Buying a Piano in France
May 31st 2008, 1:25 pm
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Buying a Piano in France
Hi,
I’d be interested to hear if anyone has ever bought an acoustic (non digital) piano in France, and if so your experiences.
I’m a real piano nut, and prior to my purchase in France had been reading up the subject in great depth for ages before checking out and playing dozens, both new and s/h.
Buying new is a reasonably safe bet, and most makes (especially Yamaha) are available with excellent discounts.
Not surprisingly, most salesmen promote the make & models that they hold in stock, and can frown on your proposals of others even if known to be superior.
If you have children enrolled at your local Ecole de Musique and it’s a piano for them to use, there’s a lot of sense in considering rental, and at a later date some dealers will offset the rental charges against the purchase of a new model from them – albeit at catalogue price without discount.
For those who want something different, one can find some s/h models (upright & grand) that are difficult to come by in UK, i.e. Pleyel, Erard, Gaveau & Rameau, but buyer beware, many pianos are past their best, and refurbishment is often non-cost effective.
Any interesting experiences or comments to share?
I’d be interested to hear if anyone has ever bought an acoustic (non digital) piano in France, and if so your experiences.
I’m a real piano nut, and prior to my purchase in France had been reading up the subject in great depth for ages before checking out and playing dozens, both new and s/h.
Buying new is a reasonably safe bet, and most makes (especially Yamaha) are available with excellent discounts.
Not surprisingly, most salesmen promote the make & models that they hold in stock, and can frown on your proposals of others even if known to be superior.
If you have children enrolled at your local Ecole de Musique and it’s a piano for them to use, there’s a lot of sense in considering rental, and at a later date some dealers will offset the rental charges against the purchase of a new model from them – albeit at catalogue price without discount.
For those who want something different, one can find some s/h models (upright & grand) that are difficult to come by in UK, i.e. Pleyel, Erard, Gaveau & Rameau, but buyer beware, many pianos are past their best, and refurbishment is often non-cost effective.
Any interesting experiences or comments to share?
