Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Kawaii K 2 or used Yamaha U 1 or Hailun

Hello everyone,
I need some advice to help me to choose a piano for a 6 yr old child. I don't play piano myself, but I did some research, and would like some professional input.
We went to a couple of piano stores in our area, my daughter played some instuments and now I have some questions regarding few options.
Our options are:
Yamaha T118 (new from a dealer) - $4,000
Kawai K2 (10 year old, craiglist)- $2,950
Hailun H1-P (new) - $ 4,100
Yamaha U1 (10 year old, craiglist)- $3,800

I personally liked U1, taking in consideration its great reputation, but for some reason my daugther did not like the sound of it. She is currenlty playing on a digital Yamaha at home.
Anyone has an idea which one of these instruments would be better for a begginer and if the above prices are good?

Thank you very much.

I think you would be really impressed with Hailun. Yamahas and Kawais are great too. They're all great insturments, but its really up to you to decide which one you like best.

Prices on all but the K2 are fine. The K2 is overpriced.
A new K2 could be had for the offered price of the T and the H1. A new one would be a better bet and an apt comparison to the H1 and T.

If it's in good shape,t he Yamaha U1 price is good enough as an opener because you could probably shave it down a bit. U1's that are only ten years old are not that easy to find. The U1 is a great learner's piano, but if your child doesn't like it, telling her it's good for her will be about as productive as telling her that the vegetables she doesn't like are good for her.

Personally, I like the the tone of the H1 better than the T118. As you say though, Yamaha (Japan) has a great reputation which Yamaha (China) hopes to trade on with the T.

If you don't think another piano would confuse her, maybe have your daughter audition the T and the H1 again and compare them to a new K2.

Sorry for the mistake, but K-2 offered at that price is only 2 years old.

In that case, the new prices are still good and the used prices are excellent. For $3800 at many dealers you get a U1 over 25 years old... Buy the piano that pleases your family the most.

That's more in line with the other choices.

All the prices are fine. Dealers with new pianos may negotiate down further. You'll never know unless you ask. Craigslist private party advertisers expect to give a little on prices, but again, it's up to you to ask.

If you decide on one of the new ones, be sure to establish the price that includes any taxes, delivery to your home, and a complimentary in-home tuning or two later.

If for any reason you decide on the U1, eyeball the serial number personally and write it down. Then check it out against the Yamaha piano age chart. Just google Yamaha piano age.
The chart will come up.

If you decide on the used Kawai, then eyeball the serial number, write it down, and check it out at

http://www.kawaius-tsd.com/pages/serial_manudate.html

Then call Kawai at the contact number on the web site and give them the serial number to make sure that their 10 year transferable warranty is in effect.

Do your verification before any money changes hands.

Time seems to fly especially fast for piano owners, particularly Yamaha owners. They often have very faulty memories of just how old their piano really is.

go with the u1. it is a superb piano and has a great reputation for reliability and you will always be able to sell it for what you paid for it.

You're sure?

Norbert

absolutely

I did check the serial number of U-1, it is made for NA market, and in accordance with Yamaha website it was made in 2000. I believe, it also has a plaque that the piano is a special edition piano.
I was inclined to go with the U-1, but I am concerned that my daughter did not like the sound of it. On the other hand, should I follow the wishes of a 6 year old while choosing a piano?

I am searching for a grand, and my 6 year old son begged me for the royal blue Baldwin at the dealer for about 2 weeks... and then abruptly changed his mind and now wants white. Neither is going to happen... and at least in our case, my 6 year old's wishes change with the weather.

That's a tough one, especially if she really likes one of the others. I wouldn't want the task myself, but if you could get her to articulate what it is she doesn't like, then you'd have something to go on.

For example, if it sounds harsh or percussive, it could just be that the hammers have been compacted from use and a tuner could fluff them up for you later.

You could also simply tell her to be quiet and mention that the sound will change in a new environment.

Find out what she really likes and (if possible)why.

