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A very dear friend of mine, from when I lived in China, sent me an email today. She said:

Ï would like to buy a piano , not only for myself but also my two kids. Do you have any suggestions about which brand or particular one to choose? "

She is neither poor nor wealthy. What does anybody think?

With knowing anything about the person it’s obviously tough....



A Digital?

Questions she should answer:
How much room space for the piano?
Will it be in a common home area where playing would be distracting?
What is budget?
Are there common walls with neighbors?
Does anyone already play the piano?
What are the brand choices where she lives?

A thread title with absolutely no connection to the topic?

Maybe Phillip is afraid no one would answer another ‘what piano should I buy’ question

Good point!

Although, aren't those threads the lifeblood of this forum? It seems to me like they always gets lots of responses...

Or maybe the fear is advising someone in China about what piano to buy from his home in Bulgaria?

I know I'd fear it. Advising a friend on buying something that is expensive and likely a big purchase for them. If you give advise and they never like what they bought and and it was something you recommended you could feel bad even if they were perfectly nice about it.

Good points all around!

what is the budget? As there are 3 people could potentially benefice the piano, so buy the most expensive one possible within the budget.
It depends also to the local artistic level, it doesn't make sense to buy an expensive piano if the local conservatory teaches people just can press correctly the keys.

I agree. Can't really go wrong with a good digital. Three people using it is also a lot of wear and tear, so it needs to be sturdy. Three people playing an acoustic can easily mean 3h or more of music in the house/flat. That might be an issue with the acoustic. But then again, maybe chinese neighbors are very tolerant?

I can understand Philip's fear.

Although not involving a piano, years ago I recommended someone to a friend to do some service work for them. There turned out to be some issues between the two, and my friend calls me regarding the issues and said, "look, you are the one who recommended him".

Sometimes (maybe all the time?:-) when we recommend something or someone to a friend, if things don't turn out well, the onus is on us to try and help rectify the situation, or even share in the responsibility.

Hence, Philip's fear, sort of, maybe, perhaps?

In my example, there turned out to be two sides to the story, and there was a happy ending, after I called the person I recommended.

When it comes to recommending pianos, all we can do is go on our own personal experience, for better or worse.

So, I feel your pain and understand your fear, Philip.

Rick

Well there is Yamaha U1 , U3 ,Kawai 300 ,and K500.
The above have a mute (practice pedal), are well made and very musical There is also the P21 or P22 which a very reasonable price and a more musical piano perhaps than the B series.I was
quite impressed by the musicality of the P22 when I tried it.It is actually the institutional model.
I have never seen or heard the Wlhelm Grotrian uprights which come at a similar price to the above instruments.(except on youtube) They are supposed to have a lovely tone.

There is also the Ed Seiler 124 (not sure thats the size) and the Ed Seiler 130 .I have tried both these and yes very nice instruments.,good tone and action.
Schimmel come in a number of models -- Wilhelm Schimmel (made in Poland, ) Fridlen Schimmel (made in China ) I have not tried these.
Higher end Schimmel's are the K series and the Classic series which are less expensive than the K still German made .
I have tried a Classic 122 or 120 , very nice piano but far more expensive than the Japanese uprights ,Seiler and Grotrian
models mentioned.
I hope this has been helpful.

Make sure you don't fall into the trap of getting responsible for your friends' purchase. Don't start googling for them. Instead, just tell them which of your pianos you like best, and why, and leave it to them. You can also recommend them to become a member of PW and ask this question here.

I'd tell her to try local first. Maybe a Hailun or a Baldwin, if they sell those locally in China.

Are you afraid of giving poor advice, or that this might be a scam of some sort?

I thought you consistently recommend the local people's wood burning cooperative.

Really? For a really good friend, I would ask a few questions and then offer a handful of brands/models in their price range to try. If I had a really good friend that new about something I don’t, I would not expect them to tell me to join a forum and ask a bunch of strangers.

You can provide options, without making the decision for them

I had forgotten that one! I think it was the People's number 6 firewood and piano cooperative. The CEO is Glo Tli An.

BDB this is absolutely not a scam.

Useful thoughts so far. Thank you all.

What is the internal market like in China for pianos? Are Chinese owned and manufactured pianos better or worse value than imported models compared to the US market values?