Perzina Pianos
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margaret lim
- Junior Poster
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- Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 16:39
- Location: singapore
Perzina Pianos
I am about to place a deposit to buy a new Perzina 118. I would be very appreciative if anyone out there who has owned or played one made in China, Yantai, give any feedback on Perzinas? Thank you in advance,
helpmaggie
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margaret lim
- Junior Poster
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 16:39
- Location: singapore
PG. Your response brings back some doubts on my choice. Why are the Detoa actions considered inferior to the 'home-grown( former FRG?) LFP ones? The piano has the ESQ tagged on it.
What does the term 'action' mean? Sorry, although i've been playing the piano, I am still at Piano 101 where technical aspects are concerned - hence the many questions!! I am learning so much from you ...and thank you again.
What does the term 'action' mean? Sorry, although i've been playing the piano, I am still at Piano 101 where technical aspects are concerned - hence the many questions!! I am learning so much from you ...and thank you again.
helpmaggie
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margaret lim
- Junior Poster
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 16:39
- Location: singapore
PG. Your response brings back some doubts on my choice. Why are the Detoa actions considered inferior to the 'home-grown( former FRG?) LFP ones? The piano has the ESQ tagged on it.
What does the term 'action' mean? Sorry, although i've been playing the piano, I am still at Piano 101 where technical aspects are concerned - hence the many questions!! I am learning so much from you ...and thank you again.
What does the term 'action' mean? Sorry, although i've been playing the piano, I am still at Piano 101 where technical aspects are concerned - hence the many questions!! I am learning so much from you ...and thank you again.
helpmaggie
ESQ stands for "European Standard Quality". It means that a high percentage of the materials used are sourced in Europe.margaret lim wrote:PG. Your response brings back some doubts on my choice. Why are the Detoa actions considered inferior to the 'home-grown( former FRG?) LFP ones? The piano has the ESQ tagged on it.
What does the term 'action' mean? Sorry, although i've been playing the piano, I am still at Piano 101 where technical aspects are concerned - hence the many questions!! I am learning so much from you ...and thank you again.
The action is the mechanical bit inside the piano with the hammers on the top of it! Some Perzinas for certain markets use the Chinese built LFP action whilst others use the Czech built Detoa. I hate Detoa actions because (in Czech pianos at least) they need careful work after purchase to get them operating correctly without sluggishness.
It may be that Perzina finish them off better and this is not necessary in Perzinas, and I cannot comment further on this point since in the UK all Perzinas including those marked ESQ use the LFP action, and I've never seen a Detoa-equipped one.
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margaret lim
- Junior Poster
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 16:39
- Location: singapore
Right on! The brochure distributed by the dealer professes the use of "European Detoa deluxe handmade piano action". How can I ask the dealer to improve on the ''sluggishness' or is this a non-starter?
PianoGuy you are such a mine of knowledge .. and generosity in sharing your expertise. My sincere gratitude!
PianoGuy you are such a mine of knowledge .. and generosity in sharing your expertise. My sincere gratitude!
helpmaggie
OK here goes!
Detoa actions are made in the Czech Republic by a toy manufacturer (formerly called ToFa Albrechtice, short for TOy FActory!) who make piano actions as a sideline. The wood engineering in them is actually quite good, and the materials are decent too. The problem is this:
The tolerances between vital components are just a bit too small, and a good number of their action assemblies suffer from binding between the hammer butt and hammer flange (components 18 and 25!!) .... Normally this symptom is cured by replacing the pin which holds these parts together and also forms the pivot upon which the hammer moves, since these can be over-tight, but in the case of Detoa actions it's not the pin that causes the sluggishness but the fact that the hammer is too tight in the flange and fouls the sides of it. The cure is to dismantle the action and with flour paper introduce a bit of slack by papering a miniscule amount of wood away from the sides of the hammer butt. Czech pianos fitted with the Detoa (Weinbach, Petrof, Rieger-Kloss) suffer from this problem in more than 50% of instruments I've encountered, so my advice is not to touch them with a long greasy pole. They're also far too expensive for what they are. Chinese pianos are far more sensibly priced however.....
Thinking about it laterally for a moment, and bear in mind that I've never actually seen a Detoa action in a Perzina at first-hand, they may be fine because the labour cost in China of getting a Detoa to work well would be far less than the costs in Europe. Perzina seem to be pushing the Detoa as an extra-cost feature on their top pianos. Since their home-grown action (the LFP) is actually OK, I reckon they must be fettling the Detoas to work better than them, so you'll probably be OK...... European componentry is a good selling point in Chinese goods, so it's unlikely that they'll fit sub-standard stuff. Or in Detoa's case, standard stuff!
I'm only guessing here, so I reckon you should contact independently the local tuner/technician who routinely deals with the Perzinas sold by your supplying dealer and ask him if any Detoa equipped Perzinas have been repaired under warranty.
Detoa actions are made in the Czech Republic by a toy manufacturer (formerly called ToFa Albrechtice, short for TOy FActory!) who make piano actions as a sideline. The wood engineering in them is actually quite good, and the materials are decent too. The problem is this:
The tolerances between vital components are just a bit too small, and a good number of their action assemblies suffer from binding between the hammer butt and hammer flange (components 18 and 25!!) .... Normally this symptom is cured by replacing the pin which holds these parts together and also forms the pivot upon which the hammer moves, since these can be over-tight, but in the case of Detoa actions it's not the pin that causes the sluggishness but the fact that the hammer is too tight in the flange and fouls the sides of it. The cure is to dismantle the action and with flour paper introduce a bit of slack by papering a miniscule amount of wood away from the sides of the hammer butt. Czech pianos fitted with the Detoa (Weinbach, Petrof, Rieger-Kloss) suffer from this problem in more than 50% of instruments I've encountered, so my advice is not to touch them with a long greasy pole. They're also far too expensive for what they are. Chinese pianos are far more sensibly priced however.....
Thinking about it laterally for a moment, and bear in mind that I've never actually seen a Detoa action in a Perzina at first-hand, they may be fine because the labour cost in China of getting a Detoa to work well would be far less than the costs in Europe. Perzina seem to be pushing the Detoa as an extra-cost feature on their top pianos. Since their home-grown action (the LFP) is actually OK, I reckon they must be fettling the Detoas to work better than them, so you'll probably be OK...... European componentry is a good selling point in Chinese goods, so it's unlikely that they'll fit sub-standard stuff. Or in Detoa's case, standard stuff!
I'm only guessing here, so I reckon you should contact independently the local tuner/technician who routinely deals with the Perzinas sold by your supplying dealer and ask him if any Detoa equipped Perzinas have been repaired under warranty.
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margaret lim
- Junior Poster
- Posts: 10
- Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 16:39
- Location: singapore
