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"Everything you always wanted to know about pianos but didn't know who to ask"
PIANO BUYER CONSUMER INFORMATION GUIDE PROJECT
This site is designed to provide prospective piano buyers with an unbiased point of view into the purchase of a piano
without weighing them down with mind-numbing techno-babble. There's more to a piano than just the brand, type and size. This guide is directed to the interests of the prospective piano buyer. It is an objective, non-slanted, and a third party approach which can serve to reinforce a consumer’s interest in a piano. In order to determine the validity to the claims as to which piano is "best" must be based on facts and not clouded by opinions, myths, tips, and lies and without advertisers approval. We do not accept advertising from manufactures or large retailers - to do so would obligate us to comply with the wishes of those spending thousands of dollars to place ads on our website. Needless to say this would certainly invalidate our unbiased rating of any quality therein.Selecting the "best" of anything isn't easy with new products. Picking the best used pianos is especially difficult. But there is a way to rate them fairly. There have been more changes in the piano industry in the last 8-10 years than there have been in the last hundred years and most piano teachers and players are not aware of these changes. An instrument that was a good piano for the money 20-30 years ago is most likely still the case in today's piano market. The public, by its purchases, decides which brand names and types were the most desirable. They are the court of last resort. This report is based on sales figures as reported the the U.S. Department of Commerce, all facts are based on actual sales records, not opinions. In order to provide a level playing field for comparing prices, all prices in this guide are computed according to a uniform “piano industry standard” formula.
Stick to well known brand names with a large market share like: Baldwin, Kawai, Samick, Steinway, Yamaha and Young Chang. They all have sold the most pianos for over 30 years in the US and all have USA facilities to cover warranty and service. These companies accounted for 94 percent of the vertical pianos and 99 percent of the grand pianos produced in the United States in 1997. Many of the grand pianos sold in the United States are produced in China and Korea for most brand names. Baldwin also imports most of their production from China by Dongbei to compete at the entry level in the U.S. market.
Source: “ The Global 200: The World ’s Largest Music & Sound Companies, ” Music Trades , December 1998, p. 84.
- Yamaha Corporation ...................... Japan
- Kawai Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co. .... Japan
- Samick Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co. ... Korea
- Young Chang Akki Co. ..................... Korea
- Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. ........... United States
- Baldwin Piano & Organ Co. ................. United States
- Guangzhou Pearl River Piano Co. ............ China
Approximately 80 percent of vertical pianos sold by Yamaha and Kawai in the United States were produced domestically, although these companies also import vertical and grand pianos from Japan to supply the U.S. market. Yamaha also imports a small number of vertical pianos from its joint venture with Guangzhou Pearl River Co. in China. Steinway focuses on high- priced, high-quality grand pianos, but the company also produces vertical pianos in the United States. In addition, to offer customers a less expensive but high-quality alternative, Steinway sells Boston-brand vertical and grand pianos through its dealers. These pianos are designed by Steinway, but produced by Kawai in Japan and North Carolina.
Every piano made has an individual character all its own. This pedigree that sets it apart, even from other instruments of the same make and style, is inevitable. No two trees ever grow exactly alike. Grain and densities differ between different species and between individual trees of the same species. Ivory tusks and plastics differ in color, grain and density. Wools, from which hammer and damper felts are made, vary in texture and length of fiber. Such variations are present in all materials from which pianos are made.
NO TWO MARKETS ARE EXACTLY ALIKE!
The cost of Real Estate, rent, labor, and taxes varies in different parts of the country. Competition varies between larger and smaller dealerships. Transportation expenses also increase the cost to you if the piano comes from a distant part of the country. In some cases prices vary greatly. Supply and demand differ with local economic conditions. Demographics vary from State to State and City to City.
PLEASE NOTE !
T
his is a working list and not all data is complete. Therefore, use this list as a starting point, and not as a final source. Our information is intended for use in public libraries and educational institutions. It is subject to individual dealer markup and manufacturer price increases as well as currency exchanges. These prices are not "official" and can change without notice. We constantly request price updates from factories but some factories state that retail pricing is the responsibility of the dealer.You will find that each dealer has their own "List Price" for their pianos. When shopping for a piano you'll find that dealers don't give you price information over the phone. The dealer will tell you, "Since this is a brand new piano we cannot say online or over the telephone. It's not because we don't like you, but rather because almost every manufacturer in the industry forbids the practice". They expect you to come into the store and hear a sales pitch before prices are given. The truth is they know that if they give you a price over the phone, other stores will always undercut it.
Keep in mind that price guides, are just that, GUIDES! They should never be taken as gospel!
Because someone writes a book of opinions about a product does not make all information contained there-in true. You must consider how much advertisers dollars slant the information therein. None of the published price guides profess to provide anything more than a general reflection of marketplace conditions compiled just prior to publication. The more sources you consult, the more informed your buying or selling decisions will be. It's really as simple as that! Just keep in mind that these are only guides, and that there really is no substitute for experience. There is wisdom in a multitude of council.
Copyright © 2007 - 2010 by The Bluebook of Pianos All Rights Reserved
This advice and data for buying a piano comes from the, "Piano Buyer Guide to Quality Pianos" prepared by the Bluebook of Pianos. The booklet also provides technical information such as structural details, tuning and how to judge tone. Diagrams and a glossary of terms are included. The more pianos you sample, the more familiar you’ll grow with your own ideal. Somewhere you have a vision of what only you and only you want in a piano.