I thought at first that this seemed pretty self serving, but then as it progressed, it seemed more like a genuine attempt to protect the viewers. Great job Stu.
Having built my own business by cold-calling, I quickly learned that honesty is always the best policy. An informed client/customer is where you get your best referrals. Bad news travels at light speed. You don't need to make everyone happy. You have to protect yourself from "accidents looking for someplace to happen". Well-informed clients/customers are easier to close deals with or if they reveal themselves to be jerks who just want to chisel your profit, easier to turn away without wasting your time. It takes honest people to know honest people. Being honest pays for itself.
Not german the first piano but Italian. Between 1698 and 1700, the Paduan Bartolomeo Cristofori, builder and repairer of instruments at the Medici court in Florence, developed a type of harpsichord in which the plucked string mechanism was replaced by hammers. This was the prototype of the piano😊
That is true. While many will attribute the Germans for refining the manufacturing process and helping to bring the modern piano to its apex, the foundation of the modern piano can be attributed to Cristofori.
The characteristic bright and loud piano we all know today is essentially an American piano from the late nineteenth century when Chickering, Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, and Weber competed for innovation.
Factory and country is not enough. They should clearly tell us what spruce has been used for the sounboard: sitka, alpine red spruce, engelman, or scandinavian spruce? They also should tell us the exact speaking length and brand of the strings.
I certainly agree that there should be more clarity and transparency when it comes to materials and specifications. Thanks for tuning in and writing in.
While you only peripherally touched on used pianos there is a world of scams going on there. I had a student whose upright was always out of tune. I opened the lid and found that the tuning pegs had been replaced with common nails. I once had the shop foreman come into my studio and ask if Bach and Brahms had known each other. It seems some lady was inquiring about her Bachenbrahms piano. The shop had “restored” an old upright and reached into the drawer of gold letters and created a sticker piano. I wish I was making this stuff up.
Thanks for sharing! This is an unfortunate reality with some used instruments. To that point, we always recommend having a technician you trust to inspect a used instrument before purchasing. A piano may look beautiful on the outside, but have a ton of potentially costly issues internally.
"...any piano on earth German heritage, because that's where the piano was invented..." I can hear my Italian friends screaming out "PIANO WAS INVENTED IN ITALY!" (This comment is not meant to criticize or correct anything, but to add a bit of humor🙃)
My digital piano decision was based on how the digital piano connected to me. Purely subjective. I now have a brand, that for whatever reason, works best for me. I looked into the history of the leading brands, and it is very interesting. I play my piano about 30 minutes every day, and can play a number of Beatles songs. Sounds awesome. Almost six months of playing piano from a good acoustic guitarist background. This is a must-watch video to give people new to the world of pianos some measure of a solid foundation. Not all piano sales places are the same. Greetings from Melbourne, Australia.
Hello from Canada! Thank you kindly for tuning in and sharing your thoughts. We appreciate it! We're happy to hear that you have found a piano option that resonates with you. Feeling inspired by your instrument is critical. Thanks again and happy playing! :)
On a slightly different scam issue, have you heard the one about a ' widow who's giving away here late husband's Yamaha G1 or GC1'. She wants it to go to a music loving home or church/institution etc'. We've had a few emails like this in our church circles over the past year. You see what appear to be genuine photos in a warehouse somewhere in England. I cautiously enquired and was directed to a piano mover in South of England who I was told would deliver the piano and I would only pay the delivery fee! Needless to say, I decided to stick to our Roland digital!
That's a common scam I see in guitar-related groups. Either it's someone giving away her late husband's high-end guitars, or it's a wife giving away a special guitar she bought for her husband but she found out he's cheating on her. Just pay the shipping fee! These scams seem to have gone away for a while, probably because of better detection and more attentive group admins, but I'm sure something else will come along.
