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chrisvenables

Great minds think alike :) Some dealers and manufacturers use something like our own guarantee and tuning record card, which also incorporates a 'looking after your piano' page. Please see below. Should a tuner/tech discover a problem at the customer's home, a good tuner would contact us immediately...

chrisvenables

Hello Joseph I'm sorry to hear that you haven't had any success so far in resolving the problems with your piano. I have been in touch with Brodmann and they are arranging for a very well respected technician to contact you to assess the problems first hand. From what I have read here, it sounds lik...

chrisvenables

Good advice from Barrie. Other wooden components which need checking out especially if the soundboard has splits are the wooden bridges both at the bridge pins and the glue between the bridges and soundboard and the soundboard ribs. Other components which may need changing would be the damper felts,...

chrisvenables

So, the Artist Series grands are into the more expensive territory. When I bought my 187, new, I paid £7500 for it in 2007. Ok it's not an AS piano, but I think I got a bargain.... Is the bolduc soundboard an upgrade over the Strunz? I'm sure a renner action would be better and worth the upgrade, b...

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Hi Joseph I haven't seen one yet but I know the first two were sold immediately they were shown. It's going to be several months before there will be any free stock. I don't know if the case parts are going to be made in Germany or in Parsons factory in China as per the first batch, but the spec is ...

chrisvenables

Here's an extract from Wikepedia: ''After learning and emulating Yamaha's production processes, the Pearl River Piano company ousted Yamaha's ownership of the factory along with the backing of the Chinese government. Despite Pearl River's frequent marketing as having been "Designed by Yamaha&qu...

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Pearl River Ritmuller are made by: Guangzhou Pearl River Piano Group Ltd., Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. Originally established in 1954 through the consolidation of several piano-making facilities, the Guangzhou Pearl River factory is now China's largest piano manufacturer and one of the lar...

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Ritmuller and B-series Yamahas are made in same factory using nearly all the same components Yamaha would be my choice,expand your search and try Kawai pianos,Essex Pianos and other brand names you may have heard of.Keep clear of badge engineered instruments which have grand sounding European names...

chrisvenables

Both the B3 and K3 are good pianos and I wouldn't knock either of them. Neither is better than the other - it's more a case of which one suits your personal taste in tone and touch, ditto re the silent options. Any new piano can be bespoke prepped to your liking too, so once you've decided on the ma...

chrisvenables

I totally agree with you Barry - and Sussex Pianos too. (Both good technicians)

chrisvenables

It's true the Japanese like to buy new. That's because new is better and new Yamaha pianos are superior to old ones. The Japanese customer with the 35 year old U1 or U3 could still keep the piano and have it restored. They choose not to because when restored it still won't sound as good as the new m...

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So you're saying that we in the UK should import the 35 year old unwanted pianos from Japan (because the Japanese think they're well passed their sell by date and I agree- and they don't want them in their landfill sites) eventually those pianos will go into our landfill sites - only 35 years sooner...

chrisvenables

Mark - it sounds like you didn't read my post in full or at least you didn't understand it. In brief, the iron frame, the strings, backposts, action, keyboard are the same as in the new U1 only the soundboard is different. The case is a slightly different design to the U1 but it weighs 19lbs more th...

chrisvenables

Please do.

chrisvenables

Shabzy/Emma I agree that the nearly new P114, despite being short, is a wiser buy than a 35 year old U1. Although the longer strings and greater soundboard area do improve the bass and the dynamic range, when comparing new with new, pianos deteriorate with age (why else would they be cheaper?) and I...

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Yamaha do not 'outsource' the manufacturing work to Indonesia. Yamaha have their own factory there, with all staff Yamaha trained and Yamaha employed. There is no 'outsourcing' at all. I have tuned and prepared thousands of new Yamahas over the last 31 years and can assure you that the Yamaha models...

chrisvenables

But Yamaha have (apparently) "SU" and "YUS" variants on the U1 and U3. The promotional flannel that accompanies the pictures does not explain the differences between these models or what the "Y" and "SU" mean. Anyone know about these models and how the qualit...

chrisvenables

cei477 wrote:Hi

I was told recently that Yamaha are not manufacturing the U3 (and U1??)
in Japan anymore and that sent my alarm bells ringing.

Yamaha still make the U1 and U3 in Japan but now only for export.

chrisvenables

You can always buy cheaper if you search for long enough. However, quality of the pre delivery piano preparation (tuning, regulating, voicing), quality of the moving team (punctuality, presentation/courtsey of employees, their care and attention during the delivery) and the dealer's after sales serv...

chrisvenables

P112NTS was replaced a few years ago with the P114S and then the P114GSG, so check out its age by the serial number and have a tech check out the condition. In Europe, P series uprights were built in the now defunct Yamaha-Kemble factory in Milton Keynes and aren't much different to the M108. Regard...

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Nick - a risk you take in buying a second hand piano and then paying to have it comprehensively restored is that you don't know how it will sound and feel until the work is done. Colin does very good work indeed, but I would recommend buying a piano that has already had the work done. Put yourself o...

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The early Yamaha C series 'Ivorite' naturals did have this problem. Indeed they would turn yellow within a couple of years as the material composition was too porous, so even small amounts of perspiration from your fingers would travel deep into the keytop, eventually yellowing. So scraping and buff...

