Search found 48 matches

by Steve071261
25 Oct 2005, 21:11
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Piano Storage
Replies: 4
Views: 8011

from what I've heard, they're not often too keen on dry places either...

:wink:
by Steve071261
01 Oct 2005, 14:54
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 65675

Hi, sorry to bring this subject back on-topic, but I've also been considering a Steingraeber, having coresponded with Richard Dain a while back. Apparently, the 168 has a much wider "back end" (sorry for the technical terminology, there) which allows longer bass strings, so their 1.7m pian...
by Steve071261
04 Jul 2005, 11:23
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: If the price are the same, kawai or yamaha which is better?
Replies: 45
Views: 73241

Gosh, this is all SO familiar! The business I am in, we sell (amongst other things) GPS navigation and radio equipment to pilots and aircraft owners. We regularly get calls, often lasting 30 minutes or more, discussing the available options and technical merits of each piece of equipment within the ...
by Steve071261
19 Jun 2005, 11:42
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C110A
Replies: 3
Views: 8471

Hi,

I once spent ages trying to eliminate an irritating buzz from my trusty upright. Turned out to be the hinged top. 2 blobs of blu-tack under the lid sorted it out nicely.

Steve
by Steve071261
12 Jun 2005, 10:59
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: If the price are the same, kawai or yamaha which is better?
Replies: 45
Views: 73241

Of course! Silly me...

...now if there's only one person called Guy with a piano, we're home and dry!

cheers,

Steve
by Steve071261
11 Jun 2005, 16:10
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: If the price are the same, kawai or yamaha which is better?
Replies: 45
Views: 73241

Hi all,

not taking any sides here but in what way is referring to yourself as ThePianoManLeeds, any different to calling yourself PianoGuy?

...just curious...

Steve[/quote]
by Steve071261
30 May 2005, 14:52
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Restoring a grand, likely costs?
Replies: 12
Views: 19598

Thanks for all the useful postings. Regarding my level of playing, I'm purely an amateur. Got grade 8 when I was (much) younger, and am now trying to recover some of my skills and learn jazz piano at the same time. My teacher has a 5'10" Steinway which she bought new probably 20 years ago. It i...
by Steve071261
29 May 2005, 21:02
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Restoring a grand, likely costs?
Replies: 12
Views: 19598

Hi again, saw your reply on the other forum, too, thank you. (I watch both, but tend to find this one has more interesting contributions). Interesting what you say about the pin-block, I assume that changing that is a fairly major piece of work, as many of the pianos I've seen offered make mention o...
by Steve071261
29 May 2005, 15:28
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Restoring a grand, likely costs?
Replies: 12
Views: 19598

Restoring a grand, likely costs?

Hi, I'm thinking about buying an older grand, of one of the decent makes (Bechstein, Bluthner, August Forster, Grotrian etc) and having it restored back to very good condition. You occasionally see these, fully restored, for sale and typical asking prices around £12-15,000 sometimes more. ...
by Steve071261
21 May 2005, 14:11
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Tuner : Better the devil you know?
Replies: 5
Views: 10621

Hi, I'm sure Gill's advice above is excellent, and hopefully will help you do the trick. One suggestion: you don't tell us where you live (approximately, not your actual address!). If we knew that, maybe some other reader of this forum would be able to give you a personal recommendation of somebody ...
by Steve071261
24 Mar 2005, 22:37
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Weber
Replies: 2
Views: 6428

Thanks Barrie,

useful advice as ever. I'll cross it off my list, then,

Steve
by Steve071261
23 Mar 2005, 22:01
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Weber
Replies: 2
Views: 6428

Weber

Hi, anybody out there with opinions or experience with modern Weber pianos, especially the grands? I understand they are Chinese, but can be made into decent pianos with proper regulation and voicing. What is involved in that, how long would it be likely to take and what sort of cost for the work, f...
by Steve071261
15 Mar 2005, 18:54
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Discount dealers
Replies: 7
Views: 13370

Hi, I don't know, other than what I've picked up while looking for a piano, but it seems to me that it is rarely (if ever) necessary to pay list price for a piano, particularly an expensive one. Yamahas in particular, seem to be routinely discounted by perhaps 30% from list, by even the most upmarke...
by Steve071261
14 Mar 2005, 11:27
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha GT digital pianos
Replies: 0
Views: 5433