One of the the most valuables videos on the channel! I have this experience: buy a Steangraeber&Sone in a decent condition from 1900 for 1850 eur. Invested into strings, tuning pegs, gluing bridges, action fixing and regulation - around 4000 eur. Forgot the hammers! Will do later. Result? A magical piano with a story, fantastic tone and a delight to play on. Transportation and hammers aded will have cost me 10K eur. Now, beat that))
Thanks for the kind words! And thank you for sharing your own piano journey! That sounds like an incredible piano with a lot of nuance and magic. We're happy to hear that you've been enjoying the musical experience it offers. :)
Will you do a Digital piano scam artists video? Honestly the big brands are scammy as they can be. I recieved a Roland LX-5 and it sounds BAD so the repairman came and replaaced the speakers (so he agreed on how bad it sounds) and afterwards some resonance issues were gone but we both agreed Rolands sound bad (and are made from ikea wood). So i ordered a Kawai CA701 wich also had issues right from day 1, and searching the forums it's apparently a thing. Also the computer onboard is slow as a snail and both Roland and Kawai apps have some of the lowerst scores on the app store. Why do big brands choose to make their pianos from ikea wood and make them sound more bad than my 13yo Kawai?! If realistic would be your idea of an answer, lord no, a real piano does not sound like it's run through a 90's compressor and an aliexpress amplifier. Digital pianos are 2000usd overpriced!
I am sorry to hear that you had previous issues with the digital pianos you purchased. I am surprised to hear that you have had issues with the LX5 and CA701. In our experiences, those are both incredibly reliable models. With that said, some players will never be fully satisfied with a digital piano given their heavy preference for the sound and touch of an acoustic piano.
@@MerriamPianos I've only ever had digital pianos so that's not it. My very old kawai did a better job than the new one. The repairman is the official warranty handler for Roland and even he had to try out different lx5's and 6's just to confirm the bad sound is what Roland gives us. So no, its not a preference, they are just making worse pianos to cover costs probably, even though a less 'developed' piano with hogher quality components would give a more satisfying experience. As my old kawai proves. If you think both models are 'fine' maybe America is blessed with randomly distributed better assemblies that all fell into your lap, or your store has ceiling tiles and big windows and you mistake the sound of the Roland with the sound the tiles and windows would make on high volume levels. 🤷🏼 Luckily forums show many many customers agree with me as does the official warranty handler.
Great video as always Stu ! a little bit difficult for me to understand at some points because the information is very substantial, a genuine quality video , i'm a professional pianist and i'm always learning something with your videos !
This is indeed very important and helpful video. It definitely helps in the process of deciding what type of piano to get and to beware of. Thank you, Michael
In addition to country of origin, be aware that many reputable Asian piano brands make pianos to be sold in the U.S. and make pianos that are not to be sold in the U.S. For instance, Yamaha has a way to check the serial number on their webpage to see if it's "gray market" and not to be sold in the U.S. I urge people to check this before making a purchase, even from a large reputable dealer. Sometimes the salespeople do not know this is what they are selling.
Hi! Brent here! We are not Bluthner dealers. They make very excellent pianos of course, but we choose alternate lines in that particular category based on their musical merit as well as the excellent cost-to-value ratios they offer.
I thought you were joking so I was going to suggest Steinway & Sons digitals. After some research I see that Blüthner digitals actually do exist. I learn something new every 3-4 weeks!
While we carry Pearl River acoustic pianos, we do not carry Pearl River digital pianos. So, I don't have any experience with their digital piano models.
Does a common grand piano contract include voicing and hammer softening if the piano arrives with inconsistent tonality between adjacent notes? Should that be written down in a contract?
Hi! Brent here! Voicing and regulation is not part of manufacturers' warranty coverage. To that point, the offering of these services with a purchases would vary from dealer to dealer.
