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Disklavier

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Message

Re: [disklavier] Re: new member looking for Disklavier

2001-12-14 by Robert E. Welcyng

Paul, my dealer was Cascade Piano of Portland, Oregon.  Craig Birchfield has
always been very helpful.  Their contact info is on their Web site at
www.cascadepiano.com

Bob

paulnerd wrote:
> 
> 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
> 
> 
> To Post a message to the group, send it to:   disklavier@...
> 
> To Post a private message to Todd Muncy, the group's founder and moderator, send it to:
> disklavier-owner@...
> 
> To reach our group's web site go to:
> http://Yahoogroups.com/group/disklavier
> 
> Todd's family web site was completely rewritten in June 2001 and contains some fun disklavier content and links to midi sites among other things, The url is:
> http://MuncyFamily.com
> 
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> 
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> 
> 
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-- 
Robert Welcyng
Anchorage, Alaska

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