Yamaha GT digital pianos

Hi, hopefully this isn't heresy, but I'm interested in hearing opinions on the Yamaha GT (Grantouch) series of digital pianos. As I understand it, they are digital pianos as far as the sound-generating bit goes, but they use a standard Yamaha grand piano action for the keys. This way, you get the fe...
by Steve071261
10 Feb 2005, 08:47
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: YAMAHA "C" & "S" grands
Replies: 5
Views: 10417

That's a pretty good price. I haven't yet visited him, but he's definitely on my list...

thanks,

Steve
by Steve071261
09 Feb 2005, 21:37
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Piano Too Loud
Replies: 5
Views: 10370

You could also try putting the piano on a nice thick rug, maybe a decent Chinese-style thick wool one. Might help, as might thicker curtains. If the room acoustic is very lively, toning down the piano is more likely to give you a loud, dull piano than a quiet one, I suspect. Could be wrong, of cours...
by Steve071261
09 Feb 2005, 21:31
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: YAMAHA "C" & "S" grands
Replies: 5
Views: 10417

Thanks Barrie. I've not come across any "S" Yamahas in the shops I've visited yet, in and around Manchester. Everything I've seen has been C2, C3, C5, hence why I asked the question. I quite like the C3, but it doesn't compare to my teacher's Steinway "O". Not that I expected it ...
by Steve071261
08 Feb 2005, 12:14
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: YAMAHA "C" & "S" grands
Replies: 5
Views: 10417

YAMAHA "C" & "S" grands

Hi, does anybody have any views or opinions on whether the Yamaha "S" series grands are significantly better than the "C" series. Assuming the "S" series being handmade are better, which is more important, size, or quality? For example, assuming an S4 (6'3") would ...
by Steve071261
12 Jan 2005, 21:19
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Grotrian Steinweg 185 Selling advice needed!
Replies: 2
Views: 5962

Hi, this is the sort of piano I'm looking for. I'm not ready to buy just yet (need to build an extension to the room, first) but I've been keeping an eye on the likely market for a while now. As and when you may decide to offer the piano for sale, I'd be interested to hear from you (assuming you and...
by Steve071261
02 Jan 2005, 21:40
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Elton John's piano
Replies: 3
Views: 6592

Being sad and unsociable, with no friends, :wink: my wife and I were in on New Year's Eve and watched Jools Holland's Hootenanny. When he was performing, he seemed to be using one of the bigger Yamahas, when he did a 2-piano bit with Jamie Cullum, Jamie was playing the bigger Yamaha and Jools was pl...
by Steve071261
24 Dec 2004, 11:29
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Bought a Palatino Piano!
Replies: 3
Views: 10882

Hi, I think that what matters is that YOU like the piano, and YOU are happy with the deal you've got. Frankly, it doesn't really matter what anybody else thinks, they aren't going to play your piano. That is the problem with buying any item (car, piano, hifi, refrigerator, whatever) on the basis of ...
by Steve071261
12 Dec 2004, 13:10
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Traditional or Digital
Replies: 2
Views: 7261

Hi Kathy, I think most pianists would agree that digital pianos, good though many of them are, are no substitute for the "real thing" when it comes to sound quality or keyboard feel. That said, digital pianos have some undeniable advantages: they take up less space, they are smaller, light...
by Steve071261
18 Nov 2004, 09:07
Forum: Learning & Teaching Piano
Topic: boogie woogie
Replies: 7
Views: 16653

Hi,

can I suggest you tell us where you live? Helpful suggestions about teachers 200 miles away from you won't be too constructive!

regards

Steve
by Steve071261
11 Oct 2004, 19:11
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Challen Piano
Replies: 9
Views: 19051

Hi,

I'm not a fan. All the Challen's I've tried (admittedly not very many) have been dull in tone & heavy in the action. Not satisfying at all. Given a choice, I'd take Yamaha every time.