1:45 Mr Cristofori just called me… he’s very disappointed with you Stu! The fortepiano was invented in Florence (Duchy of Tuscany) by a man from Venice, Bartolomeo Cristofori. To the best of my knowledge, no Germans were involved! Sure there were many German trailblazers when it comes to musical composition - but the invention of the piano was not theirs. A myth furthered in a video purporting to debunk myths! And while Gabriel Anton Walter was born in Germany - he designed and manufactured his pianos in Vienna, not a Germany. These were used by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Chopin’s Pleyel pianos were designed and manufactured in France. Whilst there have been some amazing pianos like Blüthner produced in Germany: The piano was not invented in Germany - please correct your video.
There's a lot of pianos that are better than steinway which you're only paying for because of the name due to mass manipulation and mob mentality, especially if you look into the massive surplus of pianos from over 100 years ago when standards were much higher. Even ones that need major work cost less at the end while you end up with an instrument that's just as good or better while older steinways are better than modern ones but not by enough for most people to tell. A steinway is only the best if it's exactly what you're looking for and not because of mob mentality that wants to replace the art of music with instructions.
The only way I would ever buy a Steinway would be from a good, solid piano shop that is not a "genuine authorized Steinway dealer", or from a GOOD, INDEPENDENT piano rebuilder. My two experiences with Steinway dealers were... well... less than stellar.
@@user-lh3uz1cp7y I agree. I am not much of a pianist because i started learning very late in life then was very ill for two years. But, my advice, for what it is worth, is go in to a place like Merriam where there are many to choose from, then test-play the instruments in your price range. If one reaches out and really grabs you, keep trying others. That characteristic that grabbed you may in the end prove annoying. But, if you keep going back to it, buy it. My only limitation on buying a piano is that I will not buy a Chinese piano. I avoid buying Chinese products for personal reasons; you may not care. For a reference point: I bought, and dearly love, a Kawai GL-40. Even my "Steinway snob" teacher grins like a kid with a new toy when she plays it.
@@The-Friendly-Grizzly I feel the same with most things as being "authorised" usually means what you're allowed to do is limited like with Apple where an authorised repair centre will lie to get the customer to replace everything and delete their data while an independent will perform component level repair and save the baby pictures. Musical instruments are no exception since the manufacturer wants to make sure there's as much money being made as possible so they'll manipulate the process for being authorised regardless of what industry it's in, especially for things that are difficult for an end user to repair.
How about adding one more....the sound of the piano. I lived close to Portland Oregon, home to a Steinway store, this store had extremely high skilled technicians for refurbishing, rebuilding, tuning and voicing. My wife and I would take students there to audition a large selection of used pianos (almost all uprights) in their "attic" of used pianos. I was shocked, every piano I tried out all sounding gorgeous and played as well as can be expected for the model. It was then the sad fact that your piano "tuner" skill level will unlikey be as good as Steinways technicians. At the university where my wife worked we had access to 9 foot concert grands from all the big names, those pianos were always ready to play and they always sounded fantastic and played effortlessly. Take a Steinway Concert D 9 foot piano and a high skilled technician and I don't have to think about the piano when performing, just play the emotions. It was then that I knew you needed a high skilled technician and a piano store locally to own one. OR, I decided if ever I would buy a good 7 foot grand for home, I would learn this skill myself. The whole point being, you can't judge the actual sound of your piano, new or used, without knowledge of the technician and personal knowledge of how important their skill to the sound and action are. I've played a lot of horrid pianos in practice rooms, so bad they would have me quit practicing if that was my only source. The power of the technician to make a piano sound its best cannot be understated!
Thanks for sharing these insights! The role a technician plays in the process is very important as you've suggested. A great piano may be capable of yielding a great musical experience, but part of that is relying on a skilled technician's ability to extract the most out of an instrument. Thanks again for writing in! All the best and happy playing. :)
Can you address the “issue” of “grey market” Yamaha uprights. This nonsense has made it difficult for folks like myself to trade in my piano despite the falsehoods of Yamaha making pianos for North American market.
