Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum I finally played a grand and know what the fuss is about.

Well I did it.
I happened to be at the mall and went by the music store where they NEVER have real pianos, just digital ones of varying kinds but as I looked in it SEEMED like they had a couple of new grands so I went in and sure enough they had a K. Kawai and a Yamaha grand so I sat down to try them.

I don't know what the K. Kawai was but the Yamaha was a GB1K PE/LZ. Apparently a 5' grand.

I have a Weber upright that I love but in the back of my mind, I've often wondered if the experience of playing on a grand would be different enough to warrant the upgrade. We are moving to Florida to our final retirement home next year and so my plan was to trade up my current upright to a grand, but i've waffled on that idea, back and forth wondering if it was worth it.

Now I know.

From the first few notes I I was blown away. My wife when "whoa!" when she heard it. I couldn't believe how different it was in sound and feel. I can only say that it was awesome.

From that experience I've decided to trade up when the time comes for sure.


PS: I was pretty proud of myself that I didn't choke while playing in the store, normally I'd freeze but I've been getting better at just playing and not freezing in front of folks but after I played a kid sat down (looked like he was about 14 or 15 years old) and proceeded to play about 20 times better than I did! Lol.

Oh well...it's always gonna happen, there's always a young one that's better than you.

Of course a grand is great, but I think it can also be quite a difference playing in a large space, compared to a small space.

It might have been not only the grand that gave you this great experience, but yes, I would definitely also prefer a grand!

Just wait until you play a grand that’s a bit bigger. Like a GC2 or a C2X or even a C3X or similar sized Kawai. It will blow your mind.

OH boy...my wallet is trembling.

No, it should be jumping of joy

You definitely have the fever! IIRC, your first posts were about free and cheap used uprights, then you bought a brand new upright! Now you're aching for a grand!

Haha...yeah, I remember. I didn't know how this would work out and now that I'm getting comfortable with it, I can see that I will play for a long time so the cost of upgrading is worth it.

Now to decide to take Graves up on their offer of "100% trade up value" or just shop at a Florida dealer and see if I can get them to buy my upright.

Graves deals in Seiler, Baldwin, Bechstein, Steinway, Boston, Essex, August Forster, and Knabe. (but not Yamaha or Kawai)

Why not check out both? Most piano dealers do take trade in but of course you get the most trade in from the dealer where you purchased it. The best thing for your pocketbook is to sell your upright yourself and then you can freely shop wherever you want. OTOH 100% trade in option is more expensive in both the long run and short run but I detest people traipsing through my house to play the piano for sale, bring up everything wrong they find so they can insult me with a really low ball offer. And if they do decide to buy it and we agree on a price, we then have to figure how they’re gonna pay. There’s so much forgery around why would I put myself through that hassle. I have heard good things about PianoMart with their reliable escrow. I know I’m paying for the convenience but I always trade in.

I know. I'm selling some almost new weight lifting gear and getting all kinds of idiots offering peanuts. (and one guy offered peanuts and asked me if I'd drive to HIS place of out state to deliver it.)

I'll check piano mart, I hadn't thought of that. I was going to spend 1,200 to ship it to Florida so that means that I could take a bit less for sale and still come out ok.

Before deciding whether to do trade-in where you live now or buy after moving, how about first trying to get an idea of which piano/brand you like? Then maybe you could make your decision based on what's available?

If you like the G-series Yamaha and the Kawai, you really need to try a Yamaha C-series! (not that I'm biased or anything...

Also you should try to compare lengths. Kawai has several size options, as does Yamaha. The Yamaha C1 is 5'3", the C2 is 5'8", and then the C3 is just over 6' (I can't remember if it's 6'1" or 6'3")

If you really want to stay smaller, definitely try a Boston... i think it's the GP163 (5'4") that I played, I played a couple different Boston 163 models in different dealerships, and I played some of their longer models too. I loved every Boston I played and can't recommend them enough.

I also really liked the Seiler I played, but have never played a Bechstein. And of the Steinways I played, some were fantastic but I could never justify the expense.

The other thing to decide, if you haven't already, is whether you plan to buy used or new, and then that will influence your decisions as well.

But, either way, now you have another excuse to go piano shopping!

Thanks for the insight Shirokuro!

If you really want to upgrade in a serious way--just noting some of the premium names mentioned above--a strategic purchase could save you more than you might "lose" on your upright. For example, you could look at rebuilt pianos at Cunningham (Philly) or Pianocraft (metro Washington), which aren't terribly far from you. Pianoworks (Atlanta) would be closer to Florida, although I'm sure all three can ship to Florida. All three have active members here, and are well-respected for doing good work.

Another strategic option is to simply watch and wait for a deal on a nice second-hand grand piano. Buying that way is similar to selling that way in that it takes more time but you are more likely to maximize your end of the deal. Instead of being the guy who's receiving low-ball offers for something he can't otherwise sell, be the guy making a reasonable offer on a piano someone else can't sell.

In any case, take your time and make a good choice. Avoid impulse buying!

The piano is addictive!
I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!

Excellent advice. If you do go to Cunningham pianos, do check out their Cunningham grands. I’ve heard good reviews about Cunningham pianos and yet they’re quite reasonably priced.

Yes, in general the difference between uprights and grands is remarkable, however there are some upright models that do a very nice job. I'd take a nice upright over a poorly build, poorly regulated, and poorly voiced grand any day.

Ditto on doing lots of shopping and research before taking the leap to purchase a piano. I think i'd make my purchase in Florida after you make the move, unless you come across your dream piano at an incredible deal. I haven't had to move a piano across the country, but i have read the stories here on PW. I'd try to avoid that if at all possible, IMHO.

Enjoy the quest!

Boston and Kawai are my favorites! Some used Petrofs are wonderful.
Yamaha always great !

Well yes that makes sense, it's like saying i'd take a nice well driving Toyota Starlett over a poorly maintained Renault Mégane Estate that goes left if you don't hang on to the steering wheel.

Thanks everyone! I'll wait until we get to Florida and then scout what's available at the local stores there and then decide.

I don’t know what will be your location in Florida but I would recommend doing s little internet shopping to see what brands will be available. You may find the choices more limited.

I know what you mean. I had a nice Baldwin Hamilton console for decades, was very happy with it. Then visited a friend who had a nice grand, and the effect was immediate. The timing was bad for me financially then, so I went out and got a very poor baby grand for under $4K, but it had a 100% trade-in upgrade deal. Even so I was happy with it - for a while. Now that I've had it over a year, I'm not so happy. Dampers keep getting stuck, and while it is under warranty and they fix for free, it happens a lot. Thus my other post about choosing another better used piano. I have to add that the difference in how it feels to play was not something I expected, or can communicate to people who only listen. They think it's all about the sound and tone.