UK Piano Page Piano Forum

athomik

If you have a chance, try the pianos in a shop. The Yamaha and Roland keys have a slightly different feel. Then listen to the Grand Piano sounds. You need to decide if the feel and the piano sound are what you are looking for. The technical specifications will not make much of a difference between t...

athomik

As Chinese pianos get better ( I presume the name has been bought from a European - defunct - company), who knows if it might not be an up and coming brand which will fetch a fortune in the future? I have a feeling that, as more and more non-Asian companies have lower range pianos made in China, the...

athomik

A hairdryer on a gentle heat and a soft plastic/wood scraper should do it. This will get the decal off. Then, use IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) cleaner to get rid of any residue. Might need a quick polish afterwards, but it won't leave any traces.

athomik

www.konig-uk.co.uk do some of Koenig stuff which is very good, but the UK online shop doesn't list all the bits they do in Germany. I rember getting spaced out on their polyester repair kit after using it for 4 days in a ( obviously) not sufficiently ventilated workshop. I'm just trying to track dow...

athomik

The number 55579 would mean it was made in 1953. But the 'N' prefix is a bit unusual. Yamaha piano serial numbers with a letter prefix usually mean it was made outside Japan and the prefix letters I've come across, which have been in use since at least the 1960/70s, don't include an 'N'. Then again,...

athomik

I am always happy to advise dealers and customers, if it is a short enquiry - whether by email or phone, or on this forum. If an enquiry requires extensive research/time, I would charge at some point. But being in a specialist position, I am not prepared to assist major manufacturers in educating/tr...

athomik

If you buy something from a retailer, it should be "fit for purpose". You're piano obviously isn't. If the dealer doesn't make an effort to sort it out, contact your local Trading Standards representative. If I understand correctly, the dealer in question has already dropped high-end brand...

athomik

I've used this before: http://www.konig-uk.co.uk/konigshop/ko615-polyester-repair-p-124.html . It work well (in a well ventilated area), but as has been mentioned, it's expensive and does require some training (and few other items such as their scraping tool, some extremely fine sandpaper (I had clo...

athomik

Oh-Ohhh.

athomik

markymark wrote:But it's in German. That won't suit most readers on this site!

If anyone needs anything written in German translated, let me know. I have no problem reading the website.

athomik

Yamaha in the USA used to make a big issue of it but, considering that in the US you get anything from dry, freezing cold to humid, semi-tropical conditions, the whole issue is a bit of a myth. Wherever you live you need to make sure that the piano is kept in suitable conditions (even temperature &a...

athomik

I suspect that it's a Japanese grey import. If it sound good to you, get piano technician to give it a once over, to make sure there aren't any potential problem lurking in there. Other than that, it should be OK.

athomik

The Avant Grands are quite good. They all have a proper piano action and the N3 sounds extremely good for a digital piano. The N1 and N2 can be a bit hit & miss with regard to build quality but, as long as any early problems get sorted under warranty, they should be pretty good as well.

athomik

The letter "S" at the end of the model number would indicate that this piano also has the Yamaha Silent System, which means you can mute the strings and listen to a sampled piano sound through headphones. If you look at the action, there should be a metal/foam rubber bar running all the wa...

athomik

You can find the owners manual here:
http://www.yamaha.co.jp/manual/english/ ... v_code=emi

It should also have the basic specs.

athomik

Gill the Piano wrote:Did he make pianos with his mate the music teacher, My Hays?

Not that I know of, but he did occasionally turn up at school in his slippers or his jumper on inside-out.

athomik

Sorry, totally OT, but I used to have a Geography/RE teacher called Eberhardt when I went to school in Germany.

athomik

A customer is anyone who pays me to see them and fix their piano.I've done anything from Land's End to John o'Groats - 3 days for 1 job, sometimes. Furthest away was Cannes, but that was just a 1 day job, thanks to EasyJet.

athomik

I know that the ABRSM use a Disklavier for piano accompaniment in the exam process for players of other instruments. It might be played back electronically, but it's still a real piano.

athomik

Depending on condition (check with a piano tech as suggested), it may be a decent piano but you may find it hard to find someone to restore the player mechanism - unless it's a late, electronic add-on.

athomik

Colin Nicholson wrote: Maybe a nice vase of flowers/ metronome on it....

I always advise customers to never to put flowers, drinks or anything containing liquids anywhere near their piano. Too dangerous.

Adrian Thomas

athomik

[qouote]You have the Gabore system Sold on this site as a DIY project for £650.00 i
Barrie[/quote]

Sorry, but I forgot about that one, but you do't really hear about it very often.

Adrian Thomas

athomik

Hello, As far as I know, there are only three reasonably reliable after-market systems. I have no experience of them but they seem to pretty good (maybe not quite the same as a factory installations) . Try Google for QRS, Piano Disc or Feurich silent systems. Feurich have just shown a new system at ...

athomik

The worst problem is sudden swings in temperature/humidity or long term exposure to extremes of temperature/humidity - dryness. As long as you can find a way of keeping the room in reasonably comfortable conditions, the piano should be OK. If there are periods when you can't control conditions or if...

athomik

Hello, considering the investment in and projected life expectancy of a piano, any fault discovered in the first few years would render the piano 'unfit for use'. This means that you can appeal to the Dealer (while under warranty) and the distributor/manufacturer for any claims against faults which ...

athomik

All sounds very interesting. It would be good to get feedback from anyone going to Frankfurt.

