Where to buy Guzhengs in San Francisco?

[isvara]

Hi...i've just found this forum and you all seem to very knowledgeable about guzhengs. I'm currently living in the Bay Area (but moving in a month), and I wanted to buy a guzheng before I left, since I figure this is probably the best place in the US to buy a guzheng.

I know that lots of websites have guzhengs for sale, but I'd really like to see it and play it before buying.

So does anyone know of music stores in the Bay Area that sell good guzhengs? Also, what's a good price point for a good/professional guzheng?

Thanks!!

[carol]

There are quite a few places in San Francisco that sells guzheng.
1. Clarion Music Center
the last time I went there, they have guzhengs from $400-$2500. The $2500 one is a zitan model Huqiu brand which isn't good at all in my opinion. There was a rosewood carving model that's $1200, and it was probably the only descent guzheng in the store, but the price is way over-priced.

2. Exploring Music/Chinese Music Learning Center
They have lots of Dunhuang guzhengs as well as guzhengs from other brand. The owner is also a professional guzheng player, so the guzhengs here are better in quality. Price ranges from $400-$2500. I think a Dunhuang 694KK is selling around $1300 there.
They also have a branch in San Jose if you are closer there.

3. Baymusic.Net
The store is on Balboa Ave. They have lots of Yanzhou guzhengs. The biggest Jinyun dealer in U.S. They have lots of medium level guzhengs that's around $1200-$1300. They don't sound anything near "professional" in my opinion. Way over-priced. I don't know how much they price a Jinyun zitan model. If it's less than $1600, then that's a good deal.

A good price point for a professional guzheng depends on where you buy it. The price in stores are over-priced because they use to only sell 1-2 instruments per month. They have to price it that high to survive. The demand is definetely increasing dramatically, but stores can't just drop the price to 1/3 or 1/2 over night.

[davidmdahl]

I was in San Francisco a few months ago, and would have to agree with Carol. I enjoyed shopping at the Chinese Arts and Music Center (Baymusic.net) on Balboa, but I was not really that impressed with any of the guzhengs I saw. Of course I was more on the prowl for erhus, and the selection there was excellent. Exploring Music in SF or San Jose is probably your best bet for guzhengs.

Best wishes,

David

[carol]

I'm visiting my mom for the Christmas in South Bay. My visit to the Exploring Music/Chinese Music Learning Center in San Jose was rather disappointed.

Most of the guzhengs there are 26-stringed. Even the plywood backboard ones are selling at $1800. The number of 26-stringed guzhengs there made me suspected that they bought every 26-stringed Dunhuang ever made.

The 21-stringed guzhengs are not pleasant at all. Two lowest grade Yayun are selling at $950. The 694K and Duo Crane are selling at $1150, both have plywood backboards. I used to see lots of 694KK there, but not any more. I consider 694KK as the beginner's professional model which is at least descent to play with.

Guzhengs should be available for $300s are selling at $1300s, and guzhengs should be available for $1300s are no where to be found. After all, the only thing nice there is probably a $395 children's guzheng.

I feel so much better after I came back to my mom's house and played my SB10 and Tianyi Nanmu. Hahah, yes, I travelled with 2 guzhengs.

[YouLanFengChune]

Hi!

I think Dunhuang never made anymore plywood backboard Duo Cranes since early 1990s. Suspecting something else again....

[carol]

No need to be suspecting. Their phone number is listed in Dunhuang's official website as the only distributor in U.S.A.

I'm sure they still make plywood backboards for Duo Cranes. I saw it this April in Dunhuang's factory.

For plywood backboard, I refer to those heavy painted backboard that you can't see any grains on it. They use to paint it all black, and now it's more of a black reddish color.

[YouLanFengChune]

hmm,...

should be the lower end things...

[blueharp]

Hi Carol,

I would have loved to meet up with you as I live in San Jose.

The Exploring Music Center used to have the one piece back guzhengs, but I haven't seen them in almost a year. I haven't seen a 694KK (Banana Panel) guzheng there for quite a while.

If you have some time perhaps we can get together!

Steve in rainy San Jose

[carol]

Yes, let's meet. I'm in Fremont, will drive back to LA sometimes tomorrow. Call me, 714-655-8322

[Vi An]

My advice is just buy a guzheng, any one that you see just buy it. If your intention with guzheng is NOT going to be a super star guzheng master or god/goddess, you have nothing at all to loose. :-) Really...

