[piscator]

89911,

I'm no expert on the piano market, but I do play, my daughters play and I have purchased a few.

Ironically, my piano tech is coming to do a tuning tomorrow, so I'll ask him about your Kawai. I suspect he'll tell me that you don't need to 'jump' at a 20 year old Kawai. There are usually plenty of good Asian pianos out there.

A piano is not like a car, individual instruments of the same make and model will sound just a bit different. It's the SOUND that you need to be pleased with, so make sure your son and daughter play the instrument. Even a beginner can hear what they like.

That said, I always get a better player than myself to try the instrument and offer a dispassionate opinion. This also gives me a chance to LISTEN to the piano.

I would NEVER buy a piano until a tech checked it out. While it's unusual for anything major to go wrong, it's good to know in advance if you'll need hammers or action work. My 1929 M only needed a tuning. The only major concern is the soundboard. A severely neglected instrument may have a soundboard that has lost it's crown or warped. If so, it will never sound the way it did when it left the factory. Re-crowning a soundboard usually costs more than the value of the instrument, so it's worth having a tech check this out.

Please steer away from 'baby grands'. A 5' 0" - 5' 2" baby grand' has a shorter box (string length) than a full upright. The shortened string length in the lower register is a compromise design that doesn't work that well in practice. It's the box and strings that make the sound. 'Baby grands' sacrifice dynamics in the lower register and lose 'character' on the top, because the shorter bottom strings alter the harmonics. Some people may like the 'thinner' sound, but I don't know any accomplished players who PREFER a 'baby grand'. Billy Joel wrote a song titled 'Baby Grand' but he doesn't play one! 'Baby grands' are really a compromise instrument for apartment dwellers and folks mostly interested in 'the look'. A good quality full upright will sound better and cost less.

Steinway makes a plain, but handsome, upright that is universal in music schools. They built so many that they are usually available on the used market in your price range. Don't be afraid of a used piano. Pianos are more robust than most people think and if it's a quality instrument and the soundboard is good, a piano tech can fix anything.

If you have the room for 'Baby Grand' you probably have the room for a 'Medium Grand' -- the difference is only 4". Medium Grands often cost the sasme as 'baby grand' because they don't command the 'decorator' premium. I'd strongly recommend a medium grand 5' 4" or larger. Mine is 5' 6" and I personally wouldn't want anything smaller. A medium grand will have the 'correct' string lengths in the lower register. The timbral difference between a medium grand and a 'baby grand' is significant. A medium grand will have all the sound you could ever want and become an heirloom instrument.

Find out the box length of the Kawai, if it's a 'baby grand' 5'0 to 5'2" -- I'd pass it by.

Lastly, what is the piano you have currently? You may have a 'diamond in the rough' that could be improved considerably. Age doesn't mean anything -- my piano was built in Jan 1929 -- before the crash :-)

I don't want to bore you with endless rambling, I'll ask my piano tech about Kawais and report back.

piscator