Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Kawai GL40 vs. GX

Hello all!

I was recently at a piano store that offered me 20k (with taxes and delivery 21k) for a new Kawai GL40. I loved playing on it! The action is incredibly responsive. I have an old M&H which would be included in the trade deal (pictures attached to previous post).

Is this a reasonable price for a new GL40? Is it worth continuing to look for a higher end GX? No piano stores in my area carry the line so I would be looking at a 3-4 hour drive to try playing them.

I also tried a 1984 G3 that seemed in good shape but definitely would need an inspection for 15k. I loved the Kawai more but seems like G3s are well established as nice pianos too.

All advice appreciated! Thank you!!

Here is the Pisno Buyer pricing list
The normal negotiated price is a discount of 20-30% from SMP

https://www.pianobuyer.com/brand/kawai/
At an SMP of approx 32,300 deduct 20-30% to get a normal negotiated price. Therefore a price of 22,600. To 25,840

The big, unknown question is the model, year snd condition that you are trading as part of the deal

You are not getting much credit for the M& H — no more than $5,000

I can't say much about the price of the GL40 because I don't know a lot about Kawai new prices, but I will say that if you loved it, that's a great sign!

Having said that, it's definitely worth it to drive 3-4 hours if that gets you to another dealer where you can play not only a GX piano, but a few other pianos to act as a comparison to the GL40. Unless you've already been playing all kinds of piano all over the place, a few more data points will really help you make a decision.

As to your questions re the 1984 G3 vs. a new Kawai GL40... The price difference is $5000 right? Well, maybe $6000, we don't know what the price of inspection and delivery is for the Yamaha.

But, based on the fact that you loved the Kawai, and if you can afford the extra money to get a new piano, I would recommend you get the new piano. I personally purchased a used piano, but it was 20 y/o, not 40. I love Yamaha pianos, but 40 years old is kind of pushing it IMO, and especially because you have an alternative available (i.e., the new Kawai).

BTW I didn't see the photos of your M&H. What model is it and how old is it? That will help determine if the dealer's offer re trade-in is fair/reasonable.

Thank you for your reply! It’s a 1927 Model RT in decent shape but with significant cosmetic flaws on the case. It plays nicely but the action needs work.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pxLRv3tWREgIF2rF7U5kJtzHHyzqzIuI/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16OjIRVb5-1YFpJRnCcWV41iOWFJFG_DT/view?usp=sharing

I wasn’t sure what to expect in regards to trade in value since it’s not “pretty.”

We don’t have a lot of higher end piano stores in my area unfortunately. I used to play on a lot of Steinways, Baldwins, Kawais, and a few Yamaha when I was in college at the music school but that was many years ago. Otherwise, I’ve played on a large variety of Chinese made pianos at the used piano stores. DC may be worth a trip!

Sounds like a fair deal on the new piano, with your old player piano in trade.
I'd take a well-prepped new GL-40 over a G3 that's pushing 40 years old, any day of the week.

Hmm, so re the M&H, other people may have things to add, but I think the cosmetic issue will bring down what the dealer offers you for it, because they can't sell it for as much.

So, just in terms of a my impressions, I don't think $5000 is bad at all for trade in value.

But, you definitely want to take a drive, visit some other dealers, see what inventory and prices they have, and let them know about your piano as well. If you keep your M&H tuned regularly, let them know that detail as well.

We don't have much nearby either, so during the 6ish months I was actively piano shopping, we drove all over tarnation and back!!

Just to clarify, would the piano be costing you $25K (i.e., $20K out of pocket plus your trade). OR are they offering the piano to you for $20K less your $5K trade, for total out of pocket cost of $15K?

$25K would be 78% of the SMP for this model and an OK discount - and $20K would be 62% of the SMP and a very good discount.

https://www.pianobuyer.com/brand/kawai/

The comparably sized RX2 (5'11") sells for about $6K more than the GL40. Per the Pianobuyer: "The GL models share some important features with the higher-end GX models: Millennium III action with hammer-shank stabilizers, agraffes, stronger pinblock/stretcher design, longer keys, full sostenuto pedal, and soft-close fallboard, among others. However, the GL models have a single-wood-variety hardwood rim, rather than the blended hardwoods of the GX series; a solid rather than a vertically laminated bridge, without cap; acrylic rather than Neotex keytops; a simpler beam structure in the smaller models (GL-10/20/30); and a simpler cabinet design and less elaborate interior finishing. The GL-30/40/50 models are all built in Japan; the GL-10 and GL-20 are made in Indonesia."

I guess you'd have to determine if the bolded items above in the RX line are really worth the extra cost.

Good to know 5000 is reasonable for a trade in. I figured my M&H wouldn’t be worth much as is

The total price would be 20k (unless I could talk them down further) including the trade.

Thank you for that very thorough response. I guess the only way to know for sure is to play on a RX/GX!

I do love the southeast but everything is so spread out haha.

It's even worse in the southwest.

Good luck !!!!!

You have that right! I am in the market for a Shigeru Kawai and have to drive either to Phoenix or San Antonio to haggle. They wont even talk to me over the phone!

Oh my goodness! You’d think the stores would be more accommodating for someone looking for a big purchase like that!!

Update: I spoke with another Kawai dealer several hours from here and they do not carry GX line currently. They said there’s a shortage of new pianos due to shipping troubles. The salesman’s personal recommendation was to get the GL as it’s a good deal and that the GX line may not be worth trying since it’s out of my price range brand new, is hard to find in storerooms, and may not make a significant difference with my non-pro personal use.

Translation: We carry the GL line, so that's what we're recommending to you

It's a good thing that you love the GL40! But it sounds like you've only tried and a G3 so far? Before putting your hard earned money down on a piano, consider what $25000 will get you, and maybe try out some other brands and models? There's more out there than just Kawai

the gx series have a lot of extras that are worth the price in my opinion. the only problem i habe with the gx series is, that they are a lot louder than the gl series cause of the better soundboard.

Did you consider the Yamaha CX line?

The Kawai website describes both as having tapered spruce soundboards without further description that I can find. What differences between the soundboards have you identified?

I don't know the differences specifically (sorry to chime in here) but I know that when a maker has a few different price points, they use higher grade wood on more expensive ranges.

No, there doesn’t seem to be any dealers in my area that carry the line.

I decided to wait on the GL40 and at some point drive to DC to try a larger variety of models including the CX and GX before committing. Thankfully I am not in a rush to make a purchase! Thank you everyone for your input.

If you’re thinking about heading to the DC area, here’s a thread I started a year and a half ago, related to my piano search: http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3092344/advice-for-dc-metro-area.html#Post3092344 .

Some of the dealers listed are in the Baltimore area rather than DC. Some of the dealers have started carrying pianos from manufacturers they didn’t’ the used to represent. Also, I think one of the dealers is no longer in business. But you may find the thread helpful, as you investigate options.

Wow that is incredibly thorough and detailed! Thank you for sharing!

Update to my search: I called one of the piano stores in DC to make an appointment to check out their selection which was pretty impressive of a wide range of pianos, and the man on the phone said they don't deliver to my area. I asked if I could make an appointment anyway to see what he has in stock because I might find something I love... and he said NO! unless I had a quote walking in the door for a third party piano mover. Wow I am just shocked!

Has anyone else had this happen to them? Honestly, I was really excited to make the trip to DC and to be denied an appointment unless I have a quote for a third party mover like this really rubbed me the wrong way...