Steve
by Steve071261
08 Oct 2004, 12:45
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Ronisch
Replies: 2
Views: 9527

Ronisch

Hi, can anybody advise me on the quality of Ronisch grands? Not modern, but say c1900-1920. The piano ratings page on another website site gives 4 stars, but the chap at Bosendorfer UK (who has one to sell) says he would rate Ronisch as one of the finest makes at that time. Anybody else out there ab...
by Steve071261
15 Sep 2004, 20:06
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: File sharing site
Replies: 9
Views: 14227

Hi again, I'm not a legal expert, although I do work for a company that does some publishing so I know a little bit about copyright and I'd guess that what the school did wrong was not the enlargement on the photocopier, but the lending of the music to the pupil. In essence, the copyright would allo...
by Steve071261
15 Sep 2004, 12:50
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: File sharing site
Replies: 9
Views: 14227

Hi, just to clarify, I think Barrie inadvertently got this the wrong way around. If it is copyright, then sharing is not legal. If it is not copyright, then sharing is legal. If a piece of music is still in copyright then, if you've purchased it you can use it for your own purposes, no problem there...
by Steve071261
06 Sep 2004, 09:35
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Which Piano should I keep?
Replies: 4
Views: 9899

Hi, have you read "The Piano Book" by Larry Fyne? It's very interesting and worth having a copy if you have and use a piano. He has some pretty forthright views about spinets (doesn't like them). The gist of his opinion is that they are too small to make proper instruments and most full-si...
by Steve071261
04 Aug 2004, 22:08
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Is my Grotrian Steinweg worth restoring?
Replies: 3
Views: 9735

Hi,

if you still have the piano and are not planning to have the restoration done for yourself, would you perhaps be interested in selling? I'm looking for a good, probably German grand of that sort of size, and your Grotrian would certainly be of interest.

best wishes,

Steve.
by Steve071261
04 Aug 2004, 08:29
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: August Forster
Replies: 7
Views: 16799

Thanks for the useful comments.

cheers,

Steve
by Steve071261
31 Jul 2004, 10:24
Forum: Piano History
Topic: Irmler
Replies: 1
Views: 5271

Irmler

Hi, I've come across a JG Irmler piano and I know hardly anything about them. I know that new ones are marketed by Bluthners as a sort of budget Bluthner brand, a bit like Steinway and Boston, but what of the older ones? Does anybody know any history or can give me any info about Irmlers of old, and...
by Steve071261
25 Jul 2004, 12:48
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: August Forster
Replies: 7
Views: 16799

Hi Barrie, thanks for the information. I wonder, though, if the one you worked on was a German one or a Czech one? Intermusic are the UK agents for Petrov, and Petrov have the rights to sell pianos bearing the name August Forster, for some obscure legal reason, but they are very different (I am told...
by Steve071261
24 Jul 2004, 16:02
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: August Forster
Replies: 7
Views: 16799

August Forster

Hi, I'm looking around for a quality grand, and among the names I've been considering - the usual suspects, Bluthner, Grotrian Steinweg, Bechstein, (Bosendorfer or Steinway if my 6 numbers come up) I'm also hearing good reports about August Forster (the German ones, not the Czech ones). They don't s...
by Steve071261
17 Jul 2004, 13:25
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Digital or Acoustic Piano
Replies: 14
Views: 24842

Hi, I feel really sorry for you, having so much trouble. Shame on any parent who doesn't encourage their children to learn a musical instrument! :wink: Maybe you should look out for a decent secondhand digital piano. Yamaha Clavinovas are popular and quite plentiful, so there are usually a few for s...
by Steve071261
15 Jun 2004, 13:38
Forum: Piano History
Topic: Ascherberg piano
Replies: 26
Views: 37632

Ascherberg piano

Hi,

anybody heard of a piano manufacturer called Ascherberg or Ascherburg? I've not come across the name myself and a quick search of the lists on this site haven't turned it up, although I may be looking in the wrong place :?

thanks

Steve
by Steve071261
06 Jun 2004, 16:46
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Grotian Steinweg
Replies: 3
Views: 7041

Hi,

just noticed the above posting and wondered if you bought the piano or not, and what influenced your decision in the end?

regards,

Steve
by Steve071261
06 Jun 2004, 12:07
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: 1874 Grotrian, Hellerich, Schulz Th.Steinweg Nacht
Replies: 15
Views: 28095

