Disklavier

Hi Bob,

Thanks for writing up your shopping tactics.  If appropriate, I 
would like contact information for your dealer.

I have been calling stores on the West Coast and indeed used 
Disklaviers are very scarce.

The only used Disklavier I can find is a lightly used MPX1 upright 
(Mark II XG) for around $6500.  My preference would be a DC3A but 
it's out of my budget unless I can find it used.

Paul

--- In disklavier@y..., "Robert E. Welcyng" <rwelcyng@a...> wrote:
> Paul,
> 
> Used Disklaviers for sale are pretty scarce.  Once in awhile, one 
may show up on
> e-Bay.  A search of the Web may lead you to dealers who know how 
to reach a wide
> audience.  Individual authorized Yamaha dealers should be a likely 
source of
> trade-ins, if that is what you are looking for.  Be cautious of 
gray market
> Yamaha pianos not made for the American market.  Those marketed 
for the Orient,
> for example, often are not supported once they reach the U.S.
> 
> To locate Yamaha dealers around the U.S., start with
> http://www.yamaha.com/dlrsel.htm
> 
> For a new piano, I would suggest negotiating with a number of 
dealers around the
> country.  Shipping a piano across the country needn't be a big 
deal.  But first,
> you'll want to survey the available models and decide which is for 
you.  New
> models are described on http://www.yamaha.com/pianos.htm  Find a 
nearby dealer
> who is friendly and not too busy.  Hang around the store for 
awhile to ask
> questions and get demonstrations and catalogs.  For laughs, you 
can even ask for
> prices.  Don't faint when the salesman writes vague round figures 
on your
> brochure.  You are not going to pay that price.
> 
> Once you are serious about purchasing, contact the bigger dealers 
in some major
> cities for ball park prices.  Let them know that you are shopping 
around.  You
> may approach and negotiate with dealers anywhere, although only a 
Yamaha dealer
> in your territory may first seek you out.  When you have some 
quotes, go back to
> each one and ask if they'd like to beat the best quote you've 
received.  After
> that second round, decide what you would like in a package deal--
the piano, an
> adjustable artist bench, a dozen PianoSoft disks, a humidifier, 
shipping, set-up
> in your home, and an initial tuning, for example.  Let the dealers 
that you have
> talked to know that you are sincere and ready to buy and call for 
their best and
> final offers on your package. 
> 
> If a good price is important to you, don't get in a big hurry to 
buy.  There are
> dealer sales competitions that may lower your price and Yamaha 
America sometimes
> has stock that is not moving that they will offer to a dealer at 
an attractive
> wholesale price.  The dealer may try to tell you that the Yen 
exchange rate may
> soon raise prices, but I doubt that that has much to do with what 
you'll pay.
> 
> You may be wondering how a dealer in, say, Seattle will set up and 
tune your
> piano in California.  Many dealers depend upon independent piano 
technicians to
> do that work.  The dealer, or you, will likely contact a local 
piano technician
> to actually do the work.  That also may give you an opportunity to 
choose a
> technician who has had Disklavier training.  If there are any 
warranty problems,
> your local technician can attend to them and work out his payment 
with the
> dealer and Yamaha.
> 
> If you're considering a used instrument, pay a registered piano 
technician (RPT)
> to look under the hood first and give you a private appraisal.
> 
> For five years, I've owned and enjoyed a DC3F Mark II grand that I 
bought from
> Portland, Oregon, and had shipped to Anchorage.  I've had no 
significant
> problems with the instrument.  The dealer has always stood by the 
sale and has
> treated me cordially, although it has been my local RPT who has 
done all the
> maintenance and tuning.
> 
> Since I'm not an expert on the various models of Disklavier, I 
will leave it to
> others to explain the model differences you asked about.
> 
> Good luck!
> 
> Bob Welcyng
> 
> paulnerd wrote:
> > 
> > I'm a new member.  I spent several enjoyable hours last night
> > reading though the archives.  The pricing database was also very
> > educational.
> > 
> > I am in search of a Disklavier, preferably Mark II and newer.  
Would
> > appreciate any pointers to individuals, dealers and RPTs familiar
> > this line of pianos in the Northern California area.  Would be
> > willing to travel for the right piano.
> > 
> > Ideally, I'd like a DC3A but that will be on the high on of my
> > budget.  I was wondering if getting an upright is a good idea, to
> > get a feel for the Disklavier system.
> > 
> > Some questions:
> > 
> >   - what's the difference between the DC3 and DC3A?
> > 
> >   - what's the difference between the MPX1Z and the older MPX1?
> > 
> > Any advice would be much appreciated.
> > 
> > Paul
> > > -- 
> Robert Welcyng
> Anchorage, Alaska