Venables Pianos
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Venables Pianos
I guess it's all very subjective and you probably have to watch what you say on a forum anyway, but I'm thinking of using them and wondered if anyone has experience of their quality of service, preparation of pianos etc.
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Barrie Heaton
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They know how to prep a piano well. However, if you are Mr Soap who is buying a B1 for your son who is just starting to play, they are not going to spend 4 hours prepping it, not at them prices. Mr Soaps son is not going to appreciate it anyway. However, you are buying a piano for a school with talented students. Venables did not get to number 1 when Yamaha uses to do the league of tables, by tuning out rubbish. They will look at your piano as possible future sales and will prep the piano well
You have to make sure they know how talented your students are
Barrie,
You have to make sure they know how talented your students are
Barrie,
Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page
Web Master UK Piano Page
...... And buy the actual piano that you try, not one "prepared similarly". That way there'll be no doubt that you'll get what you want.
Personally I think there's a fair few dealers that are too cheap.
If everybody stopped discounting Yamaha the whole industry's standards could improve. When pianos are being sold by big dealers at what is basically Yamaha trade price, what chance do other dealers have? Small dealers who spend time, expertise and care on preparation and offer personal service. Why should they even bother to stock Yamaha when they know they'll be sitting on the shop floor unless they're sold at no profit. It's Tesco syndrome. Big boys that buy at a discount, sell at near-trade and survive very nicely thank-you on volume sales with tiny margins. Above all, why sell a product cheaply that positively warrants a stronger price. You won't buy a BMW or a Bentley at much of a discount, so why a Yamaha piano? All it does is cheapen the perception of a decent product and louse-up residual values.
Barrie's right. If you are knowledgeable about what you're looking for then preparation standards will be good.... at the expense of some other poor bugger who doesn't know his b1 from his U1 where corners can be cut in prep.
The practice can't carry on for too much longer though. Yamaha quality 'out of the box' is slipping, so pretty soon, all their pianos will need time spending on them, and we all know that time costs money.
Personally I think there's a fair few dealers that are too cheap.
If everybody stopped discounting Yamaha the whole industry's standards could improve. When pianos are being sold by big dealers at what is basically Yamaha trade price, what chance do other dealers have? Small dealers who spend time, expertise and care on preparation and offer personal service. Why should they even bother to stock Yamaha when they know they'll be sitting on the shop floor unless they're sold at no profit. It's Tesco syndrome. Big boys that buy at a discount, sell at near-trade and survive very nicely thank-you on volume sales with tiny margins. Above all, why sell a product cheaply that positively warrants a stronger price. You won't buy a BMW or a Bentley at much of a discount, so why a Yamaha piano? All it does is cheapen the perception of a decent product and louse-up residual values.
Barrie's right. If you are knowledgeable about what you're looking for then preparation standards will be good.... at the expense of some other poor bugger who doesn't know his b1 from his U1 where corners can be cut in prep.
The practice can't carry on for too much longer though. Yamaha quality 'out of the box' is slipping, so pretty soon, all their pianos will need time spending on them, and we all know that time costs money.