Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Considering a refurbished G3 for my first piano

Theres a piano shop near me that has a really great reputation for refurbishing pianos. They have a 1976 G3 for sale that is in just about perfect condition for $14k (I'll post the link below) I've played Piano for many years but I've never purchased one so I'm pretty in the dark as to determining if this is a good deal. I'd appreciate any input.

Before finding this listing and realizing I have plenty of space for a 6' grand I was mostly learning towards getting a new Yamaha U1. I've got a young kid and plan on having a couple more and putting them all through piano lessons so I'm hoping for a good 30 years out of whatever I buy with regular tuning and maintenance of course. I'm open to any suggestions for my situation.

http://brighamlarsonpianos.com/product/1976-yamaha-g3/

Hi FattyTuna,

Welcome to PianoWorld! I’m certainly no expert and am only trying to be helpful. That G3 is 44 years old. The things listed as refurbishment are, in my humble opinion, just maintenance not refurbishment. Refurbishment would be new hammers, restringing with new wires, new pin block, new or repaired soundboard, new or completely reworked action. Basically all that the piano dealer did was some freshening and cleaning up the insides, with some voicing and regulation, which are supposed to be done during the piano’s lifetime in the owner’s home. You’re in Utah. I can’t imagine that the piano market is that different than New Mexico or Arizona. I think the price of that G3 is too high. I would suggest you check other dealers in your state for some other newer G3’s and C3’s. Check PianoMart.com for used Yamahas in the 6’ range. If you buy used, even from a dealer, be sure to have an independent piano technician inspect it before purchase. I hate sounding like such a downer and hopefully some of our true experts can and will weigh in as well. Best wishes on a successful piano adventure!

14k it also sounds extremely high to me

The dealer probably bought it for less than 3k

This is a 1985 for $12000
https://www.ebay.com/itm/YAMAHA-G3-GRAND-PIANO-1985-VIDEO/174077567483?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item2887d4e1fb:g:~tMAAOSwgtddtMo-

I would keep shopping

That guy is a great salesman! I watched from start to finish. I love to watch a good salesman work.

I've seen his videos on piano repair. He seems capable and knowledgeable.

I am not an expert, but that looks like a beautiful piano. I can see why you are attracted to it! I wish I had more experience and could give you a thorough opinion.

I have a 6'2 grand that I love. It is a nice size for me. I notice more resonance and power in mine, vs a 5'x piano. My room is around 700 sq ft.

I also have an amazing Roland RM700 digital. It has 2 nice 60 watt speakers. Still, nothing sounds quite like an acoustic to me.

I like the acoustic better, but I play the digital 10x as much. It's more practical for practice, I couldnt get by without my digital.

What piano do you have now?

Do you play?

My best advice is to be careful about having more kids. My second one came out redheaded and nothing like the first one!

All I have now is a cheap keyboard I bought a few years ago for around $300. It's a bit tough to practice on. I played for years but since only have this keyboard I've mostly stopped practicing.


Thanks so much for the help. You and other posters seem right as I do more research. It's too old and too expensive.

I would still love to have a Grand Piano but buying a used grand piano seems more and more daunting! At least I'm not in a hurry.

Fatty:

The young man is a friend of mine. He is a wonderful young man and he and his wife are both very nice people.

Is the piano a good buy at $14,000??? I don't know

Why not make him an offer that you feel is more reasonable.

And no - he did not buy it for $3,000 - I can promise you that.

How much to offer? I will let you decide that, but negotiate. Good luck.

FattyTuna, as others have said, it seems a little over priced, considering the age and the fact that it’s a G-series and not a C-series. Having said that, G3s are very nice, and if this piano is in such good condition it might last you a very long time and be a nice instrument to play and learn on for you and your family. And buying from a piano dealer comes with its own perks that, if your budget allows, can be quite beneficial.

One thing I notice about the video is that the dealer plays a sort of modern piece on the mid to lower registers. Yamahas are perfect for that kind of music, but if that piano has a brightness problem (which I would worry about at 40y/o) the piece the dealer played will hide it pretty well. And if you play mostly pieces in the traditional classical piano literature, you might not be as happy with a bright Yamaha.

Can you go and play it in person? Does the dealer offer a warranty and for how long? Can you find an independent piano tech to evaluate it for you?

If you can do all of the above, and it checks out, see how much the dealer is willing to come down on price. In the meantime, keep your eye on private sellers as well as dealers and see what prices for similarly aged pianos are. Also maybe see if you can find any that are more like 20 y/o instead of 40. If you have looked at a lot more used pianos, both at dealers and at private sellers, you’ll have a better idea of what seems like a reasonable price in your area.

If you can also develop a relationship with an independent piano tech, buying a used piano does not have to be daunting.

So I would say don’t rule this piano out yet. Go and play it and start from there. (Since this is the corona-era, an you get a private appt?)

Good luck and keep us posted!