Thanks for the question! This may be a topic that requires a dedicated video deep dive. The claim is that pianos made for markets outside of North America are manufactured to different specifications as the humidity swings and conditions are not as extreme as in North America. It is a complicated topic because there is a lot of conflicting information out there. Like I said, it may be best to tackle this topic in a dedicated video. Thanks for the idea! :)
It is not a nonsense. Climates are different in China vs Texas. The wood drying and coating are different for that country. Grey market pianos also tend to have other pieces different from the manufacturer. They usually are bought in bulks in Asían countries, repaired with non-original parts, poorly shipped across the ocean, and sold to the Americas for cheap. After they break down, you are on your own. A serious pianist won't ever buy a grey maket piano.
![The Wall Song ร้องข้ามกำแพง | EP.213 | กรีน อัษฎาพร | 3 ต.ค. 67 [1/5]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3KrlLbCsadI/mqdefault.jpg)
I thought at first that this seemed pretty self serving, but then as it progressed, it seemed more like a genuine attempt to protect the viewers. Great job Stu.
Thanks for watching! We're glad you enjoyed it. :)
Having built my own business by cold-calling, I quickly learned that honesty is always the best policy. An informed client/customer is where you get your best referrals. Bad news travels at light speed. You don't need to make everyone happy. You have to protect yourself from "accidents looking for someplace to happen". Well-informed clients/customers are easier to close deals with or if they reveal themselves to be jerks who just want to chisel your profit, easier to turn away without wasting your time. It takes honest people to know honest people. Being honest pays for itself.
@@pasadenaphil8804 I agree with you, but there are many millionaire scammers that would not.
Not german the first piano but Italian. Between 1698 and 1700, the Paduan Bartolomeo Cristofori, builder and repairer of instruments at the Medici court in Florence, developed a type of harpsichord in which the plucked string mechanism was replaced by hammers. This was the prototype of the piano😊
That is true. While many will attribute the Germans for refining the manufacturing process and helping to bring the modern piano to its apex, the foundation of the modern piano can be attributed to Cristofori.
Congratulations for this and the other videos, mine was just a clarification, maybe because I'm Italian😅
The characteristic bright and loud piano we all know today is essentially an American piano from the late nineteenth century when Chickering, Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, and Weber competed for innovation.
Stu is, without a doubt, the best piano salesman in Canada.
I'll be happy to pass along the kind words to Stu on your behalf! Thank you for tuning in! :)
This is going to be a popular video. Very cool topic!
Thanks so much! We're glad you enjoyed it. :)
Factory and country is not enough. They should clearly tell us what spruce has been used for the sounboard: sitka, alpine red spruce, engelman, or scandinavian spruce? They also should tell us the exact speaking length and brand of the strings.
I certainly agree that there should be more clarity and transparency when it comes to materials and specifications. Thanks for tuning in and writing in.
While you only peripherally touched on used pianos there is a world of scams going on there. I had a student whose upright was always out of tune. I opened the lid and found that the tuning pegs had been replaced with common nails. I once had the shop foreman come into my studio and ask if Bach and Brahms had known each other. It seems some lady was inquiring about her Bachenbrahms piano. The shop had “restored” an old upright and reached into the drawer of gold letters and created a sticker piano. I wish I was making this stuff up.
Thanks for sharing! This is an unfortunate reality with some used instruments. To that point, we always recommend having a technician you trust to inspect a used instrument before purchasing. A piano may look beautiful on the outside, but have a ton of potentially costly issues internally.
"...any piano on earth German heritage, because that's where the piano was invented..."
I can hear my Italian friends screaming out "PIANO WAS INVENTED IN ITALY!"
(This comment is not meant to criticize or correct anything, but to add a bit of humor🙃)
Haha for sure! This is very on point commentary. ;)
My digital piano decision was based on how the digital piano connected to me. Purely subjective. I now have a brand, that for whatever reason, works best for me.
I looked into the history of the leading brands, and it is very interesting.
I play my piano about 30 minutes every day, and can play a number of Beatles songs. Sounds awesome. Almost six months of playing piano from a good acoustic guitarist background.
