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I'm thinking of buying a Yamaha C109 (here in Canada) that was, according to the serial number and the Yamaha website, built in 2002. This piano is in excellent condition (it seems almost new except for two 1/8" round, small dings which appear to have been made by moving) and has been sitting in a house for 2 years not being used.

I have checked the insides and all the pins are tight and the soundboard is intact. Really, it looks new and it has the nice action and tone of a Yamaha. The thing is, I've seen these used pianos listed for sale for as much as $2,500 to $4,000 and the local Yamaha dealer tells me if I were to buy a new one it would be $4,500.

If this piano is in as good shape as it appears to be, I think this might be a very good buy. What do you think?

Thanks for any help.

Ken G

Hey Ken,

First off: Do you like the way the piano sounds and plays? Secondly:Is the price right?(sorry, I wish I knew what a fair price for that particular model is) and Thirdly (and most importantly): If you like the piano and the price is right, then get a third party registered piano technician to do an inspection before you go ahead and purchase it. This is a service that will cost you a bit of money but is well worth it when purchasing a used piano. There are a myriad of things that a RPT knows to look for that could easily go unoticed by untrained people like ourselves.

Best of luck.

Hello Ken

How much is the dealer asking?

The C109 and C113 are the only 2 pianos I have seen made in a 'joint venture' factory in China in association with Pearl River Co. They were my least favourite Yamaha pianos - not the best tone in the mid range especially dead around C D and E an octave up from mid C, laminated soundboard and no backposts, although the action was good.

At that height, the earlier Japanese built C108 and the latest Indonesian built B1 are far superior.

If you have the space and the budget I would suggest looking for something at a height of 120cm or above, (118 if not on castors) not necessarily Yamaha although they are reliable, and buy new or as near to new as possible.