Cheers
Advice on £4000 ish upright acoustic
Moderators: Feg, Gill the Piano, Melodytune
Advice on £4000 ish upright acoustic
I'm looking to buy a four grandish acoustic upright. I can play resonably wellish (clair de lune is favourite playing piece)...but am rusty. Could I ask for some advice on what to buy?
Cheers
Cheers
Go for a piano of 121cm in height or thereabouts.
The obvious is to find a nice as-new Yamaha U1 on a grey import, or a British made Kemble built P121-N. The Kemble Mozarts are very nice while stocks last (they're based on the K121, but limited to 250 numbered examples, some with a poncey finish at no extra cost!) and are only a tad above your budget.
Next up, try the new Kawai K-series (K-3 or better) but don't be fobbed off with an earlier old-stock model because they're plasticcy crap in comparison.
Or you could save some cash and go for a 121cm piano from a good Chinese maker. Best are (in no particular order) the Perzina/Gehr.Steinberg/Carl Ebel sisters, Wendl & Lung, and Brodmann. Pay no more than 2.7K for any of these.
Steer clear of the "European" stuff because you can't afford much that's decent, and it'll doubtless be from Eastern Europe. Petrof, Bohemia and Weinbach are bad value old designs from the Czechs , and Irmlers are old Polski-designed cheapies with a tarted-up finish which should be priced cheaper. Don't be fooled by the Blüthner associations. There is no visible Blüthner influence in the design.
The exception is Vogel. Polish-built but under the strict eye of Schimmel. You may find a smaller height example within your budget.
Always try as many pianos as you can, and buy the one you like best, not an identical model of the same piano, because all pianos vary between examples. They're made of wood, and no two trees are alike.
Happy hunting!
The obvious is to find a nice as-new Yamaha U1 on a grey import, or a British made Kemble built P121-N. The Kemble Mozarts are very nice while stocks last (they're based on the K121, but limited to 250 numbered examples, some with a poncey finish at no extra cost!) and are only a tad above your budget.
Next up, try the new Kawai K-series (K-3 or better) but don't be fobbed off with an earlier old-stock model because they're plasticcy crap in comparison.
Or you could save some cash and go for a 121cm piano from a good Chinese maker. Best are (in no particular order) the Perzina/Gehr.Steinberg/Carl Ebel sisters, Wendl & Lung, and Brodmann. Pay no more than 2.7K for any of these.
Steer clear of the "European" stuff because you can't afford much that's decent, and it'll doubtless be from Eastern Europe. Petrof, Bohemia and Weinbach are bad value old designs from the Czechs , and Irmlers are old Polski-designed cheapies with a tarted-up finish which should be priced cheaper. Don't be fooled by the Blüthner associations. There is no visible Blüthner influence in the design.
The exception is Vogel. Polish-built but under the strict eye of Schimmel. You may find a smaller height example within your budget.
Always try as many pianos as you can, and buy the one you like best, not an identical model of the same piano, because all pianos vary between examples. They're made of wood, and no two trees are alike.
Happy hunting!
