For pianists in the market for a new instrument, this is a key weekend to be in Los Angeles due to a program at Loyola Marymount University that puts year-old instruments from the music department on sale prior to the arrival of new keyboards for the school year.
Unlike automobiles, which begin to lose value the moment they are driven off the lot, quality pianos generally get better over time, taking on a warmth and nicely broken-in feel that players like.
The used piano selection on offer at LMU includes Kawai grands, uprights and studio models, among others. There will also be a collection of uprights, digitals and grand pianos from Bechstein, Estonia, Mason & Hamlin, along with pre-owned models from Steinway and Yamaha.
The pianos will be on view at LMU’s Burns Fine Arts Center through Saturday, prior to the public sale Sunday. According to LMU, the newly retired loaner keyboards will first be available to those with connections to the university, before being offered to the general public. Appointments can be made to see the instruments by calling 310-241-0337.
“Brand-new pianos are especially good after they’re broken in,” says Benjamin Kim of Orange County-based Kim’s Pianos, which collaborates with LMU’s music education department and loans the university six to eight new pianos each year before putting them on sale after a year’s student use.
The program in which Kim’s Pianos loans LMU new pianos at the start of the school year has been going for three years, Kim said.
“After a year, when they are nicely broken in, we make them available for sale,” he said. “Our goal is to sell them.”
Prices can range from around $10,000 to $13,000 for a good upright to about $20,000 for a baby grand, Kim said.
“They’re quality instruments and that’s what music professors want,” he said.
Los Angeles residents and members of the LMU community, including faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the music department, received notice of the piano sale recently when letters went out from the university in envelopes trumpeting, “Important Piano Information,” in the style of correspondence from a bank or insurance company.
Who wouldn’t rather get “important” piano information in the mail rather than news of rising insurance rates?
Kim said the pianos have been professionally maintained and most include the original 10-year manufacturer’s warranty. Special arrangements have been made locally for financing, professional delivery and warranty coverage through Kawai America Corporation, Kim said.
“I’m a big advocate for music education,” said Kim, who has been playing piano himself for about 40 years. “I know how important it is to use good-quality pianos.”