As Joanna pointed out, if you place a 6 year old in the drivers seat, you may end up with a blue Baldwin , but there's still a way to keep your child involved. The opinion at 6 yrs old is rarely cogent, but not necessarily meaningless. As other parents visiting us have done, try reducing the number of choices down to say 2 that you are willing to purchase and be happy with. There's not just one good choice on your list. At that point, your child can still pick and both your needs are satisfied. That said, the older the child, the better this approach works.

What's funny to me is I've seen parents try to rig the choice with funny results. Present your top 2 and see what happens.

If your daughter does not like the sound of the piano you're buying it's meaningless if it's "built for N.A." or the moon.

It also doesn't matter if it's a Fazioli or Steinway.

Kids can have amazing ears and "feel" about things and often identify with an instrument even more that adults can.

I highly recommend making your daughter part of the final choice. Time will tell you *why*...

Norbert

Norbert

Norbert, I agree with you that kids might have a special "feel" for the instrument.
After trying U1 she simply said that she did not like how it sounds, but after I further questioned her tonight, she said that she feels that it might be not in tune. I have no idea how she would know the difference (it was tuned a year ago). I will take her to try these pianos again, but I am afraid that she is getting overwhelmed.
Does anyone have any comment about Hailun vs Kawaii?

Thank you everybody for your input.

Not in a versus format.

The problem here (and it's a good problem in a way) is that you have four different pianos that all have their virtues and are very well priced for what you get. Each one of them is more than adequate for your purpose. You just have to find the one that pleases your daughter from a playingperspective and also satisfies you since you will be listening to it quite a bit and looking at it even more.

The only caution I would advise is that if you buy the Kawai, check out the transferable warranty frst. I don't say that because something is likely to go wrong, just because it's a nice feature on a used piano.

Incidentally, a year is certainly enough time for a piano to go out of tune. Your daughter's ear could be quite sensitive to this. Age is no impediment to detecting pitch. Also, your daughter is accustomed to a Clavinova, so she has a good reference for an in-tune instrument.

If you want to risk $100 or so on the Yamaha, you could pay for a technician to inspect it as a condition of purchase. You would want to get the seller's permission and agree up front on a sale price if you're satisfied with the inspection. It's not a bad idea at all. The tech could easily tell you if it's out of tune and also clue you in as to any repairs necessary. You might even get consideration on the price of the tuning if you buy the piano and hire the same tech to tune it in your home.

Again,none of the pianos in this group would be a bad choice compared to any other provided that your daughter and you are happy with it.

If it was tuned a year ago it is most definitely out of tune. A fresh tuning is something that lasts just hours, not days and certainly not a year. Pianos in home settings are best when tuned at least twice a year. You've already said you'd have a have a tech inspect, the tech will be able to tune it to some degree as part of the inspection. This should help your daughter fairly evaluate the instrument and she'll probably love it.

Tuning is something that's crucial to the piano selling process, but expensive for dealers. I'm a bit surprised you didn't mention this. When I was shopping for pianos a badly out of tune instrument wouldn't last 15 seconds. My thinking is if a dealer can't be bothered to keep his inventory in tune then he doesn't really want to sell it.

Edited. Sorry I missed the correction on the K2 age.

Thank you for the suggestion to look at the piano with the technician, the same was suggested by my daughter's music teacher. I will do that. If the issue is tuning, I will definitely go with U1.
Does "special edition" of U1s refers to the instruments made in 2000?

The only way one could *properly* choose here is if all pianos would be [ideally] side by side, in same or similar technical condition and played the same or similiar way.

Having any one piano tested by a tech and not doing same with the others is simply "pre-selecting" not really "choosing" among these pianos.

In case of Yamaha, most people simply make their selection based on name recognition and trust in brand.

This is understandable but doesn't allow other instruments to really 'show their stuff'.

If the choice would be based on actually playing the pianos, with special attention to their bass-middle and treble parts, the choice may very well have been otherwise.

Personally I would never buy a car I don't like driving myself - regardless how good its technical report card might be....

Wishing you [and child] the best!

Norbert