This is a must-watch video to give people new to the world of pianos some measure of a solid foundation.
Not all piano sales places are the same.
Greetings from Melbourne, Australia.
Hello from Canada! Thank you kindly for tuning in and sharing your thoughts. We appreciate it! We're happy to hear that you have found a piano option that resonates with you. Feeling inspired by your instrument is critical. Thanks again and happy playing! :)
On a slightly different scam issue, have you heard the one about a ' widow who's giving away here late husband's Yamaha G1 or GC1'. She wants it to go to a music loving home or church/institution etc'. We've had a few emails like this in our church circles over the past year.
You see what appear to be genuine photos in a warehouse somewhere in England. I cautiously enquired and was directed to a piano mover in South of England who I was told would deliver the piano and I would only pay the delivery fee! Needless to say, I decided to stick to our Roland digital!
Yes - this is a very common scam. I am happy to hear that you avoided the scam and went with a Roland digital!
That's a common scam I see in guitar-related groups. Either it's someone giving away her late husband's high-end guitars, or it's a wife giving away a special guitar she bought for her husband but she found out he's cheating on her. Just pay the shipping fee!
These scams seem to have gone away for a while, probably because of better detection and more attentive group admins, but I'm sure something else will come along.
Thank you! You're an excellent communicator. Learned a lot from this and previous videos.
You're very welcome! Thank you for tuning in! :)
One of the the most valuables videos on the channel!
I have this experience:
buy a Steangraeber&Sone in a decent condition from 1900 for 1850 eur. Invested into strings, tuning pegs, gluing bridges, action fixing and regulation - around 4000 eur. Forgot the hammers! Will do later. Result? A magical piano with a story, fantastic tone and a delight to play on. Transportation and hammers aded will have cost me 10K eur.
Now, beat that))
Thanks for the kind words! And thank you for sharing your own piano journey! That sounds like an incredible piano with a lot of nuance and magic. We're happy to hear that you've been enjoying the musical experience it offers. :)
Will you do a Digital piano scam artists video? Honestly the big brands are scammy as they can be. I recieved a Roland LX-5 and it sounds BAD so the repairman came and replaaced the speakers (so he agreed on how bad it sounds) and afterwards some resonance issues were gone but we both agreed Rolands sound bad (and are made from ikea wood). So i ordered a Kawai CA701 wich also had issues right from day 1, and searching the forums it's apparently a thing. Also the computer onboard is slow as a snail and both Roland and Kawai apps have some of the lowerst scores on the app store.
Why do big brands choose to make their pianos from ikea wood and make them sound more bad than my 13yo Kawai?! If realistic would be your idea of an answer, lord no, a real piano does not sound like it's run through a 90's compressor and an aliexpress amplifier. Digital pianos are 2000usd overpriced!
I am sorry to hear that you had previous issues with the digital pianos you purchased. I am surprised to hear that you have had issues with the LX5 and CA701. In our experiences, those are both incredibly reliable models. With that said, some players will never be fully satisfied with a digital piano given their heavy preference for the sound and touch of an acoustic piano.
@@MerriamPianos I've only ever had digital pianos so that's not it. My very old kawai did a better job than the new one. The repairman is the official warranty handler for Roland and even he had to try out different lx5's and 6's just to confirm the bad sound is what Roland gives us.
So no, its not a preference, they are just making worse pianos to cover costs probably, even though a less 'developed' piano with hogher quality components would give a more satisfying experience. As my old kawai proves.
If you think both models are 'fine' maybe America is blessed with randomly distributed better assemblies that all fell into your lap, or your store has ceiling tiles and big windows and you mistake the sound of the Roland with the sound the tiles and windows would make on high volume levels. 🤷🏼
Luckily forums show many many customers agree with me as does the official warranty handler.
