Baby Grand Piano Prices
Buying a baby grand piano is not too different from shopping for an automobile. It’s a big ticket item, not an everyday purchase, and requires some thought. Indeed, there are many things to consider. Many would say that the intended use of the piano should dictate how much money you want to invest, but this is not always the wisest advice.
Buying a grand piano for a child’s piano lessons, or an adult amateur’s pleasure can be no less important than an instrument for a professional pianist – if you consider the piano as a serious asset, and not a disposable commodity or item for consumption. There is research showing the children tend to stick to music if they learn on a quality piano rather than junk. Any new pianist is going to find inspiration and excitement if the instrument responds to their touch and gives them sublime sound performance. You really do get what you pay for, so perhaps the piano itself should be the focus of the decision, rather than the pianist.
High End Brand Names and Art Cases
Branding is important because a company’s brand normally becomes known by the quality of its product-proven, publicly, over time. That is not to say that a new unknown product could not have equal quality, but it’s just not as well known yet. So people often rely on brand name recognition in their decision.
When it comes to pianos, a product that has evolved in quality, both aesthetically and technically, over the past 300 years, there are many big brands to choose from, the most famous and best being European piano makers like Bluthner, Bosendorfer, Schimmel, and more. Baby grands from these builders will be state of the art, incredible instruments with the highest prices, reflecting the design, engineering, handmade components, top-quality materials and the two years or more that each piano requires for its assembly, going through hundreds of hours of meticulous piano regulation and quality control.
The prices on high end baby grand pianos start at around $85,000 and can go up to $200,000, depending on the brand, and whether the instrument is new or used. While that sounds like a high price, this is like buying a Rolls Royce that, if properly maintained, will outlive many owners in perfect beauty and performance. High end pianos are an asset to cherish and use with complete confidence.
Consumer Grade Baby Grand Piano Prices
Mass-production piano factories can manufacture out as many as 50,000 baby grand pianos annually. By assembly-line mechanized manufacturing, the piano pricing is kept inexpensive by using woods that have not been as meticulously sourced or dried for as long, inferior action parts rather than higher grade hard wood parts, and simple, unembellished piano cases.
Entry level baby grand pianos typically cost between $10,000 – $20,000. Although adequate, there’s a limit to the nuances than can be expected from such a piano musically. A baby grand piano from one of these factories will have the same shape and the same number of keys as the high-end builders, but there the similarities end.
The In-Betweens - The Mid Range
There are respectable piano manufacturers who make baby grands that use modern mass production CNC machinery and technology to reduce costs and enhance productivity. Often such companies will build some high-end luxury models, but focus their business on more moderately-priced instruments, the middle of the market pricing. The Asian brands like Yamaha, Kawai and Hailun typify these sellers. Even the New York division of Steinway mass produces pianos at lower prices to stay competitive.
The In Betweens pricing can run from $20,000 up to $85,000 for a baby grand. These instruments are perfectly serviceable and will provide decades of enjoyment.
Hailun Baby Grand Piano
What Makes The Price Variance So Wide In Each Category?
There are thousands of parts in a baby grand piano. The plate, the pinblock, the strings, the action, the soundboard, the case itself holding the mechanics. Each and every component ranges in quality from the best to the cheapest, so the choices in the compilation of parts by each manufacturer will directly influence the price of the finished product.
Likewise, the methods of assembly vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and even vary from model to model within one company. Pricing will usually be reflected by the quality of both components and labor dedicated to the piano. The variances can be widely different.
It helps to have expert knowledge of pianos, and brands, when purchasing a baby grand. It helps to know what manufacturers to trust, what components are the most important, and what designs can best be found among the choices.
Euro Pianos Naples, in the piano business since 1965, offers free consultancy to customers seeking the baby grand that fits their lifestyle, décor and budget. A phone call appointment is available on request, and we would be happy to answer your questions and assist you in finding your perfect baby grand.