athomik

Conor Farren might be able to give you a name to contact. He's an electronics engineer who has worked on Disklaviers, so he may know a few tuners/technicians.:

Conor Farren Electronic Organ Repairing (Dublin 1)

9B Abbey st Lr 1 Co. Dublin
D1 Dublin 1 (Dublin city)
(01)8747909

athomik

Agree with you, but is Yamaha the only popular brand that has this problem (e.g. need a big overhaul at 30 years old)? I read somewhere that the new yamaha pianos seem to be better- e.g. old U3 vs. new U3. More people are buying digital pianos nowadays, as a result, manufacturers prefer to spend le...

athomik

Hi Thanks for your advice. The piano seller is also a piano technician who own a piano shop, do you think I should always consult a different technician to confirm the quality of a second hand product? What is the life span of a Yamaha U3? It's 33 years old now, and I am planning to use it for at l...

athomik

I'm not sure about the Feurich system, but I believe someone like Seiler use the Yamaha system (as do the Kemble silents). I also don't know how up to date these systems are compared to the Yamaha system. Yamaha have introduced their "SH" system recently, usually Kemble are up to date, but...

athomik

he CVP Clavinova series features a rich piano sound and exceptional keyboard response, putting musical expression at your fingertips. Each model offers hundreds of sounds, exciting accompaniment styles and a range of studio quality effects. Many models in the range include a large full colour displ...

athomik

The U3 is getting on a bit, but if it's in good condition it should be a good piano( if it hasn't spent it's life in a bar, hotel or school and hasn't had mice nesting in it- get it checked by a piano technician to make sure of the condition). If the U3 is in good condition, it would be a better pia...

athomik

You have to remember that the GT20 has been an obsolete product for some years. It's portability also means that many were used for gigging, so it's worth getting a piano technician to check out the action and general condition - the Coldplay pianos tended to get bashed around a lot. Apart from the ...

athomik

Fill it, smooth it down, get it chrome plated and sell it to some rich bloke in Kensington with a fetish for modern/minimalist design and make a fortune.

athomik

Considering the drop in sales over the last few years, how many pianos do you have to sell to justify a gizzmo to make the job a bit easier?

athomik

joseph wrote:It's like a computer generated response isn't it!

Yep.

athomik

joseph wrote:LOL who is this chap that's posting all the spiel from the Yamaha website?

Nothing to do with me and nobody I know from Yamaha (unless they started hiring again without telling me). Probably a student doing media studies and trying to get a cushy number in advertising.

athomik

Featuring the actual sounds of a concert grand piano, the CLP-220 utilizes the sophisticated AWM Stereo Sampling tone generation and the expressive GH keyboard to reproduce the rich resonance and golden tones of an actual piano. With 64-note polyphony, three foot pedals and a built in speaker syste...

athomik

I'm always worried that if you use mild abrasives (like Meguiar's Plastic Cleaner - wich is good at getting slight swirl marks out of polyester/lacquer) and/ or some sort of covering substance, you can build up deposits which will make future refurb/restoration more difficult.

athomik

The CVP Clavinova range offers authentic piano sounds, natural weighted keyboard action and an amazing range of features which allow pianists to explore new and exciting musical options when performing or composing. With full 88 note weighted keyboards and versatile functions like dynamic accompani...

athomik

If it's a slightly older model (some newer products work on any voltage), you need a "Step Up" transformer to change the 120VAc to 230VAc. To get the power rating, you should be able to find the details on the name plate - somewhere under the keyboard. It will give you a 'Watt' or 'VAC' ra...

athomik

I'm no legal expert, but this has been my experience (and my advice to customers involved in cases such as this): I have worked in the music business as a service engineer (not just on pianos) for over 25 years. In my experience, dealers and manufacturers are keen to keep a customer happy (It helps ...

athomik

As you and everyone else says, get a piano tech to assess it, and then see if you love the piano enough to pay for a proper restoration. Otherwise, give it away to the local tinkers for the metal, next time they come around (at least you won't have to pay for removal) or do something spectacular for...

athomik

However - at the same auctions in London - another Bechstein (c.1905) serial number #70763 - model 8, overstrung, in burr walnut with stool was estimated to sell between £1.5K and £2K ....... If that was unrestored, I suspect it would have been bought by someone who is looking for another antique t...

athomik

It may be worth getting a piano technician to assess the piano, but with something that old, there's a good chance that you'll end up paying someone to take it away.

athomik

UX30 sounds like a Japanese grey import to me. Not that that should make much difference on a 20+year piano, if the technician gives it the OK.

athomik

All those dealers are pretty good. Ideally, you want to play the piano you are buying, to make sure you like it. Yamaha prep the pianos very well before shipment to the dealer, then its up to the dealer to make sure it's OK after delivery. Make sure they can recommend a local Tuner/Technician to loo...

athomik

Call Yamaha with your model and serial number, they may be able to help. Try Tel. 01908 369261 to find out.

athomik

The Yamaha NU1 would fit the bill,if you have the money. Latest piano samples, acoustic action.

BTW. Coldplay have a lot more GT20s than 1. (I've worked on a lot of them

)

athomik

athomik

If you have a close look at the name plate (where it says 110V, 60 C/S and gives you the serial number), it may have the actual model number. On later Yamaha products, all this information was contained on a single metallic label. BTW, if 60c/s refers to the mains frequency, it must be very old. For...

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