Wendl & Lung

[PercyPickwick]

Does anybody have any experience with Wendl & Lung pianos? At present I have an old German piano which unfortunately is now past its prime. For the price of repair (restringing etc), ca &2,000, I could get a new Wendl & Lung 122 piano. I had a look at it and while the keys do not have quite the same feel as the ivory ones on the old German piano the sound is rather pleasant and the action is pretty good, too. The main worry I have is that while the piano making is supervised by an Austrian called Peter Veletzky it is still being made in China. From what I know, China has not got the best track-record in making pianos and I am not keen on buying one that will be falling apart after a few years time. So any experiences, recommendations or information would be highly appreciated.

[Melodytune]

I've no experience of these pianos, however its fair to say that although the Chinese pianos aren't particularly brilliant, they have come on in leaps and bounds over the last 10 years or so, and are actually producing value for money in their pianos.

[PianoGuy]

Nothing wrong with the Wendl & Lung if you buy 'em cheaply. I *think* the tsp is about 3k, but you can easily haggle down to 2.2K if you're careful.

Build quality is good at that price, although there's a bit too much use of metal bracketry and thin wood panelling around the key-bed, and they look impressive in an understated Yamaha U1-ish kind of way. A good comparison is the Chinese Yamaha-Pearl-River 124 upright priced around the same level. The Yam/P-R is better built, but pricier.

The W&L is cetrainly a better bet than repairing your old piano.

PG