excited
Moderators: Feg, Gill the Piano, Melodytune
excited
Only a few days to go until our Sauter masterclass arrives from Leeds. We went to Spaichingen last month for a tour of the factory - fascinating - and are eagerly awaiting the piano's arrival in East Yorkshire. I love the Sauter sound and hope my playing will, in time, become worthy of such a noble instrument.
Re: excited
For those of you who are interested, our blog of our factory tour to Sauter can be found herehttp://www.headingley-pianos.co.uk/pian ... tml#bieder.
We had a great time, and the attention to detail which many have talked about was clear for all to see. That certainly inflluenced our choice.
We had a great time, and the attention to detail which many have talked about was clear for all to see. That certainly inflluenced our choice.
Re: excited
i have never played a Sauter piano before. what kind of sound and touch do they have? they are higher priced pianos aren't they?
Re: excited
Thanks for replying - Sauter pianos aren't the cheapest, but as a Larry Fine Category 1b listed piano, many regard them as being as good as or better than, and definitely quite a bit cheaper than many if not all the 1a listed pianos.
We first found out about Sauter from a piano forum (not sure now which one), where the writer said that the first time he heard one played, he literally gasped at the sound it produced. I thought, yeah, yeah, maybe he gasps every time the sun comes out (although this summer, I gasp every time the sun comes out). However, as we wanted a distinctively European piano with a clear singing tone, we decided to research further.
We tried two different Sauters at headingley Pianos - an entry level, a Vista, I think, and a Rondo, which is like the Masterclass but in a Peter Maly designer case. When my wife played it (a Chopin Prelude), I too gasped at the sound. It was amazing; having both power and clarity; every note from the deepest bass to the highest treble sings like a bird, with a pure sound where the notes don't get jumbled together, and every harmonic can be heard distinctly. We decided that this was the piano we had to have, and ordered a Masterclass. That was in March, and in May we visited the Sauter factory in southern Germany, not far from the Swiss border. Like the Swiss, the Black Forest Germans concentrate on perfection; everything has to be right, and the quality is second to none. The attention to detail is clear at every stage in the factory, and now our Masterclass is ready for delivery (a frustrating ten days for a van to be available!!).
If you ever get a chance, try out a Sauter - you will be amazed.
We first found out about Sauter from a piano forum (not sure now which one), where the writer said that the first time he heard one played, he literally gasped at the sound it produced. I thought, yeah, yeah, maybe he gasps every time the sun comes out (although this summer, I gasp every time the sun comes out). However, as we wanted a distinctively European piano with a clear singing tone, we decided to research further.
We tried two different Sauters at headingley Pianos - an entry level, a Vista, I think, and a Rondo, which is like the Masterclass but in a Peter Maly designer case. When my wife played it (a Chopin Prelude), I too gasped at the sound. It was amazing; having both power and clarity; every note from the deepest bass to the highest treble sings like a bird, with a pure sound where the notes don't get jumbled together, and every harmonic can be heard distinctly. We decided that this was the piano we had to have, and ordered a Masterclass. That was in March, and in May we visited the Sauter factory in southern Germany, not far from the Swiss border. Like the Swiss, the Black Forest Germans concentrate on perfection; everything has to be right, and the quality is second to none. The attention to detail is clear at every stage in the factory, and now our Masterclass is ready for delivery (a frustrating ten days for a van to be available!!).
If you ever get a chance, try out a Sauter - you will be amazed.
Re: excited
HI Floss, which one are you getting? i see a few Pianos there.
How exciting to actually go to see it get made!
Hope one day i can even afford a trip to see it let alone buy one LOL
How exciting to actually go to see it get made!
Hope one day i can even afford a trip to see it let alone buy one LOL
Re: excited
Hi Stuart!
We're getting a Masterclass 122 - which is an upright with a lot of features of a grand (other than the size!). We don't spend that sort of money very often, but an aunt kindly left us some money which we wanted to put into something really special which we could enjoy for many years to come.
We're getting a Masterclass 122 - which is an upright with a lot of features of a grand (other than the size!). We don't spend that sort of money very often, but an aunt kindly left us some money which we wanted to put into something really special which we could enjoy for many years to come.
Re: excited
I used to play one in a school in Chippenham a lot (a big grand). It was actually pretty terrible when I first encountered it due to atrocious setup, but a couple of days' work by a top tech had it nicely under control and pleasant to play. It certainly had a massive bass but wasn't special in other areas and tuning wasn’t especially stable. I'm afraid it wasn't as good as a well set up Yamaha. Never tried an upright though.
