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Yamaha's grand piano lineup
Topic Started: May 15 2017, 08:00 AM (992 Views)
Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
kluurs
Jun 9 2017, 06:18 AM
I think we need dates for the Klaus US tour. People will want to arrange their schedules.
Actually I heard rumors that Ax is willing to host a forum party...
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
Yeah I did too - waiting for him to confirm or deny...
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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brenda
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..............
Klaus
Jun 9 2017, 04:57 AM
Excellent food, interesting people, snow, a M&H BB - why haven't I paid you a visit yet?
You'll find a conference to attend in Minnesoooota. Start looking. :)
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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brenda
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..............
kluurs
Jun 9 2017, 06:20 AM
Klaus
Jun 9 2017, 04:57 AM
Excellent food, interesting people, snow, a M&H BB - why haven't I paid you a visit yet?
Some of the snow has melted.
Oh, that was back in March or so that we got rid of the snow. We've got gorgeous weather this week. Of course, it's my birthday week, so the weather knows it has to be great. ;)
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
Bechstein 212 FTW.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Nobody's Sock
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Fulla-Carp
Klaus
Jun 9 2017, 04:40 AM
Tried a couple of pianos today. I'm not really shopping, but it's fun to get an overview over piano quality and brands, and who knows what the future brings. Luckily most piano dealers in my area are within walking distance to each other.

Just in case anyone cares, here are some impressions.

- Shigeru Kawai makes really nice pianos. I tried an SK6 that was rather magical. It "felt" very good, too. In comparison, the ordinary Kawai grands felt rather inferior.
- The same dealer had a couple of Bösendorfer grand pianos, too. I tried a big concert grand, which was superb, but that's completely out of my league. I also tried the 200cm model. It was a quite nice piano, but it didn't feel very special to me. I didn't like the bass much.
- I tried a few Yamaha C3X and C5X at different dealers. Really nice pianos for the price point, but also clearly inferior to the more expensive hand-made ones.
- Today I tried a Yamaha CF6. Wow! It stood next to a Steinway B. I'd have much preferred the Yamaha. Very powerful bass, but if you play pianissimo, it's like almost another piano. I was quite impressed.
- Also tried a couple of Faziolis. They had a slightly used F212 which had the best feeling action I've ever tried on any piano. A great piano. They also had brand new F183 and F212 and F228. The F183 was, well, too small, but the bigger ones are top-notch.
- Also tried a Grotrian 192, which is the successor of my current grand. Very nice piano, but if I had to choose among new pianos it would probably not be among my top choices. Powerful bass, but overall a too bright sound for my taste.
- I tried a Sauter Delta (185cm). I heard very good things about them, but to me they didn't really stand out in anything.
- Tried a couple of Schimmel grand pianos. Not bad, but not very good either.
- I also played many Bechstein grand pianos. Their sound is rather different from most other grand pianos. Very clean sound. I liked the C. Bechstein series a lot. I tried both the M/P (192cm) and the B (212cm). Very fine workmanship. It takes a little to get used to the sound because it's so different from the typical Steinway sound, but it's really good. I also tried a couple of (non-C.) Bechstein, which is their less expensive line of pianos. Also good pianos, but clearly inferior to their top line.
- I also paid a visit to the local Steinway house and tried a couple of Steinway A's and B's. It's interesting how different the pianos sounded. I didn't like some of them at all, whereas others were real powerhouses. They had a very nice Steinway A. But what really annoyed me in that store was the salesperson. The arrogance was breathtaking; she said BS like Steinway is basically without competition, the whole "110% of all pianists use Steinway" spin, how Steinway is a good investment, how all Yamaha pianos have plastic parts etc.

Three piano brands that are still on my list of pianos to try: Blüthner, Steingräber and August Förster. There's a Blüthner and a Steingräber dealership quite close by, but for the Förster dealer I'd have to drive for around an hour (all other dealers are in a 30min radius around our house, quite convenient). I'd also love to try a Mason&Hamlin because I've never heard one, but it seems to be almost impossible to find a dealer.
Wow! How lucky are you? A great analysis of many of the top players. Thank you!



"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
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Jolly
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Geaux Tigers!
Klaus
Jun 9 2017, 04:40 AM
Tried a couple of pianos today. I'm not really shopping, but it's fun to get an overview over piano quality and brands, and who knows what the future brings. Luckily most piano dealers in my area are within walking distance to each other.

Just in case anyone cares, here are some impressions.

- Shigeru Kawai makes really nice pianos. I tried an SK6 that was rather magical. It "felt" very good, too. In comparison, the ordinary Kawai grands felt rather inferior.
- The same dealer had a couple of Bösendorfer grand pianos, too. I tried a big concert grand, which was superb, but that's completely out of my league. I also tried the 200cm model. It was a quite nice piano, but it didn't feel very special to me. I didn't like the bass much.
- I tried a few Yamaha C3X and C5X at different dealers. Really nice pianos for the price point, but also clearly inferior to the more expensive hand-made ones.
- Today I tried a Yamaha CF6. Wow! It stood next to a Steinway B. I'd have much preferred the Yamaha. Very powerful bass, but if you play pianissimo, it's like almost another piano. I was quite impressed.
- Also tried a couple of Faziolis. They had a slightly used F212 which had the best feeling action I've ever tried on any piano. A great piano. They also had brand new F183 and F212 and F228. The F183 was, well, too small, but the bigger ones are top-notch.
- Also tried a Grotrian 192, which is the successor of my current grand. Very nice piano, but if I had to choose among new pianos it would probably not be among my top choices. Powerful bass, but overall a too bright sound for my taste.
- I tried a Sauter Delta (185cm). I heard very good things about them, but to me they didn't really stand out in anything.
- Tried a couple of Schimmel grand pianos. Not bad, but not very good either.
- I also played many Bechstein grand pianos. Their sound is rather different from most other grand pianos. Very clean sound. I liked the C. Bechstein series a lot. I tried both the M/P (192cm) and the B (212cm). Very fine workmanship. It takes a little to get used to the sound because it's so different from the typical Steinway sound, but it's really good. I also tried a couple of (non-C.) Bechstein, which is their less expensive line of pianos. Also good pianos, but clearly inferior to their top line.
- I also paid a visit to the local Steinway house and tried a couple of Steinway A's and B's. It's interesting how different the pianos sounded. I didn't like some of them at all, whereas others were real powerhouses. They had a very nice Steinway A. But what really annoyed me in that store was the salesperson. The arrogance was breathtaking; she said BS like Steinway is basically without competition, the whole "110% of all pianists use Steinway" spin, how Steinway is a good investment, how all Yamaha pianos have plastic parts etc.

