Have i mad the right choice?

[Sonic]

Hi, i wonder if somebody can help me please.

I'm looking for a piano, im no expert on pianos by any stretch of the imagination, i can play a little bit, and i've allways wanted to take piano lessons, so decided now is the time before i get any older to get a piano.

I've been advised not to go down the digital route by a piano teacher i'm thinking of using, she's very much a traditionalist and told me that if i want to learn how to play the piano properly, then a digital piano is not the right choice.

So, i visited a piano restorer who had loads and loads of pianos, all had been restored, i lifted the top up and it was like brand new inside. Also all come with a 5 year guarantee - which i like.

However, i originally only wanted to spend out £750.00 max, and he had a 1960 Bentley for £950.00, so i thought i may be able to knock him down a little. But when i got there it didn't look as nice in the flesh as it did on the website. My wife also didn't like the look of it, and instead pointed out another piano, a 'Reid Sohn' (S1085) or (S105) can't exactly remember, but it was in Satin Mahogany which was more expensive at £1495.00 but when i looked at it, and had a play on it, i was taken by its soft touch and nice soft tone. The keyboard just felt so soft to touch, and the keys seemed to travel a little less than the Bentley, and i just fell in love with it instantly.

I had a look at all the pianos, and they also had another 1987 Reid Sohn in Gloss Black, which looked a lot more expensive, but was actually £50.00 cheaper, however i had a play on it and it was a lot brighter but the keyboard for some reason felt different to the other, it didn't feel as soft or as nice, the restorer claimed that they were the same keyboard, but the other one has a softer tone, maybe he was right, maybe it was just the tone that was making me feel the keyboard was different, but not sure.

I had a look around at all of the pianos, and to be perfectly honest there were quite a lot under £1000.00, but they didn't look at all nice IMO. So, it ended up being out of the Bentley (1960), or one of the Reid Sohns. I managed to do a deal with him on the Reid Sohn that i liked with the soft tone/keyboard, and he did it for £1300.00. I've left a deposit, and the rest is to be paid when its delivered, but as i'm waiting for the completion of some building works prior to receiving the piano, it will be another 4-5 weeks until i receive delivery.

I'm wondering if i've made the right choice? I've read some websites that rate Reid Sohns, and they only give them 2 stars out of about 5!!

Are they really that bad? Have i wasted my money?

The restorer is a really nice chap, and i felt really comfortable doing business with him, and i'm sure that if i let him know quyickly enough, he would swap the deposit over onto another model if need be.

What are your opinions on Reid Sohn?

[Barrie Heaton]

I'm wondering if i've made the right choice? I've read some websites that rate Reid Sohns, and they only give them 2 stars out of about 5!!

Are they really that bad? Have i wasted my money?

The restorer is a really nice chap, and i felt really comfortable doing business with him, and i'm sure that if i let him know quyickly enough, he would swap the deposit over onto another model if need be.

What are your opinions on Reid Sohn?

With out seeing the pianos it is hard to say However, I would have opted for the Reid Sohns Bentley pianos in the 60’s have a sloping keybed and the depth of touch was 10.5mm Reid Sohns like a lot of far east pianos tend to be around 9.5mm

If you are getting a 5 year Garr on Reid Sohn I would not be concerned Yes they are in the lower end of the market but if you like the tone, touch and appearance then go for it which you have


Enjoy you new piano

Barrie,

[Sonic]

I'm wondering if i've made the right choice? I've read some websites that rate Reid Sohns, and they only give them 2 stars out of about 5!!

Are they really that bad? Have i wasted my money?

The restorer is a really nice chap, and i felt really comfortable doing business with him, and i'm sure that if i let him know quyickly enough, he would swap the deposit over onto another model if need be.

What are your opinions on Reid Sohn?

With out seeing the pianos it is hard to say However, I would have opted for the Reid Sohns Bentley pianos in the 60’s have a sloping keybed and the depth of touch was 10.5mm Reid Sohns like a lot of far east pianos tend to be around 9.5mm

If you are getting a 5 year Garr on Reid Sohn I would not be concerned Yes they are in the lower end of the market but if you like the tone, touch and appearance then go for it which you have


Enjoy you new piano

Barrie,

Hi Barrie, thank you for your reply.

I've contacted a pianist/piano seller on the internet, and asked about Reid Sohn, and he said that he wouldn't recommend them and doesn't sell them, as they suffer with latteral movement in the keys, squeeky pedals (which doesn't bother me as you say i have a 5 year guarantee) but he also said that they don't produce a very nice sound, so although i like it, i only tried the 1960 Bentley and the 2 x Reid Sohns.

Also, i've just been speaking with my wife, and we also noticed a Yamaha piano in Gloss Black yesterday which was up for around £1450.00. This needed tuning, had a notice stuck on it that its awaiting tuning, so i couldn' really judge the quality of its sound, but would this be a better choice if i could get him to swap the deposit over?

I don't know which moddle it is, but would the same price by me a better quality piano being Yamaha?

Would the 1960 Bentley be better than the Reid Sohn?

Thank you in advance.....

Sonic

[Barrie Heaton]

Also, i've just been speaking with my wife, and we also noticed a Yamaha piano in Gloss Black yesterday which was up for around £1450.00. This needed tuning, had a notice stuck on it that its awaiting tuning, so i couldn' really judge the quality of its sound, but would this be a better choice if i could get him to swap the deposit over?