Great vid, as usual. I'd love to have your opinion about Hailun
Thanks for the suggestion! I'll pass it along to our production team. :)
GR8 job Stu talking about the elephant in the room! Critical that buyers make informed decisions.
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thank you for taking the time to tune in. We appreciate it! :)
Great video as always Stu ! a little bit difficult for me to understand at some points because the information is very substantial, a genuine quality video , i'm a professional pianist and i'm always learning something with your videos !
Hi! Brent here! Thank you for tuning in! We're glad to hear that you've found Stu's deep dives helpful and informative. :)
This is indeed very important and helpful video. It definitely helps in the process of deciding what type of piano to get and to beware of.
Thank you,
Michael
Glad it was helpful! Thank you kindly for watching! :)
In addition to country of origin, be aware that many reputable Asian piano brands make pianos to be sold in the U.S. and make pianos that are not to be sold in the U.S. For instance, Yamaha has a way to check the serial number on their webpage to see if it's "gray market" and not to be sold in the U.S. I urge people to check this before making a purchase, even from a large reputable dealer. Sometimes the salespeople do not know this is what they are selling.
I’m pretty sure Bartolomeo Cristoforii is screaming from on high…….😊
Haha that very well may be the case! ;)
I have a 7 ft C Bechstein. Awesome
Congrats! Bechstein make wonderful pianos! :)
Speaking of German pianos... why don't you sell Bluthner digitals? Are they any good?
Hi! Brent here! We are not Bluthner dealers. They make very excellent pianos of course, but we choose alternate lines in that particular category based on their musical merit as well as the excellent cost-to-value ratios they offer.
I thought you were joking so I was going to suggest Steinway & Sons digitals. After some research I see that Blüthner digitals actually do exist. I learn something new every 3-4 weeks!
@@KeepingOnTheWatch Yeah, they really have a line of digitals. But it seems like they do not put much effort in it 🤔
3:16 What is the name of this song? I want to hear the entire piece.
How good are pearl river digital pianos sir?
While we carry Pearl River acoustic pianos, we do not carry Pearl River digital pianos. So, I don't have any experience with their digital piano models.
Feurich from Gunzenhausen vs. Feurich today....?
Does a common grand piano contract include voicing and hammer softening if the piano arrives with inconsistent tonality between adjacent notes? Should that be written down in a contract?
Hi! Brent here! Voicing and regulation is not part of manufacturers' warranty coverage. To that point, the offering of these services with a purchases would vary from dealer to dealer.
in Italy
You are correct! ;)
Would love to own a Steinway, but I'd have to win the lottery first.
My fingers are crossed that you will be able to realize that dream some day soon! :)
@@MerriamPianos 🥰
Stu should consider joining the CIA. Genius! Stu is the man!
Ah, yes: Steigerman pianos.
1:45 Mr Cristofori just called me… he’s very disappointed with you Stu!
The fortepiano was invented in Florence (Duchy of Tuscany) by a man from Venice, Bartolomeo Cristofori. To the best of my knowledge, no Germans were involved! Sure there were many German trailblazers when it comes to musical composition - but the invention of the piano was not theirs. A myth furthered in a video purporting to debunk myths!
And while Gabriel Anton Walter was born in Germany - he designed and manufactured his pianos in Vienna, not a Germany. These were used by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Chopin’s Pleyel pianos were designed and manufactured in France.
Whilst there have been some amazing pianos like Blüthner produced in Germany: The piano was not invented in Germany - please correct your video.
A Steinweigh is worth the price.
It is all a matter of subjectivity and perspective of course! ;)
There's a lot of pianos that are better than steinway which you're only paying for because of the name due to mass manipulation and mob mentality, especially if you look into the massive surplus of pianos from over 100 years ago when standards were much higher.
Even ones that need major work cost less at the end while you end up with an instrument that's just as good or better while older steinways are better than modern ones but not by enough for most people to tell.
A steinway is only the best if it's exactly what you're looking for and not because of mob mentality that wants to replace the art of music with instructions.
