Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum 13yr old Kawai K3 price question

Hi everyone,

Newbie here to the forum.

What does everyone think about $2500 for a Kawai K3 produced in 2007? The seller said it was from 2009 so I assume she bought it in 2009. She said it was not used often.

Is K3 very different from K300? The Piano will be used for a young kid to start lessons and I am hoping I won't need to upgrade in the first few years (if she likes lessons that is). The piano teacher I consulted with prefers Yamaha to Kawai so she is telling me the price is reasonable but not a great deal.

Thanks everyone!

I can't comment on the particular model, but the price/value of a used piano is based almost entirely on its condition. The fact that "it was not used often" doesn't indicate that it has been cared for or maintained over the last 12 years or so. Piano prices vary from area to area, from market to market and you don't say where you are located which could be a factor in pricing. Have you factored in the cost of delivery and set up in your home?

Strange to say, but it is true that many piano teachers know little about pianos as far as brands, manufacture and maintenance are concerned. So the fact that the piano teacher you consulted prefers Yamaha over Kawai is, to me, meaningless.

If you are seriously considering buy this piano for fairly long-term use, you should have it checked out by a technician.

Regards,

Agreed with BruceD. That's a really low, almost suspiciously low price. I would definitely want it checked out before purchase.

Seems lots lower than one I found. If it checks out, sounds like a deal

The teacher you consulted is probably not qualified to comment on the price...teachers don't keep up with prices. The K3 is the same internal design as the K300 and, in lesser areas of construction, I believe it was better made than its successor. Still, everything depends upon the condition.

It's definitely worth pursuing as a good starter - intermediate level piano. Not often played typically means under serviced, so as part of the technician's inspection, ask what would be the cost to bring it up to speed. When well serviced and voiced, the K3 will outperform Yamaha's B3, in my opinion. The U1 still holds the advantage, but I don't believe that advantage would be relevant for a beginner and for home use.

I don't know what market you are in, and 12-18 months ago, a price like that on the private market was good but not uncommon. Today, with pianos like that being in short supply in most markets, it's a low price. Proceed with due diligence and be prepared to walk away if it doesn't add up.

My usual speech includes expanding your choices beyond just Y and K, especially if this one doesn't work out. It's that oversimplification that causes a lot of people to overpursue average and below average condition pianos just because they have heard of the brand.

For what its worth I sold a mint condition 2012 K3 for that price in May. It’s the one in my youtube videos other than the very latest one. I only had a month to sell it so I had to price accordingly. I was quite surprised when the dealers in my town turned me down at $3k (near Boston).

Have a tech take a look at the piano but it sounds like a good deal.

thank you everyone.

just curious, what is the going rate for moving a piano these days? I am in SoCal and this piano is an hour away (~45mi) from me.

I don't think that there is a "going rate" for moving a piano. The rate depends upon what any company charges and that can vary from one moving company to another. It's also dependent upon whether or not one uses household movers or piano movers.

Add to that possible complexities of a move: stairways, awkward entrances, narrow hallways, etc., etc.

Regards,