Bechstein
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Bechstein
I am considering the purchase of a 6' Bechstein rosewood piano dated 1897, completely restored. It will be soon examined by a piano tuner. Since it is quite an expensive purchase, would anyone have a good advice regarding this particular make of pianos? Price is around 19K. I have also seen on the Internet a store, located in New York State, where they restore Steinways and Mason & Hamlin, and they look quite professional. They have quite a few of them at 25K and up. I may also wait a little to be able to afford a Steinway... Thank you so much for your input.
Reading your post gives me the impression you are in the USA, more local info would suit you better if that is so. There is a Yankee web site which would offer more accurate info than this UK based one. www.pianoworld.com.
You really need a detailed breakdown of the work that has been done.
EG Has the soundboard been replaced (unlikely for $20k)
Are there new strings, wrest plank, bridge capping, rebuilt action etc.
You really need a detailed breakdown of the work that has been done.
EG Has the soundboard been replaced (unlikely for $20k)
Are there new strings, wrest plank, bridge capping, rebuilt action etc.
Re: Bechstein
Watch out for cracks in the iron frame. (I think you chaps over the lake call it the 'plate', but nobody's perfect. I mean, take a look at your president.) This is a notorious weakness in Bechsteins of this vintage. The cracks occur vertically in the bars which run parallel to the strings near the arrays of tuning pins.Lucie_Eva wrote:I am considering the purchase of a 6' Bechstein rosewood piano dated 1897, completely restored. It will be soon examined by a piano tuner. Since it is quite an expensive purchase, would anyone have a good advice regarding this particular make of pianos?
Look carefully because they are often only hairlines. They can often be repaired and are not the end of the world because they are being held together in compression by the strings, but they are at best undesirable and poorly repaired ones are a problem.
You've been well informed!Lucie_Eva wrote:Thanks a lot. I live in Canada... I will ask the technician to do a thorough verification of the points you mentioned. I have heard that old Bechsteins tended to have plank and "false octave" problems, but I guess that is it all depends on many factors.
It's not so much the octaves that are false, but individual strings. It's more of a pain for the tuner than the player.
Steinway
Piano Guy,
I saw the demos on the site http://www.countrypiano.com/showroom.html
There sell a lot of restored Steinways... Do you think that I should rather wait and try to have one of those? If you have time to take a look at it, may I know what you think about |117,173?
I saw the demos on the site http://www.countrypiano.com/showroom.html
There sell a lot of restored Steinways... Do you think that I should rather wait and try to have one of those? If you have time to take a look at it, may I know what you think about |117,173?
Well, just d/ld the video clip and it sounds pretty ropey, but that could be the audio compression. Steinways are certainly better investments than Bechstein in terms of holding value, but you have to pay more first!
Strangely, it looks like a German (Hamburg) Steinway. If so, then there's a value premium over a US one from New York. There's certainly something about the shape of the fall that doesn't suggest a NY piano. Check that it's not a converted player piano though.....
Strangely, it looks like a German (Hamburg) Steinway. If so, then there's a value premium over a US one from New York. There's certainly something about the shape of the fall that doesn't suggest a NY piano. Check that it's not a converted player piano though.....
Hello,
I went to a piano restoration shop yesterday and saw and old Steinway, a pianoplayer... I did not know that they existed! The owner of the shop showed me a few Bechstein planks that had the problem you mentioned, i.e. hairline fissures in the metal. He told me to watch out for these.
We are going to see the Bechstein tomorrow, but I don't have much expectations. A friend of mine, a piano composer, had tried it and he told me that he was unimpressed by the sound which was no better than that of a straight piano... He told me that the only value to it was the impressive piece of furniture, but that for a real musician, it was not worth it, there was no magic to it.
I found a 1984, 5' 10'' Kawai in perfect state for sale by a professional musician who needs the money. Price asked: 14K. What do you think of Kawai? I am going to see it this afternoon.
