Advice - Piano Models to Purchase

Wow
Bingo on the right thread to look for piano. My gal has record of stopping after 3 months wit Yamaha for the course.

Now she is with my friend who is teaching her. Already 3 months still have not say want to stop or finger tired.

Would like to source for a secondhand piano too just in case she decided to play me out again.

Would appreciate any good recommendation to [email protected]
 


Just bought a German Piano Schimmel 22 years old from Jeslyn Piano from Geylang East.

Good condition and decent price less than 3k.
you can check out the store.
Call to ask what they have be4 you go down.
Owner is friendly and decent.
Even deliver and tune before banking in my cheque.
Cheers!
 
Wow

ha ha i oso need to find one but not actively looking for 1. Hopefully can get 1 good one which drops from sky ha ha

If anyone selling can email me too
 
Hi,

We weren't sure of the kids' interest level so we started off with a 2nd hand exam grade piano. We got from Century Piano at (that building that used to house daimaru opposite clark quay).

It was a 17 yr old Yamaha from Japan that cost $3.6k. It was good condition and the sls lady said the owner source personally from Japan. The price we paid also include x number of tuning and after sales service has been good. It has been around 4 yrs and the owner is still doing the tuning for us and our piano is still in great shape despite moving house twice.

My girl's ex-teacher at Ossia advised us against gg to cristofori group to get those used piano as she heard alot of complaints. They always advertise the pianos at cheap price. So I think it's better to go to a reputable shop as afterall, it's not cheap and you can potentially resell it.
 
Hi,

Any one know if to get an Upright Piano or Silent Piano from Yamaha is better?

Thinking more of the resale value as son may not be interested to learn for long.
 
A U1 Yamaha silent piano will definitely have resale value but it's a costly investment. If you are afraid that your son will give up easily, invest in a cheaper piano with the intention to upgrade when he grows a bit older. It will also depend on where you intend to put the piano. In the hall, in a room...etc..If you have the space, put it in a room. It is more private & more conducive for practicing. An advise on silent pianos - they are good if you already have the skills developed as a pianist to play on one but pianos are traditionally acoustic so if your child gets too used to listening to the softer electronic sound of a silent piano (becoz on the silent piano, u can control the volume) they may start to find the normal acoustic piano 'too loud'. Allow them to practice 'silently' occasionally but not all the time. That is one of the things you have to be careful of.
 
I beg to differ from Fiona, as I personally think upright will have a higher chance of (1) getting buyer and hence (2) fetching the price. Obviously, upright will have a wider market, and Silent piano is, like all other electronics, always on the progress. But as Fiona pointed out, silent will cost more, so depreciation will be higher...
 
hihi,

Just to share my 2-cents' worth on piano-hunting.

I ran to 10 or slightly more 2nd-hand piano shops with the intention of buying a 2nd-hand. In the end, I bought a new Yamaha U1.

I got the numbers and addresses of these shops from the Straits Times Classified.

The reason I bought a new one is becos I don't play piano and so I really wouldn't know what's going on inside the used pianos. Like one of you mentioned, it has to do with peace of mind as well.

I got Yamaha U1 becos my kid tried both Kawai and Yamaha and she told me she prefers Yamaha for the light touch and the sound.

You'll hear alot abt the pianos as you shop around. Even within Yamaha and Kawai, you'll need to decide on the model you want. An exam model basically means the piano model a school uses for its exam purpose. Usually a school uses a piano of a certain height (121cm I think) as the height is closely related to the length of the strings.

One of those salespeople told me not to get a reconditioned piano, which is yet cheaper than a usual 2nd hand piano. A reconditioned piano is basically a piano that has its parts changed or replaced and usually these pianos are already very old (30 yrs and above). Cristofori sells quite a fair bit of this kinda pianos. But their aftersales is good, or so I heard from a friend. They called her up after a month after she bought a $1k piano to ask how it was and reminded her to turn on the heater 24/7.

