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What can you tell me about the Samick WFG-185 6'1 World piano? How can I look up a Samick serial number ISGG?

Thanks

It's probably from 1999.

At the time they were built they represented Samick's best product and were considered by some to be comparable in quality to Yamaha and Kawai. Is there more to the serial number than just the four letters? My understanding with Samick is that the first letter usually indicates the build year - which "could" either be 1989 or 1999. Go figure. .

Yes, there is 3 or 4 numbers but it isn't in front of me right now. I saw a page that indicated that Serial numbers starting with I meant it was made in USA?

What price would you expect it to bring in excellent condition?

I don't find much on the internet about them, but everything I find seems positive.

Anymore thoughts?

The first two letters, IS indicate 1999. I think the next G is for August, and the last letter is for the model. The numbers would be which one in August, 1999. But I am not entirely sure of the code.

Do they use the same serial number system no matter where it's manufactured? The site I saw seemed to indicate that the I system was (made or maybe sold in) USA. It looked like other formats were used for Indonesia and korea.

Any thoughts on pricing?

What are they asking for it?

Per the Piano Book in 2002, the World pianos were "built by Samick in a separate facility [in Korea] reserved only for the premium pianos, using better materials, technicians and processes. Rims are mostly made of maple, Kluge keys, Renner actions, Abel hammers, and a whole assortment of features similar to those in some high-end pianos such as a seven-ply maple pinblock fitted to the flange, high quality soundboard material from the Canadian make Bolduc, vertically laminated maple bridges with maple cap, solid maple legs with leg plates, and a triangle shoe "tone collector" joining the beams and plate. The pianos are given a final action and tone regulating in Samick's California facility before being shipped to the dealers."

After 20 years, however, a World piano can be either great or mediocre depending on how it was used, maintained, etc. Be sure to have it checked out by an independent technician.

It has rarely been used and they want $2,800.

This is for a 6'1" grand, right (model 185)? With the normal caveat of having an independent tech. look it over to be sure of the piano's condition, I think it could be a great deal.

I agree - great deal indeed - even if the piano dates back to 1989.

Yes, 6'1 Samick World Grand. Any other opinions or experience with them?

I've been to the factory in Korea and see the production.

If it checks out, it's a great deal.

Why is there so little information on them? Short production run? I'll be moving from an inexpensive 5'2 baby grand. I would expect a big difference. What would the value be if excellent condition?

They WERE a short production run.

Hi Jack
I believe you indicated the seller wanted $2200 And have received responses this will be a great deal if the condition is good. I don’t think anybody knows what other pricing information you would need in order to buy it

The value of a used piano ultimately depends on what someone is willing to pay for it. If you are asking about value in terms of whether it's worth $2800, then that depends on how it sounds to your ears, what your tech has to say about its condition and so on. If it's in good condition and you like its sound and touch, then that is an excellent price and "valuable" in its own right.

If you are asking about the value in terms of, could you buy it for $2800 and turn around and sell it for two or three times that much, that is a much more complicated question, and one that, IMO, doesn't have a real answer until someone is actually in the position of trying to sell the piano. People will tell you that used pianos don't have very high resale value unless they are Steinway or Yamaha, and, depending on the market, I believe there's some truth to this. So that's one detail that influences the "value" of this Samick.

Also, if you haven't done this already, another way to get an idea of the "value" is to do the following:

1) go on CL, PianoMart, eBay, and Facebook marketplace and search for other Samick 6'1" grands, compare their ages and prices to this one. ETA: also make a note of how long those pianos have been sitting on those websites, unsold. If you see a Samick similar in age and condition to this one, contact the seller and ask how long they've been trying to sell it and whether they've had much interest in it. This will give you an idea of both whether the asking price is reasonable and also of whether there are many people wanting to buy Samick pianos.

2) call a few piano dealers (maybe both in and outside of your immediate location) and ask how much they would pay you for this grand, how much they would give you for this piano as a trade in, and what they would price the piano if they were selling it on consignment.

Comparing the info you get from doing #1 and #2, in conjunction with the current asking price of $2800, will give you a better perspective about the "value" of this piano.

But, if what you're wanting is a grand piano that you can play and enjoy for a number of years, and if you've test-played the piano and like it, then skip all of the above and just get an independent tech to evaluate this piano and go from there.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Yes - short production run. Twenty years ago they had a higher profile - I remember playing a couple of them at a dealer.

Have you not played the Samick yet? Only you can tell if there is a big difference compared to your current piano.

As for value in excellent condition, I would expect that a dealer would charge a minimum of $8 - $10K for a 20 year old Samick World model G185 in excellent condition.

Well, that worked out well. The piano looks and sounds great. It has a few minor issues with some of the dampers, but we will get those worked out this week, when it's tuned.

The quality looks great. It has fairly light action and plays very well. It sat in climate controlled storage for sometime, so I can't wait to hear it after its tuned up!