Christmas/Birthday present for my son!

mumoffour77

My son is going to be 16 on christmas eve!!:eek:
He has asked for nothing....i mean NOTHING!!

I want to get him a piano, as he is musically gifted:o..... I didnt even know he could play the piano until August!!!
He is very competent on the guitar...(which he taught himself) and when i heard him playing in August at his daddys hospital...I couldnt quite believe my ears!!...The nurses were asking me how long he had been playing for...and im ashamed to say I told them i didnt know he could play...They then asked him and he said he picked a few thing up from music class...but it was simple really!!!:cool: They started asking him to play loads of songs which he did and i was amazed!!
Money is kinda tight this year....but I have to make it a great christmas....as we dont know whats going to happen next year.

So to cut a long story short...(sorry for bumming and blowing about my child)..

Where can i get a decent piano....2nd hand, I have tried music matters, and music galleria, i have also posted on gumtree to no avail....I know NOTHING about pianos so could anyone advise me please?



Thanks in Advance

Mumoffour77

Lirin

Try charity shops. I picked one up recently, and it is a Priestly, a good make.

Be aware you will need it retuned- moving a piano at all results in this... retuning is £30-£60, depending on where you go.

caz2703

Slighty off topic but thought you could use a laugh.

My parents had a piano years ago that they inherited so they got it retuned. The guy that came out was talking about this pair of old sisters whose piano he'd gone out to tune. When he took the front panel (underneath the keyboard) he found a stash of booze. Turned out one of the old dears hid the drink in there from her sister :rotfl:

Turns out, you can also hide Xmas pressies in there as well though I don't know if it affects the quality of Mozart or Bach being played. Me & my brother never could figure out where mum had hidden the presents until she told us years later.

mumoffour77

Thanks Caz......he is coming 16.....wonder if he would hide anything.....more so i know where to look now!! LOL (all teenagers try dont they? im not saying he does...but hey ho, I need to be realistic!!)

TrishaM

I too needed a piano for my daughter, I did alot of research and was surprised how much a good 2nd hand piano cost. A 30 year old Yamaha was going to cost in excess of £2500. A cheap Chinese one new was about £1300. I was advised by the "experts" not to buy from the ads as you don't know what you are buying..as it could cost more than the piano was worth to get it working properly, what with retuning, and the internal workings. So I took the bull by the horns and bought a Roland Digital piano, and this has done away with the need for retuning etc...she has completed grade 3 and is now on her way to grade 4. hope this helps, if on the other hand someone is giving away a 2nd hand one, then taken it and see what it needs, you haven't wasted any money if it is a "pig in a poke"

BigAl94

Talk to these people based near The Temple, Saintfield http://www.drummondreid.com/index.php

Big selection of secondhand and new.

mumoffour77

BigAl, Just spoke to conor from the place you mentioned!!
He is a lovely man, very helpful.....but still out of my price bracket!! :-(
I shall be taking my DS up though......maybe he could get a part time job to help with the cost!! :-)

smokiewater

What about an auction? Have just been reminded about a 2 legged baby grand piano I bought in Ross's Auction House, in Belfast when my now 20 year old was still in his buggy - the other leg was there, it just wasn't attached and my house wasn't big enough to hold it, so I was going to put it in my dads - any way I really wanted this piano, don't know why, I just did, so I bought it for £90 (a right bit back then but still a bargain I thought) as I handed over my hard earned cash, a stressed person stopped me and asked if I would sell. Doubled my money before I even left the room!!!! Dad was delighted too as he didn't have to give up most of his spare room and the son got into guitars and drums anyway! Thats my piano story - the moral of this tale has to be, try an auction house!

kidshorsesdogs

Have you considered a digital? We were in same position earlier in the year and couldn't find anything we could afford in good order, what we could afford would have needed more than retuning!

We went to Matchetts in Belfast and got a Yamaha digital for under £500 special price, we had seen same model up to £200 dearer online and in other music shops, and I think they are still doing the offer.

Best part is he can use earphones with it!!

mumoffour77

Tee Hee smokie!!
I have delivery sorted out.....even with no piano!! :-)
I want to encourage him at 15 going on 16 (or in reality 56 cause he knows it all) Hes not a bad kid, I have him spoilt, he also plays guitar, and has a set of drums in the garage but since discovering he could play piano...I have also discovered he can play clarinet and violin, His music teacher in Down high has told me numerous times that he is very talented...if he only had the concentration to sit down and play a piece from start to finish!! Lol he played Canon in D-Pachelbel sunday week ago at the hospital....so i think if he had the piano it would enable him to sit and play all day if need be!! The plus thing is I suppose there are 4 other kids behind him.....

Im also kinda afraid of auctions!! lol i would probably sneese at a picasso and have to buy it!!

Rach39

My lovely hubby got me a Kawai electric piano from AA Music ballinderry road area Lisburn / Glenavy few years back for about 600ish. If you know nothing bout pianos I should make it clear this is an electric piano not a keyboard! Sound is exactly like strung piano but with no re-tuning required and as someone said up there somewhere you can use headphones! Give me a shout if you need a hand missus!!