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Hello,

I’m a new member here, but would love some input on my current piano hunt.

After extensive searching I’m debating between a 7’4” Falcone for a good deal, or a brand new Shigeru SK-3 in pyramid mahogany, or a SK-6. I ultimately want an SK-7 but there are none available on my side of the coast. I’ve debated just ordering one without playing but that’s too much risk and it wouldn’t get here until probably May next year.

I’m unsure if I should just bite the bullet and by a brand new piano or give the 1993 Falcone a chance then trade up in a few years. Im having them all looked over by a technician.

A brief background: I’m classically trained and got my degree in piano performance/composition. Thanks everyone!

I had played that limited edition SK-3 sometime ago and it is my only colour choice besides black which I liked. Such a beauty. Lovely mellow tone. I recalled i was told it is about 3x the price of the standard ones.
SK-3

According to much reading here, you'll very likely advised not to get piano which you didn' try.

Sharing a short story. A while ago, my teacher upgraded her grand. After testing many piano at different showrooms, She tired a particular brand and model at this showroom. She liked it but wanted it in white which there isn't one for her. She ordered and got her piano after weeks.
Does she likes it? No. Does she love it? Yes.

PS: My teacher is a very advanced pianist with over 20 years of teaching experience. Still actively being one of the judges of many local and overseas competitions. A former piano books author.

If you settled for any piano except your ultimate choice (SK-7), would you possibly (after a while) miss it and regret not getting it at the first place?

Personally, I do not like the idea of getting something for now and upgrade it later especially I have the budget and choices.

When someone tell you they found their dream piano, he could have tried a handful of pianos and only out of those, that is the best. If he continued to hunt, a newer dream piano would probably appear. That's no real end to it.

Good luck and sorry if im not helpful. Let us know your final decision.

It seems to me the SK-6 is by far the closest to your ultimate piano. In fact, I think many would not find that much difference between an SK-6 and SK-7.

According to the pricing in the Piano Buyer, the cost of the pyramid mahogany version should be about 30% more than the ebony model.

My bad, I checked (I app my playing and price to my teacher after I asked the Agent) that it was about USD 58.6k ++ that time).

Just curious - is the 7'4" 1993 American built Falcone the one being sold by the Portland Piano Company?

Thanks for you input everyone. I don’t remember the price for an ebony SK-3, but I was able to get the SK-3 down to about $65k (with trade in.) I know it’s still more expensive but the look of it is spectacular.

And yes, the Falcone is at PPC! I take you have been there recently. It’s a great store.

I was wondering if you were talking about that same Falcone too. I've played that one, it's really nice!

Nope - just found it online after you gave the specifics in your initial post. I don't know much about the original Falcone brand so did a little research. I'd love to try one. The only piano store I've been to in Portland is Classic Pianos - and that was many years ago.

It’s a beautiful piano ! The action and tone are lovely. It’s definitely a good find.

I’ve yet to go to Classic pianos. They have a shop in Bellevue, WA also but I haven’t been yet.

Oh, I also played that Falcone (I was with Cassia)! It was a nice piano, though I thought it needs to be voiced down in the treble.

Definitely check out Classic in Bellevue before you make any decisions. Unfortunately the amazing tech who used to manage the store isn't there anymore. The pianos there used to be prepped exceptionally well under his care.

Sounds like Portland Piano sold their SK7? Even if you don't order one, can they let you know when they get the next one in?

If I were you I'd wait to buy the piano that you fall in love with when you sit down to play. Keep playing lots of pianos! And (this is my pet peeve) tell the piano salespeople to put a rug under their premium pianos when you're trying them out. Portland Piano used to have a showroom close to me and it was a completely different experience in the carpeted room, otherwise there are sound reflections all over the place that affect your sense of touch!

ScrubNinja - do you currently have an instrument, and if so, what do you have?
To me, the answer to your question is that it depends on a lot of things, including your budget, how long you are willing to wait for an instrument and how much you like the different pianos. If you currently have an instrument that meets your needs, you may want to wait until you have saved for your dream sk7 AND one is available for you to try out AND you like it. If you don’t have an instrument or you’re inclined to upgrade as quickly as possible, I think it depends on a lot of personal things including how much money you want to spend, how much you like the different instruments relative to each other, and the likelihood that you will indeed upgrade the instrument at some point.

Twocats- small world! I’m going back down to Portland this weekend to try them all again so I’ll pay special attention to the treble to see what you mean. They also got a 2000 Model B I would like to try. Thanks for the advice about eh carpet too! They did offer to order the SK-7 then deliver that and the SK-6 to my house so I could compare and decide. Very thoughtful.

Sgisela- I currently have a 2008 or 2009 Sejung Falcone 5’ baby grand. It has its charms and a decent bass for the size, but it’s having some issues and overall I’m ready for a better quality instrument, especially in the action. I also am fortunate enough to have a space to comfortably fit a 7’6” piano in so I might as well take advantage.

I’m kind of rushing myself a bit because I plan on taking advantage of the holiday savings/interest savings, but we’ll see!

I don't understand. Why wouldn't you just fly to try an SK7? The cost of the flight is small compared to the cost of the piano. I live in Sydney and had to fly to Melbourne twice to buy my S7X. Once to try and the second time to choose between two.

Have fun playing this weekend! I'd go to the three major stores (Classic, PPC, Michelle's) while you're here. Michelle's has a nice August Förster on the floor.

It may also be worth going to Pianos Now in Beaverton to play their Baldwin SF10. I LOVED that piano. Like, so much that if I didn't have a Bösendorfer 225 in my living room I would have bought it. I think it's from the 80's. Light touch, smooth as butter. And I love the sound. I don't know if it's what you're looking for but it's only $17K, so if you fall in love with it you'd save a lot of money!

One issue with buying the Falcone if you plan to upgrade is that it might be difficult to sell due to name recognition. So just keep that in mind!

Check out the AF at Michelle's, I think you will like.

TwoCats- I just found videos of that Baldwin on Piano Now’s website. It sounds lovely. I will definitely have to check it out! Thanks for the tip. And I’ll try to make it to all of the stores but I’ll see if my husband is up to all that piano shopping. 😄

Learux- thanks for the suggestion! I’ve never played an AF before so if I make it to Michelle’s I’ll definitely give it a try.

You're welcome! I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of the Baldwin!

In regards to the Falcone being difficult to resell, my plan is to take advantage of the 100% trade up value through Portland Piano Company when I’m ready for a newer piano. Unless there’s something in the fine print that would make that less appealing I suppose.