I do like the idea of seeing your own piano in production. I would strongly recommend you try it out before making any absolute commitment to buy - pianos do vary considerably between individual units, especially ones which are not mass produced.
MV
I do like the idea of seeing your own piano in production. I would strongly recommend you try it out before making any absolute commitment to buy - pianos do vary considerably between individual units, especially ones which are not mass produced.
MV
Re: excited
Floss,Floss wrote:Hi Stuart!
We're getting a Masterclass 122 - which is an upright with a lot of features of a grand (other than the size!). We don't spend that sort of money very often, but an aunt kindly left us some money which we wanted to put into something really special which we could enjoy for many years to come.
I admire your choice. I'm wondering why you chose the 122 over the 130 - suspect it was more within your budget, although both are expensive. As you say it's something special and will certainly provide enjoyment for the future.
Believe you frequent 'the other' piano site. If so you may have read my reasons for a Sauter, particularly the 122. If you missed it, the following link provided for info.
http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthre ... #Post14648
And a recent recording from mine.
http://www.box.net/shared/0fpuvqnkxc
Please let us know your reactions after piano has been delivered and 'run-in'.
By the way I've just sent you a PM.
I was playing the piano in a zoo, when the elephant burst into tears. I said, "Don't you recognize the tune?" He replied, "No, I recognize the ivories!"
Re: excited
Many thanks - I'm not active on the site, just a lurker, but I read your thread with great interest - we have a dog, too, a very laid back border collie (yes, they do exist!).
I think our reasons for choosing the Masterclass were very similar to yours; we love the purity and clarity of tone, the power when you need it, but never overwhelming. I believe ours is Classical voiced: although we didn't specifically ask for that, we did indicate the kind of music we played. We are extremely happy with the sound, which is everything we wanted - the only downside is that the purity of the sound exposes any lack in technique, but that's a great incentive to improve.
We did consider the 130 - bigger piano, bigger sound, but as the room we have converted into a music room isn't that big, we felt that the 130 might be bigger than we needed. We asked Sauter to make our 122 in a dark brown wood finish with a less shiny texture than the standard polyester, as we like the look of the wood, and the result is very pleasing. When we visited the factory, they showed us the wooden casing and we discussed the finish in some detail - nothing was too much trouble. We'll be taking some pictures soon and will post them.
As I write this, we have had the first family get together in the new room, and went on playing well beyond everyone's bedtime.... Tomorrow we'll see how the 122 sounds as accompaniment to the clarinet.
I think our reasons for choosing the Masterclass were very similar to yours; we love the purity and clarity of tone, the power when you need it, but never overwhelming. I believe ours is Classical voiced: although we didn't specifically ask for that, we did indicate the kind of music we played. We are extremely happy with the sound, which is everything we wanted - the only downside is that the purity of the sound exposes any lack in technique, but that's a great incentive to improve.
We did consider the 130 - bigger piano, bigger sound, but as the room we have converted into a music room isn't that big, we felt that the 130 might be bigger than we needed. We asked Sauter to make our 122 in a dark brown wood finish with a less shiny texture than the standard polyester, as we like the look of the wood, and the result is very pleasing. When we visited the factory, they showed us the wooden casing and we discussed the finish in some detail - nothing was too much trouble. We'll be taking some pictures soon and will post them.
As I write this, we have had the first family get together in the new room, and went on playing well beyond everyone's bedtime.... Tomorrow we'll see how the 122 sounds as accompaniment to the clarinet.
Re: excited
- Mahogany Masterclass in its new home
Re: excited
This is the first Sauter Masterclass I've seen with the Mahogany finish. Certainly looks good and matches the surroundings well. I'm sure you'll have a great time together.Floss wrote: As reported, the Masterclass has arrived, and looks, feels and sounds wonderful.
I was playing the piano in a zoo, when the elephant burst into tears. I said, "Don't you recognize the tune?" He replied, "No, I recognize the ivories!"
Re: excited
Thanks! We're very pleased with the colour and finish - not as shiny as the usual black Masterclass, but it emphasises the wood, which is what we wanted.NewAge wrote:This is the first Sauter Masterclass I've seen with the Mahogany finish. Certainly looks good and matches the surroundings well. I'm sure you'll have a great time together.Floss wrote: As reported, the Masterclass has arrived, and looks, feels and sounds wonderful.
We are already having a great time and plan lots more of the same. I played the Quilter version of "Drink to me only" yesterday and let the final chord linger with just the sustaining pedal down. The harmonics kept on building in a way which was pure magic.