Hi, sadly its not my piano. I'm looking for a Grotrian for myself, and a web search pulled up this piece, which I thought was just a great piece of writing for anybody who loves pianos. I thought the previous poster, who is also having a Grotrian restored in the US, might find it interesting. Anybod...
by Steve071261
04 Jun 2004, 17:44
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: 1874 Grotrian, Hellerich, Schulz Th.Steinweg Nacht
Replies: 15
Views: 28095

Hi,

there's a marvellous piece on a website called Magellan's Log about somebody who had a Grotrian Steinweg piano restored. It is a real feelgood piece, I recommend you check it out:

http://www.texaschapbookpress.com/magel ... llade1.htm

cheers,

Steve.
by Steve071261
01 Jun 2004, 10:01
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Am I about to be ripped off?
Replies: 2
Views: 6070

Hi, 1847 is an OLD piano! Has it been restored? Even if it has, I'd guess it is likely to be more of a collector's piece than a player's instrument. What do you want it for? If you're a collector, then you have a better idea of what it is worth to you than I do. If you want it to play, I'd suggest y...
by Steve071261
16 May 2004, 15:27
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: white to black?
Replies: 5
Views: 10232

Hi again,

thanks for that advice. Do you have contact details for your polisher in Darwen?

cheers,

Steve
by Steve071261
16 May 2004, 15:00
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: white to black?
Replies: 5
Views: 10232

Hi,

I wouldn't be too concerned about polyester, I just assumed that'd be easiest. If another finish, in black, could be applied easier and cheaper, and would still look good, then I'd be glad of any advice about that, too,

thanks,

Steve.
by Steve071261
16 May 2004, 14:15
Forum: Learning & Teaching Piano
Topic: Piano lesson fees?
Replies: 51
Views: 72143

Hi, I pay &25 an hour, and I tend to have a full hour every couple of weeks. This suits me more than a half-hour every week as sometimes my opportunities to practise can be erratic, and we cover much more in an hour than half an hour. I think what you pay may depend on the qualifications of your...
by Steve071261
16 May 2004, 13:57
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: white to black?
Replies: 5
Views: 10232

white to black?

Hi, is it possible to have a piano which is currently finished in white polyester refinished in black polyester, and if so, does anybody have an estimate of the likely cost to do this to, say a 6' grand? I ask because I have the opportunity to buy a decent grand at a very reasonable price, but it is...
by Steve071261
08 May 2004, 09:47
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Who are the Piano Advisory Service ?
Replies: 4
Views: 10514

Hi, nice to know more about this service, thanks. I don't think either of us were suggesting the PAS was ripping anybody off, just that the seller of this particular piano seemed to be using their report to justify what looks like a bit of a high asking price. I'm sure the piano in question is proba...
by Steve071261
06 May 2004, 20:08
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Who are the Piano Advisory Service ?
Replies: 4
Views: 10514

piano advisory service

I don't know either, but I've also seen this piano on eBay, too.

Somehow doubt it'll sell. As you say, the price is a tad unrealistic, from what I can see.
by Steve071261
02 May 2004, 21:42
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: buying a grand
Replies: 2
Views: 7306

Buying a grand

Thanks.

Matter of fact the Bechsteins I played were new, and (in my opinion) not a patch on a restored Steinway on sale at less than half their price (but still well outside my budget).

Still looking...

Steve
by Steve071261
23 Apr 2004, 13:51
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha Clavinovas
Replies: 9
Views: 26622

Re: Yamaha Clavinovas

Can anyone offer advice re these. I want a good quality sound as similar to a piano as possible, and keys that are touch sensitive. If anyone can warn of pitfalls or suggest better makes please do so. Any help gratefully received! I know a few semi-professional musicians who prefer Roland electric ...
by Steve071261
22 Apr 2004, 19:55
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: buying a grand
Replies: 2
Views: 7306

buying a grand

Hi, I've been playing for 35 years and recently started having lessons again (!). My teacher has a Steinway grand which is wonderful. I can't stretch to that, but it's rekindled my desire to replace my Squire upright with a grand. I've looked at Bechsteins, and considered a Bluthner. I was surprised...