August Forster

[Steve071261]

Hi,

I'm looking around for a quality grand, and among the names I've been considering - the usual suspects, Bluthner, Grotrian Steinweg, Bechstein, (Bosendorfer or Steinway if my 6 numbers come up) I'm also hearing good reports about August Forster (the German ones, not the Czech ones).

They don't seem to be sold in the UK. Does anybody know why, or where I can find out more, or try them out or even, gosh, buy one?

thanks in advance,

Steve.

[Barrie Heaton]

Only ever tuned one modern one c1970s that was in a club in Accrington they sold it after a few years, it was a bit like a Baldwin tone wise very harsh I thing Intermusic, Pool, Dorset are the importers

Some of the other tuners may know them well

Barrie,

[Steve071261]

Hi Barrie,

thanks for the information. I wonder, though, if the one you worked on was a German one or a Czech one? Intermusic are the UK agents for Petrov, and Petrov have the rights to sell pianos bearing the name August Forster, for some obscure legal reason, but they are very different (I am told) from the German-built pianos made by August Forster themselves, probably in the same way as Petrov are not considered to be as good as, say Bechstein or Bluthner.

The German pianos, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, have gone back into Forster family ownership and are apparently making very high quality pianos again, rather than the East-German cold-war stuff they turned out a few decades ago. (This information from the Larry Fine Piano Book, so may apply more to the American market). What intrigues me is how they might compare to their more established rivals, and whether they are more competitively priced as a result.

...always on the hunt for a bargain!

cheers,

Steve.

[Barrie Heaton]

I would say East German the build quality was poor and the pianos look was aimed at the US market

I tuned a very nice piano called Charles Howes the Grands are made by Bluthner the uprights are made in the Far East. The upright I tuned had a very nice Bass for the size of piano, the action was a tad heavy but the humidity was in the high 50s% after easing the keys the piano had a nice touch Promenade Music are the main importers in Blackpool I have only seen one but it may be worth looking at

Barrie,

[Gill the Piano]

I've tuned two August Forster grands which both came from a shop called Sheargolds, in Maidenhead, Berkshire. They both seemed nice enough, though one had been ruined by over-toning and sounded soggy to me - the customer insisted on the toning, apparently. What it was like before it was stabbed to death I don't know! The other was fine; nothing remarkable, but a good, dependable instrument.Whether Sheargolds still stock them, I have no idea, but I daresay you could get their number from Directory Enquiries. They also have a branch at Cobham in Surrey, I think.

[Steve071261]

Thanks for the useful comments.

cheers,

Steve

[superquark]

There is a place in Cumbria called Omega Music which hires and sells Bluthners, Steinways, Bechsteins and Grotrian Steinwegs - last time I was in they had a Grotrian 6', 2 Steinways (a B and a C), a 7' Bechstein and some others. And they didn't hang around looking for a sale while I tried them out.

They hire steinways and have a full fleet of grands - A,B,C and D - so I guess they know what they are doing!

Contact number is 016977 3965 I think - or they have a website - omegamusic.co.uk or similar