My kid was also learning under pianojazzy. I must say she's really very patient and allows parents to sit in at every lesson. I'm impressed. But we had to stop the lesson as travelling is too much for my kid, and me as well, to take.

After that, we went to a tutor near my place and it's then that I realised what vast difference there is between music tutors.
 
Hi Fiona, j foo and rains,

Thank you for your advice!

Yes, the salesperson told me if to get a reconditioned piano, sometimes they may not be as good due to the humidity level. Also, the resale value is high for a piano so it could be better to get a new one. But I do agree, the new one is costly. Other than the instrument itself, the environment also need to be do up, such as carpeting...
sad.gif


rains, where did u get yours? When was it and what is the price like? I went Yamaha and noted the price is 9K+!

There is also a junior model for U1, not sure if it is advisable to get that instead of getting a U1?
 
reddot,
I got mine at Plaza Sing, but actually any branch of Yamaha will do. I got it in Dec 2007 at $8600. It's supposed to be a sale.

Junior model for U1??? Are you talking about the one that's made in Indonesia? Don't get that although it's less costly bcos the wood is cut from younger trees and the soundboard and everything made of wood is not as good as the Japanese model. The sound produced is also different.
 
It's U1J right? That's not a junior model. It's made and assembled in Indonesia. It's supposed to be like U1, but in terms of quality, it's inferior. You'd do better to get a 2nd hand U1 than this.
 
rains,

No, not the one from Indonesia. The pricing for U1 Indo and Jap is only a few hundreds diff. So, if buy U1, will go for the Jap one. I heard U1 can be used until Grade 8.

The one I refer to, they say can be used to Grade 4 only.

Maybe I should wait till the next sale, it is apparently a thousand dollars different.

I am curious, cos I do not know how to play piano. How long does one get to achieve Grade 4 or Grade 8 for an average child as compare to a talented child?

Trying to weigh how many years it takes to change the piano.
 
reddot,

Actually, sometimes I wonder if 'peace of mind' is really worth that much. haha ...

Zadok Music Shoppe at Shaw Plaza (Balestier area) is a good 2nd hand piano shop. A piano teacher once went down to try out the pianos there and she told me that the pianos there are good. I didn't get it from the shop becos there were quite a few hiccups. When I finally decided to buy the U1 there, the owner told me it's bought already. He told me to wait for another shipment. I can't remember what exactly happened but I didn't manage to get the piano for the next shipment also. I think the shipment arrived early and the U1 was again bought by another person. He asked me to wait again. I got frustrated and didn't want to go thro the agony of waiting-and-didn't-get anymore, so I went straight to get a brand new one.

You can also look at the hammers inside to see if it's in good or bad shape. Those that are in good condition don't have water-like marks on them. The felt on the hammers are also very important. I think it has a shape to maintain. But the owner told me they can be filed to its original shape.

It's really quite alot to digest for me. It'll be good if you have a piano tutor to help you check out the pianos bcos they'll know what to look out for and whether the piano is still good.
 
I'd say not all piano tutors are able to tell a good piano (in terms of the condition inside) from a one that's not so good. Tutors are not trained technically as piano technicians are trained separately. Piano tutors SHOULD be able to tell whether a piano has a nice sound or not (just as any other person can, but through a more "preofessionally trained ear") and also be able to tell what the touch of the piano is like.

As for U1, yup, agree, don't get the U1J, not worth the money...pay a few more hundred and get the U1 from Japan. Quality is better. If you're thinking of a resale at a later date, then get U1 and not the junior model. Generally depreciation of U1 not as steep.

If a child takes exam yearly, then by right in 9 yrs or so one should be able to complete everything. A talented child would be able to skip grades and not take all the grades. But really, it depends on how you want th child to progress. Do you want the child to enjoy and play more than just the exam pieces and scales? So what if the child has done all the grades but yet can only master the exam pieces played before and nothing else? After getting all the certificates, what next for the child?
 
j foo, thanks for the info. My child is with Yamaha now, not sure how the exams would be as I am not trained myself.