When I first bought my first guzheng I didn't know it was a DUNHUANG or a dud, I didn't know if the wood was even anything important to sound or structure. I ONLY knew that I really badly deeply lovingly wanted a guzheng RIGHT then and THERE! So I took out all the money I saved up after highschool to get it RIGHT away.. No regrets even though my family forbid me to persue music in any form!!

Then I started to learn more about guzheng and I became very superficial and way too concerned about unneccissary things than making a living making music. I wasted 2 years after my last album, on finding the "perfect" guzheng which people trumpetted as great and I wasted money too in the process. IT is how I PLAY and grow and improve NOT about what my guzheng is like. What my guzheng is really made of is only a small part of it. If I play poorly on a superbly made instrument thats useless to me, if I play well on a poorly made instrument yet people pick up on how well I am playing and are moved by my music, then there is something great going on there!!!



What happened to me, what happened to that happy go lucky carefree and giddy little school girl who secretly purchased her very first guzheng 8 years ago? I turned into a superficial buyer who is no better at playing guzheng then when she first started!

What my point is:

Just locate a place which sells guzhengs. Look at all of them, sit down and give yourself a chance to hear all of them if possible and then go with your gut feeling which one you WANT to buy. The rest will work itself out.

There is way too much information out there at the end of the day for you to care for.

I'm going to go record now. A lot of people are expecting my next album to be finished by March. I doubt it.

My best I hope,

Vi An

[carol]

Hi Steve:

Nice chatting to you yesterday. I really enjoy talking about guzheng to people. It's so much fun.

[carol]

Hi Vi An:

You sound so much like me. But I probably would have different advise to buyers.
When I was a freshman High School, I paid everything I had to buy my first 21-stringed guzheng from a local teacher in Bay Area. Pretty soon, I outgrown that instrument and paid everything I had again to buy another 23-stringed guzheng from a local store. Then so many guzhengs after that.

I have to be honest and said that my playing wasn't good at all in my high school years. For all 4 years, my music sound really bad. I always thought that it was my poor technique. In later years, of course I realize that there are certain habbits in my playing that are coursed by the poorly made guzhengs. For example, I would never pluck heavily upward because those dunhuang bridges will jump and made weired sound with the sound board or fall in a second.
Alao, my finger power was really weak, cause those instruments don't have the strength to support strong finger power.

In a summer trip back to Taiwan, I visited Chunghwa guzheng factory. I was so surprised that the guzhengs sound so much better and different then the Dunhuang guzhengs I've seen in San Francisco. I thought Dunhuang guzhengs were everything, since those are the only ones available. I bought a guzheng in Chunghwa. I didn't have the ability to pick a good one, they all sounded so good to me, so I bought a best looking one with mother-of-pearl all over.

As I opened my eyes into the big guzheng world, I bought better and better guzhengs. My playing has improved dramatically with well-made instruments. I spent great effort in correcting all the bad habbits I got from bad guzhengs.

Now, although I'm really satisfied with the guzhengs I have, I leave a room for the perfect one that I'm seeking. I don't care about the design, but when I put my hands on it, the dream sound will come out.

[davidmdahl]

I loved your post, Vi An, about buying any old guzheng. There is a lot to be said for just jumping in with both feet and not worrying about all of the complicated features and arguments about what is best. However, I agree with Carol that it is still important to get a good instrument. It is true that the music is what is important, but a poor instrument makes it so much more difficult to make good music.

So many instruments, not just those from Asia, are made to a very substandard quality. Sometimes the quality is good enough for a beginner, and sometimes the problems are so bad that the instrument cannot be properly played and the student eventually becomes discouraged and gives up. Unfortunately it is not always easy for a student to know where the problem lies, lack of practicing or a poor instrument.

There is no replacement for learning all we can about what we are going to spend our hard-earned money on. Once we understand our needs and learn how to recognize the important aspects of a quality instrument, we can spend our money wisely and get a good and suitable instrument.

During my own trip to SF a few months ago, I did not notice any guzhengs that made me ooh and ah. I was not shopping for a guzheng and did not play any of them, but the ones I saw did not look well-cared-for. My guzheng friend in Seattle has a simple Duo Cranes model. It looks loved and sounds great.

Best wishes,

David

[blueharp]

Hi Carol,

Hopefully your journey south was uneventful and stress-free.

The pleasure was all mine! I always enjoy making a personal connection - it makes things so much more human.

Hope to see you in early February!

Steve