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Crispin Months ago we recommended that you invest in a dehumidifier especially for the more humid summer months and I believe you are still debating whether to buy one or a damp chaser. Personally, I recommend the dehumidifier. With the onset of winter, central heating etc, the living room humidity ...

chrisvenables

The work being undertaken involves taking the action away, 're-profiling' - £400 and 'adjusting the repetition springs' - £200, putting the action back in and then tuning - £51. £651 in total. 2/3 the cost of the piano. So my question is, am I being over charged? What should I expect when the actio...

chrisvenables

He did then!

chrisvenables

Model V - that was quick!...

chrisvenables

Sorry to hear the bad news. A close friend of mine specialises in flood damaged pianos, I'm sure he will be able to help you.

You can contact him through his web site:

www.gordonbellpianos.com

chrisvenables

Joseph - where damp is a problem rather than excessive dryness, I'm a believer that the best method is to treat the whole room, not just the area immediately around the piano. It's probably cheaper too. You can buy a decent dehumidifier from B & Q for around £100, just don't have it too close to...

chrisvenables

On the public forum, dealers and techs are here to help readers make an informed choice. The public knowing which one we would buy wouldn't really help them. If I said 'Yamaha' they may understand that to mean I think all Yamahas are great when some are not so great. Choosing a piano is an individua...

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Yes, definitely try as many as you can. But Yamaha B3 and Wendl 122 with flimsy casework, structural integrity and casework integrity? I don't think so. Firstly, most new Yamaha pianos are better than old. U1s built after 1999 had an improved scale and are around 3cm wider than the old models, (henc...

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Taller is better and will not necessarily disturb the neighbours more than a small piano. Rubber based castor cups are a good sound insulator as a large amount of the sound is transferred through the floor and walls to your neighbour, rather than through the air. Steer clear of the smaller Wendls an...

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jonmkrobs: Many top music schools have 131cm uprights and 6'11" grands in tiny practice rooms and I know of many private customers who are delighted with new U3's in rooms no bigger than yours. Those taller pianos also have longer keys, therefore more control - like a car with a bigger engine, ...

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Diapason have a good reputation as a middle of the road Japanese piano but as they were never seriously distributed in the UK it would be difficult to advise. Originally the Hamamatsu Piano Co and now made by Kawai is all I know. Most piano sales in the Phillipines are grey market pianos of which ma...

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Thank you for the opportunity Barrie. Any interested readers should view our website, http://www.venablesandsonpianos.co.uk which gives comprehensive information and photos of the current range of uprights and grands, an introduction to the product concept, component specification, dimensions, free ...

chrisvenables

Pressure ridges on new quality pianos are fairly common - Steinway actually claim it is proof that the soundboard is tight and under pressure. No ridge - not enough tension they say. As long as it's not due to damp you're fine. Did you invest in the dehumidifier yet? If the piano has or had been kep...

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I've just had a look at your website.... tell me about the Venables and Son piano. Is it a bit like the Wendl and the Brodmann? It looks like a nice instrument. Thanks Joseph, if you're ever down south you'd be very welcome to try them out. Better not to say any more as unpaid advertising not allow...

chrisvenables

Very wise Joseph.

chrisvenables

the reliability of the Yamaha systems which I have encountered has been superb, the only issue being failing LEDs in the sensor mechanism which are relatively cheap to replace.. Although I believe the Yamaha Silent is the best, it has to be treated with a little more care than a conventional piano....

chrisvenables

Joseph - it isn't a piano it's electric.

chrisvenables

Hello James: Re P121 - we find deep toning does the trick and lasts as long as on any other Yamaha model where underfelted hammers are fitted. Adrian 'athomik' Thomas of Yamaha UK is really the one to answer the Q re written guarantees, as I'm just an independent retailer. Yamaha do have a written g...

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I can't better Joseph's and Barrie's replies - they're both totally right. Just to expand on Barries point that the P121 has the same components as the Japanese U1 except for the soundboard - you can have a UK built U1 which has the same soundboard as the P121. The latest UK built U1 and P121G now h...

chrisvenables

Hello Joseph. Definitely avoid the piano and the dealer. If there's no guarantee it can't be tuned to pitch it's useless.
Regards.

chrisvenables

'Hard' tuning is hitting the key hard when tuning the string so that the non speaking lengths of the string are settled as well as the speaking length. So if you hear your tuner hitting each key only softly, the chances are that the piano will slip out of tune as soon as someone plays the keys hard.

chrisvenables

Joseph: Sounds like a really bad deal. Haven't you got any influence to stop the sale before it's too late? Show this topic to your head of dept (if it's not you), and the Governors, for starters. They're intelligent people who probably haven't been made aware of what a piano really is. Maybe we can...

chrisvenables

Nobody knows better than the piano mover who's already moved a U3 from your house. If they've already told you that it will be easier than removing the U3, then just ask them to quote you for the job and at what price.(in writing)

chrisvenables

Markymark - yours was made approx first half of 2007. Sometimes we receive pianos with serial numbers which, going purely by the number, are 6 months older than other models delivered in the same month. A factory may produce a batch of slow selling finishes and they can be sat in their warehouse unt...

chrisvenables

C V is correct U1 and U3 10 years ago,other model a little later,if you have a P121 4 to 5 years ago. Okay... not good news for me then! I bought a "brand new" P121 from a music store last year and it didn't have this slow close fallboard? Are you saying that my "brand new piano"...

chrisvenables

Introduced in 1999 to 2000 for the U1 and U3.

chrisvenables

Crispin: Didn't the dealer send a tech a few weeks ago to check the problem - didn't he identify the cause?

chrisvenables

The wood and felt components can move quite a bit as the piano settles in and aclimatizes. Usually in summer, the wood and felt can swell as they absorb additional moisture, one consequence is the hammer creep etc. The loose music tray had nothing to do with the hammers becoming out of alignment. Ha...

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