I went to a piano restoration shop yesterday and saw and old Steinway, a pianoplayer... I did not know that they existed! The owner of the shop showed me a few Bechstein planks that had the problem you mentioned, i.e. hairline fissures in the metal. He told me to watch out for these.
We are going to see the Bechstein tomorrow, but I don't have much expectations. A friend of mine, a piano composer, had tried it and he told me that he was unimpressed by the sound which was no better than that of a straight piano... He told me that the only value to it was the impressive piece of furniture, but that for a real musician, it was not worth it, there was no magic to it.
I found a 1984, 5' 10'' Kawai in perfect state for sale by a professional musician who needs the money. Price asked: 14K. What do you think of Kawai? I am going to see it this afternoon.
Final decision tomorrow...
Hello all,
I may very well have found my piano, a new 190 Estonia (6' 3''). I have been thinking about it for some time, and what the heck, why not buy a wondeful new piano... I will have to eat rice and beans for a couple of years, but it may be worth it... What do you think of this, it's a short demo about this piano :
http://www.cordogans.com/estonia-movie.htm
I have to give my reply tomorrow. This or the Bechstein. Here are the results of the evaluation with my technician, for the Bechstein :
The soundboard (table d'harmonie) was repaired using heat process, unhappily using material of a slightly darker colour than the soundboard, so that now the soundboard looks streaked (repairs are apparent). This aside, it is solid and well done. The metal frame had no crack and was repainted. The "sommier" (pin bloc or wrest block) at the extreme right has a 6 inches small crack, but in the first layer of the wood, and seller is willing to give me a 10-year warranty on it. The strings, hitch pins, hammers, rolls, dampers and a few felts were changed. The piano is beautiful (here is the link to it) :
http://www.pianosdaoust.com/fra/htm/bechstein%20003.jpg
I am still hesitating, although on the pianoworld forum, almost everyone told me to stay away from the Bechstein. I must mentioned that when my technician played on the Bechstein, he found the sound amazing.
What is the Estonia's reputation in Europe now?
Thank you so much,
Lucie
I may very well have found my piano, a new 190 Estonia (6' 3''). I have been thinking about it for some time, and what the heck, why not buy a wondeful new piano... I will have to eat rice and beans for a couple of years, but it may be worth it... What do you think of this, it's a short demo about this piano :
http://www.cordogans.com/estonia-movie.htm
I have to give my reply tomorrow. This or the Bechstein. Here are the results of the evaluation with my technician, for the Bechstein :
The soundboard (table d'harmonie) was repaired using heat process, unhappily using material of a slightly darker colour than the soundboard, so that now the soundboard looks streaked (repairs are apparent). This aside, it is solid and well done. The metal frame had no crack and was repainted. The "sommier" (pin bloc or wrest block) at the extreme right has a 6 inches small crack, but in the first layer of the wood, and seller is willing to give me a 10-year warranty on it. The strings, hitch pins, hammers, rolls, dampers and a few felts were changed. The piano is beautiful (here is the link to it) :
http://www.pianosdaoust.com/fra/htm/bechstein%20003.jpg
I am still hesitating, although on the pianoworld forum, almost everyone told me to stay away from the Bechstein. I must mentioned that when my technician played on the Bechstein, he found the sound amazing.
What is the Estonia's reputation in Europe now?
Thank you so much,
Lucie
Re: Final decision tomorrow...
I'd probably give the Bechstein a wide berth too.Lucie_Eva wrote: What is the Estonia's reputation in Europe now?
Thank you so much,
Lucie
Estonia pianos have always had a following in Europe, but were the victim of poor materials more than anything else. Too few new ones are imported into the UK for me to be able to comment, but I'd probably stick to a Japanese or European piano personally. Estonias are quite expensive in Europe, so their growing reputation is at a price!
If you have fallen for the Estonia and you have a technician who will maintain it for you I can't see there'll be a problem.