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Hi,

I'm still searching for a baby grand/grand piano. For those who followed my earlier post, the 40 yr old yamaha was not in good condition. The old Baldwin I mentioned - finally saw/played it was ever worse :rolleyes: ! I think I'll stay away from the older pianos (+25 yrs) and stick with ones that are less than 20 yrs old.

That said, I saw a Hallet & Davis 5'5 - used, less than 2 yrs old for $6,500 - I tried several new H&D and liked them alot - this is a good deal for an almost new grand? I'm hesitant b/c the warrant is NOT transferable. I did really like the sound and feel of it.

Thanks.

if you decide to bid.. know that warranty work has a monetary value.. it should be discounted enough to match the lack of protection.

If a good independent tech has given it the once over, I would not be concerned. Grand pianos are rarely prone to catastrophic failure. It is a risk /price judgement. basically, how much are you willing to pay for a warranty?

Can you press for a dealer warranty at nil or minimal extra cost.

Kind regards

Adrian

I've tuned several of them. They sound fine, and the workmanship seems OK. (The 6'1" is even better.)

It would be interesting to know why they're selling it.

--Cy--

I like very much the idea of locating an acceptable used grand. When buying used, the best money you'll ever spend will be hiring an experienced tech who has no affiliation with the seller, to do a pre-purchase inspection.

Here's a link for locating a tech near you: your tech

Did you try out this particular H&D? Or are you talking in general? Obviously you want to make sure you like the piano that's for sale (maybe it's a dud and that's why the owners are trying to get rid of it).

But assuming you have indeed tried it and like it as much as the new ones you've tried, AND assuming that a competent technician checks it out and gives it his/her blessing, I wouldn't let the lack of a transferable warranty bother me. I think warranties are somewhat overrated...when you read the fine print, they tend to cover only the big things ("catastrophic failures", in AJB's words) that very rarely happen. And if those things were going to happen, it's more likely they would've been noticed or popped up already. I'm thinking of the forum member who discovered a crack in the plate of his new piano. I forget the piano brand, but he got a replacement piano under warranty. Your tech should be able to discover if there's anything like that going on with this piano, and if not, you're probably safe.

Thanks for the response. To clarify, the used H&D is not from a dealer - it's a private sale - certain family and home situation forces them to sell.

Monica: thank you for the info on warranty - I was really worried about not having one! I haven't tried this particular H&D yet, but plan to in the next few days. If I like it, I will have a tech check it out.

Apple: what would be the monetary value of a warranty?

Do you think if all checks out that the price is good? I thought I read somewhere on the forum that a new H&D can be had for around $7K?

Thanks.

With a 25% discount, $7k sounds right.

Not to worry too much about the warranty. Structural problems are unlikely to occur and, if present, should already be easily detectable by your tech.

When contacting techs, you may want to enquire if they've done these evaluations.

The H&D 5'5" has an Ancott price of $8790 in ebony. Based on the national average profit margin for acoustic pianos, it would sell new for about $7,700. Many dealerships sell them significantly below this national average margin.

I wouldn't pay $6500 for a nearly piano I could buy new for $7700 or less, from a local dealer WITH a warranty and post-delivery services.

Steve, the price differnetial is $1,200, using your figures. Close to 20% of $6,500. That is a heck of a lot to pay for what amounts to a warranty and a bit of dealer service?

A

I'd tend to agree with Steve. Buy from a private seller and you are stuck with whatever it is.

You can also, if you are smart, add in the $100 for an inspection, then $200 or so for the moving, which brings the price a whole lot closer.

You really have no idea what that piano has been through in two years, nor can you be sure you are getting an honest answer as to why it is being sold. it is probably nothing, but if it is, well.. caveat emptor.

Besides that, we all know how Chinese pianos have improved in the last couple years, so I personally would want to take advantage of that.

That's a lot of extras for $900. If you were to decide to bid on it, I would look at what that piano likely went for at the time it was purchased, not today. If I recall correctly, someone was selling them on new the internet for around $4K. That was a ridiculously low price at the time, but my point is this person may be trying to get back what they have in it.

sk99

You never know why the private seller is asking $6500. Could be that they expect to negotiate, could be that they spent closer to $7700 for it because they didn't know what to pay. In any case take the info above...I would want about 15% off the best new price, plus I would want the moving cost and some implied warranty value cost deducted as well. So you might want to try for about 5500-5700 if the piano checks out and the estimates on selling price are about right.

One or two years old is kind of a sweet spot for pianos. They've had a chance to settle in, tuning-wise, and any small problems have been taken care of (usually).

--Cy--

Thanks everyone for the wise, informative and cautionary advice. They are sooo helpful. I will play/check out the H&D this weekend! I'm excited but don't want to get my hopes up too high.

Whenever I see figures, does this mean total out of pocket (ie, tax and delivery included?) When buying from a dealer, does the price usually include tax and delivery or are these added on after (ie $7,700 + tax and delivery)?

Generally, it includes the piano, bench, pre-delivery tuning and prep, post-delivery tuning and warranty. Deliver and sales tax are added.

You would be surprised how much tone and touch depend on regulation and the condition of the hammers. You shouldn´t rule out pianos that are older than 25 years. In fact, the best deals can be made on instruments that have fixable errors like bad regulation and worn hammers.

I had a chance to try to H&D. I really liked it!
The serial # is DG19019 - where can I look this up? Can someone verify the age please? Thanks!!

SK99,
As you probably know, this piano was made by Dongbei in China. The Pierce Atlas does not list serial #'s for Dongbei. However, I checked my customer database, and the newest one that I service is DG10429, and is from 2003 (approx). Therefore this piano was made after 2003.

Perhaps others have some newer information, but it seems to be a fairly new piano.

Hope this helps.