But now, at least know if get a junior model, it could last for 4 years before I need to change to a U1.

I always believe in one will excel only if he/she has strong interests. Drilling is definitely out, otherwise he/she will end up like us having the old education system.
happy.gif
 
Hi,
Anyone with any recommendation for a piano tuner? Eh... I am not trained in piano, so please pardon my language.

My fren is giving me her old piano, not played for a while. She advised me to tune it at her place, to see if it is still working well, before I arrange for piano movers.

So anyone who can recommend me someone?
 
Hmm Linda
my fren oso just received a piano pass down from her cousin. As per the tuner hor, he says to move to the place, settled down for 1 month before tuning leh
 
Hi chicken little
Hmm... is that prefered? Cos she says if cannot tune well, no point spent money on the movers which is not cheap.

But to me, it can still be played. How accurate then I am not trained.

Anyone with tuners contacts to share?
 
<font color="aa00aa">linda:
i have a tuner i can recommend to you! in fact he was the one who helped me choose my piano that i got for my girl.

he is very nice. a really sweet fellow! </font>
 
You'll probably need to have someone check out whether it's worth moving in the first place, cos some pianos are so old or so worn that the strings can't be tuned "in tune" anymore. Or worse still can't even be moved cos the moving may well cause the piano to be damaged. If it really is in this stage then the option is to discard or stay put at your friend's place and don't move. Anyway the tuner at this trip would be like a "check-up" rather than a proper tuning. After moving and settling in for a month or so then you get a tuner in to tune for your properly. So I'd suggest asking the tuner whether he's ok to go round to your friend's place to check the piano, see whether the piano can be tuned properly (so this trip will just be a small sum, not the full amount of a tuning session). If the tuner says yup, piano is fine, then you tell the tuner that you'll contact him again once you've settled the move of the piano. DO check with the tuner whether he's ok with this type of arrangement prior to engaging him.

I do have a tuner who tunes my piano regularly but his charges are pretty high, but if you're still interested you can PM me.
 
<font color="aa00aa">yes

just like what j foo said, my tuner did that. he went down to the place to check out the piano with us. completely trusted his judgement because tuners, well lets just say its their profession, so they have the ears for it.
heehe

if its so bad, their faces really cringe. hahaha</font>
 
Hi pSi, Hi j_foo
Thanks for the contacts and explanation. Have PMed you guys.

Yeah, my fren who wants to discard the piano feels that it might not be in a good enough shape to play. But her mum suggested we try lor, cos it was her mum who bought the piano many years back hahaha...so heart pain to throw it away.

But I am reluctant to spent thousands on something I have not even let my girl learn and dunno if she would have interest. So I appreciate any old piano which I can use for the time being lor.
happy.gif
 
Hi

I need some advice here, I went to a second hand piano shop and there have a Yamaha UX10 produced in 1989, asking for $5.5k, is it overpriced? Is it a good model to consider?
 
Hi mod mum

UX10 is a good piano and a good model to consider. It is a higher model than the common U1. Whether it is overpriced or not can't tell until one tries the piano for sound and touch and see the insides of the piano. You'll have to trust the technicians on this so it boils down to how much you can trust the seller.
 
Hi jcefoo

Really thanks for your time to share your opinion and advice. I am buying it for my daughter, I really know nothing about piano. But the interior of the piano does look good as compared to the interior of a U3 model which he showed me. I am not sure if I should pay $5.5k for a 20 yr old piano. Do you know if 2nd hand pianos are refurbish?

The shop is recommended by my daughter's piano teacher but I think its the first time she deal with the shop as well.
 
