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Good morning from the UK,

We've just paid for a new Kawai K500, which will arrive next week. We bought it for our children, one of which is working towards Grade 6. We're not playing ourselves and wonder if there is anything that we should check when the piano is delivered (to raise it with the dealer right away if needed).

It's nice that Kawai is providing a 10-year guarantee on their uprights. However, we only got a sale invoice from the dealer. Do you normally get any more paperwork than that with a new Kawai purchase?

Many thanks!


Dong.

I received a Kawai maintenance/care brochure with my but otherwise a lack of paperwork. The circumstances were not normal then though as I purchased my piano at a time when the dealer was actually closed for business and so low on admin facilities.

If your piano is like mine it will come superbly regulated and set up so just play it and check for evenness in response across the keyboard. The only thing that has needed attention on mine in the year we have had it is a few keys sticking slightly as it adjusts to our environment so you might check all keys feel the same and return at the same speed.

Check the case for scratches. Check that the pedals work properly. Check that every note functions properly.

From my experience of purchasing 2 brand new pianos from dealers, I think it is normal for not getting much paperwork. My first piano was Kawai k300 and I didn't even get the bill of sales. My second is Yamaha C2x and again no bill of sales and not even warranty card this time.

Dong,

Is the dealer providing an in home tuning after it's delivered?
If so, ask the tuner to check it out and let you know if he/she finds any issues.

Even if they work for the dealer they should be honest (I hope) in their assessment.
If the dealer/seller isn't including an in home tuning, hire a good tuner, have it tuned, and again ask the tuner about the piano.

A tuner has to play every note several times, and often has to adjust every one of the approximately 230 tuning pins. The tuner will also know if the action and pedals are responding properly. And of course if something just needs a bit of adjusting (as can happen when it's moved) the tuner-tech should be able to take care of it.

Enjoy your new piano!

Bingo

I’ve bought 4 new pianos. The first from Baldwin. I got the sales receipt and then the booklets on Baldwin pianos, a registration form and when I registered it I got a polished brass plate with my name on it. The Yamahas came with a sales receipt, a booklet, a key, a dusting mitt, and a maroon felt keyboard cover. The Estonia came with sales receipt, Estonia booklet, no locking fallboard so no key, a Jansen adjustable bench and an Estonia pillow.

Make sure to do the scratch check before you sign anything and the before the movers leave. I'd be less concerned about things covered by the warranty and more worried about moving damage that they won't take responsibility for after they leave.

It's probably better not to sign anything indicating there are no scratches. It can take a very long time to check a piano and you may find additional scratches later. Just ask to cross out anything that says there are no scratches before you sign. Or just write "several scratches" on the form. The movers will not take care of scratches. That's the dealers job.

I never heard of not getting a bill of sale. How can one make a warranty claim without it? The OP should insist on this and on written information about any warranty.

Kawai in my area just use their sales record in database to establish proof of purchase. So I guess that's why bill of sales is not really that important. I guess same for Yamaha in my area.

Thank you all very much for the suggestions and advice. All noted and greatly appreciated!

The dealer is listed as a distributor on Kawai UK's website, so I'm not too concerned about the paperwork, just curious about the business norms for pianos. It's interesting that such a big-ticket item does not come with much paperwork. I got the sale invoice sent over email to me, BTW.

He himself is also a piano tuner, so he will be visiting to tune the new piano for free once at 4–8 weeks and another time at 6 months. All sounds good to me and also reassuring.

Since I am not playing, I'll ask the children to "test play" it in a systematic way as suggested. I myself will look for scratches .

Many thanks all, again!

Aren't you tempted to play it?

It is never late to learn... I began at 49.9, am a month shy of 53 (so 3 years on), and enjoying quite a lot the process

Why not PM KawaiDon? He’s our resident Kawai representative. He can tell you about everything you should get and about the delivery process.

I cannot imagine a dealer would not give a bill of sale and written warranty if requested.

It could come with delivery.

Great idea! Thanks. I'm a tiny bit younger than when you started so I guess I have no excuse

Very good!

Now you need to check the Adult Beginners Forum for ideas and inspiration and begin your journey.

Welcome to the wonderful world of piano playing!

None at all, I started playing piano as my first musical instrument at the age of 60 and there are others here who started later than me as well. So get playing, it's never too late :-)

Sigh, looks like I won't be able to get away with it now

Thanks gwing and EB5AGV for the encouragement!