FattyTuna, I’ll add a little on what ShiroKuro said. And Furtwangler too. So it is trustworthy dealer. Whenever you get the chance, contact the dealer on how and when to arrange your “test drive”. Decide from that point if it still stays on the list. Check it against other pianos that dealer is selling. Also, check out some other dealers and private sales in your area. If the G3 comes shining through to the top of the list, then schedule your independent tech visit for the finalist. Sometimes it’s hard to argue if a piano captures your heart.

That is WAY overpriced.

Yeah - by at LEAST $100

NFW

In my area,

You will pay quite a bit more from a dealer. Some people feel better about buying from a dealer though.
This seller says he has refurbished it, so that's worth something.

I dont know what that piano is worth, but you can't expect to buy from a dealer and sell it for the same price.

A $14,000 piano is a huge step up from a keyboard and it's a large commitment.

Digital pianos are not the same as a nice acoustic, but they can be very nice, they never need tuned, they are a smaller commitment, and you can control the volume!!

You might want to look at them, just to be sure. I started with a $600 casio and it met my needs very well, to get me started. It was a minimal investment that helped me to better understand what I wanted.

Personally, I would bargain shop from individuals.

I have seen some great deals on acoustic pianos from individuals, but that may vary depending on the area. I am guessing that some really great deals may come up in the next few months. I tend to think 5'x" pianos are way for prevalent than 6'+ pianos.

Dont get stressed about buying. It will be awesome to get a new piano!!

I don't know that this Yamaha *is* overpriced. OK so the piano isn't fully rebuilt, but lets say he bought that piano for something like $6000 (could have been less, could have been more). If you ask a technician for a full regulation and voicing, that'll cost you somewhere in the region of $3000. He buffed out the case work which is a lot of time - that polishing costs money in labour hours, cleaning out the piano costs money, re-shaping the hammers and fitting them to the strings costs money. If you phoned up his shop and you asked him to perform all that servicing on a piano that you had bought for $6000, and you wanted to get the piano there and back, you might find it runs into a handsome four-figure sum. Also in his defence, he's giving the piano a warranty, and that's worth something if his business is good.

I'm not saying you should pay $14,000 for this piano, and I'm not saying I would. I happen to like a more subtle and refined sounding instrument, but that's personal taste. I'm not saying there aren't better options out there - there may well be, there are probably instances where your money could go further for something newer, but from a dealer this seems to be on the lower side of normal.

It is a gray market piano. They are available for a lot less.

I'm really grateful for all the answers. I'm going to go see this piano and try it out. Good excuse to get out of the house and it'll be a private appointment, safe from Corona hehe.

A used grand piano still seems daunting, but I assume it will get less daunting as I actually go out and try these pianos.

I've now got an appointment to see this piano, as well as the U1 I was originally thinking about, and because why not, I'm also throwing a N3X into the mix and trying that as well.

It does get less daunting the more you play and poke around used pianos. As long as you do your homework, a used piano is a great thing to purchase. There is no way I could afford a new Yamaha C2 but by spending time and effort to learn about used pianos and taking the time to see what was available (and driving all over tarnation I was able to find a used grand in great condition at a price I can afford. So don't be discouraged!!

Let us know what you think of the pianos after your appt!

This sounds like a great plan!

I had like 8 watt speakers on my Casio. My Roland has 60 Watts.

That Yamaha has 200 watts. That should be interesting!

Agree with J&J 100%!

I am too thinking $14K is way too high for that piano!

That is really funny!!!

Thought I'd post an update

I went out last weekend to visit the two showrooms. I started with the Yamaha showroom. They had managed to find and set up an N3X before I got there. I started with that and was generally impressed. Though I can't help but shake the thought that the primary benefit for home use over an N1X is the appearance. I then tried two 20 year old pianos, a C3 that needed a regulation but was in good shape. And a C6 that was marvelous. Before leaving I mentioned that I was heading to the other piano shop down the road known for selling grey market refurbished pianos and I got an earful about how if I purchased a grey market piano my family would be cursed with all 7 plagues before the piano finally exploded, killing us all. The prices I was given for each of the pianos is as follows.

N3X: $18k (I'm aware this is much higher than some people are finding, which is a no go for me)
C3: $20k
C6: $22.5k

At the second piano shop all the pianos I tried were from the mid 70s. First a G3 which I liked, then a C3 which seemed pretty comparable to the G3 musically. After that I chatted with the owner and posed the question "If I raised my budget to about $20k what is the best I could do? We walked over to the other side of the shop and he showed me a Consignment 1970 Mason and Hamlin (BB I believe, 7 feet) which was in great shape musically but a bit dinged up cosmetically. He said for about $22k I could have that piano and they could refinish it for me.

Prices
G3: $14k
C3: $16.5k
M&H BB: $22k (refinished)

My wife is pretty sold at this point on making our front room a piano room. I could fit anything shy of 10 feet in there and it would look wonderful. I'm still a bit tempted to lean towards the hybrids for the headphone benefit. but I'm so torn, especially after seeing that Mason and Hamlin, which I think is my top pick at the moment.