I don't know which moddle it is, but would the same price by me a better quality piano being Yamaha?

Only from a make point of view if you intend selling later again with out seeing the piano if is difficult. Can you find out what the model is, as you can get a new B1 at quite a few places at the moment for under £1400

Would the 1960 Bentley be better than the Reid Sohn?

Thank you in advance.....

Sonic

1960 Bentleys had a lot of problems as well, the flanges are made of graphite impregnated nylon which over time becomes unstable and very brittle. Which is more expensive to fix then the pedals on a Reid Sohn However, again because the pianos are second hand with out seen the pianos it is impossible to give you a definite yes or no

Barrie,

[PianoGuy]

1960 Bentleys had a lot of problems as well, the flanges are made of graphite impregnated nylon which over time becomes unstable and very brittle. Which is more expensive to fix then the pedals on a Reid Sohn However, again because the pianos are second hand with out seen the pianos it is impossible to give you a definite yes or no

Barrie,

Actually Barrie, I reckon they're made with sh**e impregnated polypropylene which is unstable and is prone to tearing, so on the face of it, the Reid Sohn is a better bet than the Bentley.

What does the 5-year warranty cover? The price is a bit high from a back-room restorer, it's more of a high street price, and should include delivery and at least the first tuning, but as for choice between the two, you've made the right one.

[Sonic]

Hi Barrie/PianoGuy,

I have spoken with the Piano Restorer, and he is prepared to shift the deposit over onto another piano, or refund the full amount, which i thought is very professional!

The Yamaha piano that he has (he has a load of Yamahas but the one i referred to above) is apparently an E116, it is dated 1997, and has hardly been used apparently he didn't really have to do anything to it. It also comes with a 5 year guarantee, delivery, and also the first tuning, at a price though of £1550.00.

Was this E116 a good piano? If so, would you pay the extra for this over the Reid Sohn? Or would you get the deposit back and purchase the entry level B1 referred to above?

I would really like to give this guy my business to be perfectly honest, as he is really genuine, but on the other hand i obviously don't want to pay over the odds, when i could get the B1 for £1400.00 which would also had a 5 year guarantee.

So, would you get the E116 for £1550.00, or a refund and buy a brand new B1?

Thanking you in advance.....

Sonic

[Barrie Heaton]

The P116 retails at RRP £3999.00 is the sort of new version of the E116, the E116 is a nice piano and if it has been looked after is a better buy than the Reid Sohn but you said there were some problems with it - if the bass is good I would opt for the E116 over the B1 But it is a judgment call all depending on the condition of the E116

Barrie,

[PianoGuy]

The E116 is a better bet, assuming it's in a 'safe' colour such as mahogany or black. Unpopular colours like white or American Walnut will make it harder to sell, so offer him ?200 less for walnut or ?300 less for white.

It's 6cm taller than the b1 which is 110cm, and is unlikely to suffer the same 'bottom-of-the-range' stigma as the b1 will when it comes to resale time. It's also either Japanese built or UK built (can't remember which, but UK serial numbers are preceded by an E) and will be more sought after than the Indonesian b1.

That extra height will result in a fuller tone.

[Sonic]

The P116 retails at RRP £3999.00 is the sort of new version of the E116, the E116 is a nice piano and if it has been looked after is a better buy than the Reid Sohn but you said there were some problems with it - if the bass is good I would opt for the E116 over the B1 But it is a judgment call all depending on the condition of the E116

Barrie,

Hi Barrie/Piano Guy, i've just spoken to him again and i've told him i'll have the E116 at £1550.00 including delivery, first tune up, and 5 year guarantee.

As far as i'm aware there is nothing wrong with the Yamaha?

He said that the casework is immaculate, and hasn't had to replace anything on it, its all original, as it has never hardly been used, apparently somebody purchased a big house in London which had this piano in when they moved in, and they had to crane it out as the new owners didn't want it.

Apparently, he took the bits apart, checked them, tweaked it here and there, and that was it.

Its out of tune, as i tried to play it the other day and it sounded a little rough, but if its out of tune then it will do won't it? Also, it comes with a 5 year gurantee, so i've got nothing to worry about, if there's something wrong with it then it will get sorted.

I feel better that i've gone for the Yamaha!

Can't wait until i get it, as i have to wait for some building works to be finished to my house so i have room for it! Should all be complete by end feb/beginning march time.

[Sonic]

Well, its been nearly a year since i purchased my Yamaha E116 as detailed above and i am so so so pleased with the piano, i am really pleased that i made the decision to purchase the Yamaha E116.

It may sound strange coming from a 35 year old guy but i really am in love with this piano. Its in Gloss Black, is immaculate, and just looks dead gorgous.

Within 3 months after it was delivered it went out of tune, however i had a free tune up included within the price and made arrangements for a tune up and its been around 7 months now and its still in tune!

Thank you again to everybody who helped me make this decision, as i've said to my wife on many occasions over the last year that i've never felt so happy about a purchase as i have done with my Yamaha piano.

And also a big thank you to the Piano Restorer that let me swap my deposit over to the Yamaha from the previously chosen Reid Sohn