Three piano brands that are still on my list of pianos to try: Blüthner, Steingräber and August Förster. There's a Blüthner and a Steingräber dealership quite close by, but for the Förster dealer I'd have to drive for around an hour (all other dealers are in a 30min radius around our house, quite convenient). I'd also love to try a Mason&Hamlin because I've never heard one, but it seems to be almost impossible to find a dealer.
If you haven't put this up on PW, you might want to...there was a guy through there asking about pianos in Germany just the other day...The review is nice and concise...
Edited by Jolly, Jun 9 2017, 09:51 AM.
The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Tried another couple of instruments today.

- A Steingräber B-192. This instrument blew me away, but not necessarily in a positive way. Superb quality and extremely powerful, but to me it was in fact too powerful. My ears hurt after playing it. It was almost like being screamed at (ok, that's a bit exaggerated but you get the point)
- A Schimmel K195. I've played many Schimmel pianos and I was never a big fan, but their "Konzert" series seems to be different. Very balanced, strong bass, powerful but not overwhelming. Nice instrument!
- Another Yamaha CF6. This one was already sold. They seem to sell like hotcakes, despite the enormous price. Really great instruments. I think marketing-wise it's stupid to call these pianos "Yamaha", but quality-wise they are at least on par with Steinway etc.
- A Bösendorfer 200 from the 1970s. Very light and convenient touch and very balanced. I liked it a lot. At around 40 grands, it looked like very good value for the money.
- Another couple of used Steinways A and B from the 1950 and 1960s. Not bad, but one can get better value for the money elsewhere.
- Another Bechstein M/P 192. OMFG did I like the mid-range of that piano. Crystal-clear. I could play pp on that piano all day. However, it was lacking a bit in power if you go to ff.
- I was surprised how much I liked a used 1995 Yamaha C6. Great and powerful piano for a very reasonable price (around 22 grand)

My dream piano so far is a mix of other pianos. I want:

- The action of a Shigeru Kawai SK-6
- The treble section of a Fazioli F-212
- The pp and mf middle section of a Bechstein M/P 192
- The ff middle section and the bass section of a Yamaha CF6 (Bass of the Grotrian would also work)
- The keys and overall balance of a Bösendorfer 200
- The pedals of a Steinway B
- A Fazioli rim

Could somebody make me such a piano PLEASE?
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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Luke's Dad
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Emperor Pengin
You need to try a Mason BB
The problem with having an open mind is that people keep trying to put things in it.
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
I'm worried that I'll like it but will never be able to buy one because they don't have dealers over here :lol2:
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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Luke's Dad
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Emperor Pengin
Actually, you really should go back and revisit all the pianos again. You might be surprised how different they sound and feel to you...
The problem with having an open mind is that people keep trying to put things in it.
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brenda
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..............
Luke's Dad
Jun 19 2017, 07:41 AM
You need to try a Mason BB
You beat me to it. :lol2:
“Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.”
~A.A. Milne
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
The other day I played a Bösendorfer 200 which I liked a lot. At around 95K list price it wasn't exactly cheap, though.

However, coincidentally just today a Bösendorfer 200 from 2004 from a private seller who moved into a retirement home surfaced. He wants 38K but is open to further negotiation. Hmmm....
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
Interesting. Mine's a 2004 too. (purchased in 2005). If you check it out, note the serial number.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Yours is a 2004? I didn't know they sound so terrible after so few years already! :hair:
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
:sword: :sword: :mad2: :smokin: :tiki: :ph43r: :sword: :sword:
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
Klaus
Sep 11 2017, 11:06 AM
However, coincidentally just today a Bösendorfer 200 from 2004 from a private seller who moved into a retirement home surfaced. He wants 38K but is open to further negotiation. Hmmm....
Went to see the piano yesterday. It's almost like new and has barely been played at all. A very nice instrument indeed. Very different from the usual "Steinway" sound, but I liked it a lot.

I made a bid to the seller. Turns out there is another person who wants to buy the piano and she wants to turn this into some kind of auction. I didn't like that, raised my bid a bit, and told her that she either says yes by the end of the day, or we have no deal.

So, tonight I'll know whether I have a new piano.
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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jon-nyc
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Cool. Did you ever get the serial number?

By the way, the Bosies have 2 serial numbers, of sorts. One for which number Bösendorfer it is, and one for which number of that particular model. Mine is the 476th model 200 they ever made.

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In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Klaus
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HOLY CARP!!!
No. I still haven't bought it.
Trifonov Fleisher Klaus Sokolov Zimmerman
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