advice

m_norm · Post by **m_norm** » 22 Feb 2007, 01:51

Hi, i'm new to piano's

I've thinking of buying a chappell for £100, the cabinet is tatty. The action is good but i think it's in bad tune i.e. whan you press a key it makes a strange sound as if the string has a weird reverb, is this just badly out of tune?

I havn't got loads of money but i like this piano, i'd lke to buy it but i'm worried that it might not be able to tune to concert pitch. My sister says if it hasn't been tuned in a few years it can't be tuned properly, is this correct?

Any advice would be fully appreciated

Best Regards
Martyn

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 22 Feb 2007, 08:11

Is it a "CHAPPELL London" or a "Chappell & Co." ?

Tom Tuner · Post by **Tom Tuner** » 22 Feb 2007, 20:07

It depends on what kind of sound it is making. Likeliest is that there are just some unisons that are not in accord, but that is impossible to determine without actually hearing the instrument. It could be 50 other things: leaking dampers, etc. Get a piano technician to evaluate it for you. As far as not having been tuned in years: so what! If the wrest-plank, bridges, soundboard, and frame are solid it can be tuned. Getting up to A=44hz may take a bit of effort, but there is nothing special about it.

Tom Tuner

m_norm · Post by **m_norm** » 24 Feb 2007, 12:25

it's elysian chappell

the sound it makes is a bit like a twang sound, i've viewed two pianos now that have made the same sound.

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 24 Feb 2007, 13:38

m_norm wrote:it's elysian chappell

Old Chappell Elysians can have issues with cracked iron frames.

m_norm · Post by **m_norm** » 24 Feb 2007, 14:02

do you think thats what is making the weird sound?

What kind of sound would be made if the soundboard was broken?

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 24 Feb 2007, 14:06

m_norm wrote:do you think thats what is making the weird sound?

Could be.....

m_norm wrote:What kind of sound would be made if the soundboard was broken?

Sort of like:
"PTHTPHPTZTPHHPHTPZZZIPPP"

m_norm · Post by **m_norm** » 24 Feb 2007, 14:32

yep i think that must be it, because i've heard it on two pianos now, the other was a crane and sons which i could have got for free and it had a lovely embedded illustration on the cabinet.

any idea of the cost to replace one?

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 24 Feb 2007, 14:46

m_norm wrote: any idea of the cost to replace one?

More than the piano's worth.

m_norm · Post by **m_norm** » 24 Feb 2007, 19:17

what are russian pianos like?

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 25 Feb 2007, 11:00

m_norm wrote:what are russian pianos like?

Grimski Korsakov, Comrade.