The only way I would ever buy a Steinway would be from a good, solid piano shop that is not a "genuine authorized Steinway dealer", or from a GOOD, INDEPENDENT piano rebuilder. My two experiences with Steinway dealers were... well... less than stellar.
@@user-lh3uz1cp7y I agree. I am not much of a pianist because i started learning very late in life then was very ill for two years. But, my advice, for what it is worth, is go in to a place like Merriam where there are many to choose from, then test-play the instruments in your price range. If one reaches out and really grabs you, keep trying others. That characteristic that grabbed you may in the end prove annoying. But, if you keep going back to it, buy it. My only limitation on buying a piano is that I will not buy a Chinese piano. I avoid buying Chinese products for personal reasons; you may not care.
For a reference point: I bought, and dearly love, a Kawai GL-40. Even my "Steinway snob" teacher grins like a kid with a new toy when she plays it.
@@The-Friendly-Grizzly I feel the same with most things as being "authorised" usually means what you're allowed to do is limited like with Apple where an authorised repair centre will lie to get the customer to replace everything and delete their data while an independent will perform component level repair and save the baby pictures.
Musical instruments are no exception since the manufacturer wants to make sure there's as much money being made as possible so they'll manipulate the process for being authorised regardless of what industry it's in, especially for things that are difficult for an end user to repair.
How about adding one more....the sound of the piano. I lived close to Portland Oregon, home to a Steinway store, this store had extremely high skilled technicians for refurbishing, rebuilding, tuning and voicing. My wife and I would take students there to audition a large selection of used pianos (almost all uprights) in their "attic" of used pianos. I was shocked, every piano I tried out all sounding gorgeous and played as well as can be expected for the model. It was then the sad fact that your piano "tuner" skill level will unlikey be as good as Steinways technicians. At the university where my wife worked we had access to 9 foot concert grands from all the big names, those pianos were always ready to play and they always sounded fantastic and played effortlessly. Take a Steinway Concert D 9 foot piano and a high skilled technician and I don't have to think about the piano when performing, just play the emotions. It was then that I knew you needed a high skilled technician and a piano store locally to own one. OR, I decided if ever I would buy a good 7 foot grand for home, I would learn this skill myself.
The whole point being, you can't judge the actual sound of your piano, new or used, without knowledge of the technician and personal knowledge of how important their skill to the sound and action are. I've played a lot of horrid pianos in practice rooms, so bad they would have me quit practicing if that was my only source. The power of the technician to make a piano sound its best cannot be understated!
Thanks for sharing these insights! The role a technician plays in the process is very important as you've suggested. A great piano may be capable of yielding a great musical experience, but part of that is relying on a skilled technician's ability to extract the most out of an instrument. Thanks again for writing in! All the best and happy playing. :)
Can you address the “issue” of “grey market” Yamaha uprights. This nonsense has made it difficult for folks like myself to trade in my piano despite the falsehoods of Yamaha making pianos for North American market.
Thanks for the question! This may be a topic that requires a dedicated video deep dive. The claim is that pianos made for markets outside of North America are manufactured to different specifications as the humidity swings and conditions are not as extreme as in North America. It is a complicated topic because there is a lot of conflicting information out there. Like I said, it may be best to tackle this topic in a dedicated video. Thanks for the idea! :)
It is not a nonsense. Climates are different in China vs Texas. The wood drying and coating are different for that country. Grey market pianos also tend to have other pieces different from the manufacturer. They usually are bought in bulks in Asían countries, repaired with non-original parts, poorly shipped across the ocean, and sold to the Americas for cheap. After they break down, you are on your own. A serious pianist won't ever buy a grey maket piano.
Thanks for saving us from the piano world’s p diddlers!
Hahaha you're very welcome!
Sorry. The piano was invented in Italy, not in Germany.
That is correct. Bartolomeo Cristofori is credited for inventing the piano. :)
👏👏👏
Thank you! :)