for $5.
Wish both of us luck.