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Because of piano depreciation it means you can buy a fabulous used piano at an equally wonderful discounted price as Rick did when he bought his C7. Universities rotate their performance pianos on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, not. We're fortunate that our primary performance piano here is only 5 years old, but most university concert pianos I've played in recent years are over 15 years old, sometimes over 30 years old, and sometimes even more (with some parts replaced or partial or full rebuilding, with highly mixed results).

From seeing a few pianos in practice rooms at a music school, I don't think I would ever buy one. I believe those pianos get a lot of playing wear, and their fair share of abuse.

Not everybody can buy used. Some people have to buy new so that other people can buy used.

Glad you corrected me. I guess I confused universities with European concert halls that I was told replace their concert grands every few years. Our university bought 2 really nice used grands recently. One was a 2016 Schimmel C189 and the other was a 2016 Steinway B. So maybe universities buy up nice used performance pianos instead of sell them. Oh well.

j&j, I understood exactly what you were saying.

I think the distinction/point should be made that even very high-end, very expensive pianos have limitations, in that they can be worn out in a relatively short period of time, depending on their purpose, location, and how hard/often they are played.

Getting back to the auto comparison, I believe they change out the engines in the NASCAR race cars after every race, and sometimes during the race.

Not sure this changes anything regarding "what do you get when you pay more". I guess it depends on who "you" actually is, and how much you actually pay...

Rick

The University piano practice rooms used to be looked after by a supervisor when I was there .On the whole music students were "different"to other students.Deliberate abuse of a piano just never happened .Every piano was cared for by the supervisor.At least in when I was there.
There were Steinway and Yamaha grands. Also quite a few Steinways uprights.
In the university concert hall there was a Steinways concert grand.(or semi concert ?)That one was
really a wonderful piano.

To me, that's where it's at. And to answer the original question: IMHO there's no direct relationship between 'high price' and "being blown away" In fact, many high priced pianos can be - and often are - very disappointing. Case of "emperor without clothes?" You judge. Remember the sometimes considerable price difference AMONG high priced pianos themselves will not be indicative of which piano you personally will end up liking best. Rest assured in this business you certainly don't always "get what you pay for" even though most commission based salesmen want you to believe that. As a result outright disappointment can and is often the end result. The piano you as player, will "connect with" is something slightly different. It's not just infatuation but real love. Something you can feel when playing it. Less dramatic perhaps, but much more 'real' Your inner voice will make this choice: it may very well be a piano you least expected to be. Perhaps you found it by coincidence somewhere and didn't follow the normal roads of "logic". This fact, IMHO gives unique power to buyers and pianists alike, something the industry doesn't exactly seem to encourage you to explore. Fact is you don't have to follow what someone else or the industry is telling you or wants you to believe. Your heart will know and it will always be honest with you. Never forget, you have the voice and the "power" within.

JazzyMac, you don't have to be skilled to enjoy a nice piano. I bought a Yamaha U1, I had only been taking for a year. It sounded a bit like a tin sound if there is such a thing. I turned it in within the first month and bought the YUS 5. I am on my 6th year of lessons. I may never be able to play what the piano is capable of, however it is truly a joy to play. This will be my life time piano, I'm 59 and this is good enough for me. I consider it for me a high end compared to what I could have paid for a piano, others may consider it a low end. What is important is if you like it. I had a $600 keyboard when I started and about 6 months later bought a Clavinova which I still have and play. I like to use the headphones, my husband appreciates it. If it dies I would get another one.

Larry, not at all. No different than an average golfer getting a high end set of clubs to play. Do what you enjoy, you certainly don;t have to be good at something to get a high end product. The way I play I am not deserving of a YUS 5, but it's fun and brings me hours of enjoyment. I know people who have great fishing boats, but are not very skilled at fishing. Have fun and enjoy life!

Thanks, I agree. As long as I enjoy the thing and use it, I don’t have a problem with buying a high end product. I used to buy Leica cameras and lenses. Did I have the photographic skills of Henri Cartier-Bresson? No, but I used my gear and I appreciated the quality of German manufacturing.

I’ve never regretted the money I’ve spent on high end instruments. I play my guitars every day, on a rotation, and I played my violin every day when I owned it. It would be the same for the piano. It would be something I enjoyed every day, just like you.