Hi mod mum, no problem. As I've mentioned previously in the thread, old pianos doesn't really equal to cheap pianos cos it really depends on the model, the make and the condition. Yes, pianos that are manufactured in bulk by machines will depreciate with time (versus a Steinway grand which are not manufactured in bulk, which means each one is crafted individually, and hence very unlikely to depreciate), but more importantly is the material used and the TLC it has (or hasn't) received. The UX series has an advantage in the materials used - from soundboard to the felt on the hammers. And by the sound of it, it probably has been rarely used if the felt on hammers are still looking good. However, it may be possible that the technicians have changed the felt too (as you noted, refurbish)...So again, this boils down to how much you trust the seller. Having said that, no harm done if the work of replacing has been done well and material use is the same as the original.

If poss see whether your daughter's piano teacher can "test" the piano for you. Check out the sound, touch, pedals etc so at least these are worth the 5.5k you're gonna spend, or should I say, invest. This UX10 will last a long time if it's in good condition.

By the way, I hope your daughter is serious about learning cos demand for UX10, as far as I know, is not that high. Those starting off will find the price high and those who are advanced and serious will probably get a BN piano.
 
Thanks, jcefoo. You are so knowledgeable.
My daughter is 5yrs old, wouldn't say she is that ethuasiatic about piano. But she has grown from hating piano lessons to "I will play on the piano when I am free". Will seriously ponder over your last comment and think if I should invest in the UX10.
 
I'm a Masters music grad.
happy.gif
Now that I teach less (have two young kids to take care of) I have more time to "research" into my passion - piano, flute and music per se.
 
hi, am new to this forum but have been able to use the tips in my 2nd hand piano quest or my kids! most helpful. have visited several stores and now need to decide b/w a 20 yr old kawai us55, (grand upright)? and yamaha u30b1, also 20 yrs old. price-wise similar range, piano condition can't really tell but both seem decent. i dont play... so is the harder kawai keys a good thing? or is the yamaha a better brand? and do these buybacks really work? any advice at all? thanks
 
hi tongsa,

Where did u see the US55 and about how much? I went down to shelley yesterday and also saw upright Kawai which sound like grand piano, abt 30 years old at $2800. I think the model also US or BL.
 
Hi everyone,

I've a 3 year old YAMAHA YM11 (which is not YM5) for sale at $2500 only. Seldom use and bought at $7300++. Still under the 6 year warranty. Bought at Yamaha Plaza Singapura.

Contact me 9336-1599 if interested. Thanks
 
Hi, posting on behalf of a friend. She's got a 2nd hand piano for sale. Japan made, exam model. Bought it for only 2 mths from Cristofori, which was selling about $2.3k. Still under 5 yrs guarantee. Excellent condition. Serious seller.

Pls email [email protected] if interested. Thanks
 
Not necessary to go to suntec, u can buy direct from Yamaha branches too. Yamaha U1PE (Japan fully made model) selling @S$8,300 with a S$250 NTUC voucher.
 
hi all

Am wondering if any of you have a good recommendation of a piano teacher who would teach at student's home. Serangoon area. We tried one teacher but my daughter say too quiet. I think she prefers one who is abit more relational or jovial and make lessons more interesting. Would appreciate recommendations.
 
Which part of Serangoon do you stay at? I stay at Toa Payoh Lor 5, would you be able to come over to my place? I don't normally do house visits due to practical reasons. You can PM me for more details.
 
Hi mummies, I am selling my Yamaha upright piano because upgrading. My girl has been using this since JMC lessons and now, she is in grade 6.

Model : C108
Height : 121 cm
Made in Japan
Bought in year 2001
Good condition as heater on 24/7
c/w adjustable bench, piano cover and heater
Buyer to arrange delivery

Interested please sms me 92383086
Thank you :)
 
Is anyone know sales promption period for Yamaha piano ? I want to buy one for my daughter who is going to be 6 year old
 
chua,
thks. i am looking for >20 yrs
U1..most piano shop selling abt 3k. my budget only ard 2k. any recommendations?
 
Hi, does anyone have an idea of the age of used Yamaha U1 piano that sells around 3k+. Does a yamaha piano that is around 30 year-old worth considering??

Thanks.
 


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