Piano People -- Is a Kimball a decent piano?

[Raiden256]

So my wife played for like 13 yrs on a Baldwin console piano her parents have, and I'm looking to pick one up for the family for Christmas. Not looking to spend a ton of money here -- not over $1000 for sure.

I ran across this one for $700 OBO, and I'm wondering if it would be a good buy. Don't know anything about the quality of a Kimball, but it's a name I've heard of so maybe? Just for basic play for my wife and two young daughters...

Opinions?

Thanks.

 

[OdiN]

You won't find any new pianos for under $1000 I doubt. I'd prefer a Yamaha / Steinway of course, but those are way expensive.

The cheapest Kimball I've seen was around $2600 but I haven't really looked around a lot.

I would be concerned about the de-humidifier being installed and the reason. Check it for possible damage to the wood, which would be very bad for the sound of the piano.

 

[DrPizza]

Wife played since she was a little kid...

She says "Kimball is an alright brand. In your price range, you might want to look for a used Kawai"

 

[Raiden256]

Thanks -- any other suggestions?

 

[KillerCharlie]

In that price range, a digital keyboard like a Roland FP-7 might actually be better. You can always go to pianoworld forums, they know a thing or two there.

 

[BrianH1]

Yamaha Disklavier® DCFIII Concert Grands. only set you back $150,000, but man you could belt out a mean Tiny Dancer>Levon

 

[Raiden256]

Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
In that price range, a digital keyboard like a Roland FP-7 might actually be better. You can always go to pianoworld forums, they know a thing or two there.

Definitely wanting to stay in the analog/acoustic world...

 

[DrPizza]

try this google search:

piano -lessons site:craigslist.org

Then go to advanced search and narrow it down to the last week. I just found 2440 hits.

Just a guess that for a good deal on a quality piano, and in the $1k price range, you might be willing to spend a part of a Saturday driving (4 hours each way?)

Or, you could try a wanted ad on craigslist.org
There are probably tons of people who'd be willing to part with a decent piano for $1k, since a lot of pianos just sit there, gathering dust.