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Post by taron on Oct 22, 2005 16:38:23 GMT
Hello together.
My girlfriend think about it to learn playing Guzheng.
Where can i get one. Can me tell someone some adress in the internet?
Is there a chance to get a used?
I hope someone can help me.
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Post by carol on Oct 22, 2005 17:03:50 GMT
Hi Taron: Please welcome to check my website. www.chinesezither.net We have a selection of guzhengs in affordable pricing. However, the shipping to Germany is expensive. Maybe you can contact the local teacher there to see if they sell any used ones. A member from this board provides me a teacher contact in Germany: Zhao Chanyuan chanyuan@guzheng.de . There is also Xu Fengxia in Germany: www.xufengxia-music.de |
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Post by taron on Oct 23, 2005 6:57:19 GMT
Thank you. :-)
I will look. How much cost the shipping to germany? 60$ too?
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 23, 2005 13:32:08 GMT
$60? Hardly that cheap! I would think at least $100 plus.
Other sites you can try is CCN and Candenza.
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Post by taron on Oct 23, 2005 14:45:21 GMT
What are th URL of it?
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Post by carol on Oct 23, 2005 18:20:49 GMT
Nah, $60 won't take it to Germany.
I usually ship by UPS, and it costs $300-$400 to Germany. If yo can by pass the instrument stands, then it will be $200+.
It's a big sized carton box:
67" x 16" x 10" 31lbs(with stands, but no hardcase)
66" x 13" x 8" 24 lbs(no stands, no hard case)
67" x 17" x 13" 41 lbs(with stands, with hard case)
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 23, 2005 21:46:46 GMT
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 23, 2005 21:48:53 GMT
Nah, $60 won't take it to Germany. I usually ship by UPS, and it costs $300-$400 to Germany. If yo can by pass the instrument stands, then it will be $200+. It's a big sized carton box: 67" x 16" x 10" 31lbs(with stands, but no hardcase) 66" x 13" x 8" 24 lbs(no stands, no hard case) 67" x 17" x 13" 41 lbs(with stands, with hard case) My guqin was shipped to the UK by FedEx for around $178. Shipping heavy instruments can be very expensive, so make sure it is a good one. |
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Post by taron on Oct 24, 2005 5:38:12 GMT
My guqin was shipped to the UK by FedEx for around $178. Shipping heavy instruments can be very expensive, so make sure it is a good one. How i know it is a good one? |
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Post by davidmdahl on Oct 24, 2005 6:30:45 GMT
My guqin was shipped to the UK by FedEx for around $178. Shipping heavy instruments can be very expensive, so make sure it is a good one. How i know it is a good one? That is the $1,000,000 question, isn't it? Many of us playing Asian instruments bought on faith from overseas, hoping that our trust was not misplaced. When you buy locally you can usually return a bad purchase, but expensive shipping can make returning a poor instrument a pointless remedy. You have to trust not only the honesty of a foreign dealer, but their knowledge as well. Like anything else you buy, the best way to get something you want, is to know what you want, and to know as much as possible about what to look for and what to look out for. This can be very difficult, but there is really no substitute, unless I suppose you have a relative in the business. You ask questions and read, search out the dealers, and educate yourself. After a while, you get to know who knows their stuff and who is blowing smoke. Not everyone selling junk is dishonest, so it is important to learn as much about what you are trying to buy as you can. You will be able to spot people who don't know their stuff. Unfortunately a lot of Asian instruments are of pretty poor quality, and were primarily intended to hang on the wall. Ask a lot of questions. Does the dealer supply any music teachers, conservatories, professional musicians? Are most of the instruments purchased by tourists, or decoration companies? Learn the typical price range of whatever you are looking for. What is the cost of a professional's instrument? The trouble with this is that the term is misused a lot. A company can call anything "professional", but you want to find out what working musicians actually use. Making sure you get a good guzheng will usually mean don't buy a very inexpensive one. It would not make sense to spend a lot of money to ship a cheap instrument. Try to get one that has been "selected" by a musician who plays guzheng. Search out the Chinese music community in your area. This can be a challenge if you do not live in an area so blessed, but it will be invaluable if you can find that first local contact. A teacher or student of any Chinese instrument will likely know someone who plays guzheng. When you have learned all you can and have taken reasonable precautions, it is necessary to just take a leap of faith and send your money. Sometimes you get what you hoped for, and other times you have a learning experience. I have purchased by mail or Internet for maybe 90% of my instrument purchases, and I think I have done rather well. There are only a few duds. Sometimes I have ordered something relatively inexpensive from a dealer just to get a feeling for the experience. If something small is handled well, then maybe a larger trust is worthwhile. This was not very specific advice on buying a guzheng and getting it to your home, but I hope it will help. By asking questions, you are on the right road. Good luck! Best wishes, David |
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 24, 2005 16:39:18 GMT
If a selected model is listed, always try and go for those. Sometimes, they select all the good ones and the rest get branded as 'standard' or non-selected. Getting selected models (preferably by a known musician) means you are at least getting the best fruit of the harvest. It might cost a bit more (sometimes $300 plus more) but it's better than getting an 'iffy' one.
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Post by carol on Oct 24, 2005 18:45:52 GMT
Hi David:
That is very true advise even for sellers. I remembered back in early 90s when Dunhuang was the only one brand available, my old guzheng teacher in Bay Area imported a batch of Yangzhou guzhengs, and they were terribly sounded. She had to clearance out those for $400 each, when the standard price for a basic model was $1200 back then.
You really have to reasearch and educated yourself with a lot of the stuffs and talk to the makers to make sure they have enough knowledge in making guzhengs.
I always ask the maker how they cut the sound board. One standard and stupid reply is: 7mm in high, 9mm in middle, 1omm at the bass. They got stucked when I asked them what if the spacing of grains are different? Only a few makers are able to answer me how they adjust the thickness by looking at the spacing of grains.
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Post by carol on Oct 24, 2005 18:51:17 GMT
Here is an extreme case of the "selected one".
It's on the news that Dunhuang (Or I should say Yun) made 50 best guzhengs for this Music Instrument Expo in Shanghai. It's exhibiting this month. Out of the 50 best ones, Li Meng selected 3 as the best of best, and labeled for $60,000RMB each. That's almost $8,000 USD!!!!
The other 47 are considered Dunhuang's best that sells in $12,000RMB range.
Sigh, I really wish I'm in Shanghai now and can put my hands on the $60,000RMB ones.
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Post by davidmdahl on Oct 25, 2005 5:04:28 GMT
Here is an extreme case of the "selected one". It's on the news that Dunhuang (Or I should say Yun) made 50 best guzhengs for this Music Instrument Expo in Shanghai. It's exhibiting this month. Out of the 50 best ones, Li Meng selected 3 as the best of best, and labeled for $60,000RMB each. That's almost $8,000 USD!!!! The other 47 are considered Dunhuang's best that sells in $12,000RMB range. Sigh, I really wish I'm in Shanghai now and can put my hands on the $60,000RMB ones. But then your house would be even more full of instruments. Where would you sleep? <g> Does this mean that quality and consistency are improving? If so that is good news. Are there photos available of the new Dunhuang models? Best wishes, David |
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Post by carol on Oct 25, 2005 15:10:35 GMT
No, I can't afford $8000USD. I just wish to put my hands on it and play it even for just 5 minutes.
I do think Dunhuang is very consistent in making professional/concert guzhengs and supply to the Beijing professors. They just can't make them in a big quantity to supply the mass. And the mass products sound terrible.
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Post by taron on Oct 25, 2005 19:11:31 GMT
Thank you all for your help. I will look now before i buy one. the shipping can be more then the instrument...... it´s more expansive then i thought before. If i find some interesting i will come and will ask you all what you think about it.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 25, 2005 20:19:39 GMT
If the instrument is worth less than the shipping, it's not worth getting. The price of the instrument must be at least triple (or quadruple) for it to be worth the cost of shipping it. Meaning, if shipping is $200-300, don't get a zheng less than $900.
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Post by Charlie Huang on Oct 26, 2005 10:26:11 GMT
ROTFPML!!! Sorry for being utterly rude, but that picture on the front page is so funny! She looks like she's... erm... you know... !!! How can she get away with that?! |
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