Looking for a newish upright. Bentleys reliable?

[seano]

I've found very little on the forums about the new Bentleys, such as the Bentley 115.

Do y'all have any experience with them?

While looking for an upright we came across a new Bentley 115 for £2800. Felt ok.
We really like the Kawai K200, but may not be able to make the stretch to £4100.
And we've so far not been happy with any used pianos in and near London, but are still open to it.

--
Sean

[Barrie Heaton]

Not tuned a new Bentley for about 10 years they were very bad pianos, most of the retailers around her dropped them. However, they may have improved since then but a secondhand Kawai would be a better buy so long as it's not too old

Barrie

[chrisw]

Are you near enough to Oxford to pay Roberts Pianos a visit ? They usually have some good second pianos including a 1998 Kemble. Their new Feurich upright pianos may be a better price than a Kawai K200. In any case you will be able to compare all these pianos during a visit.

[Gill the Piano]

Also try Piano Gallery in Faringdon, Oxon; some good offers available there too.

[chrisw]

Bentley may be OK if bought from a reputable dealer who would be willing to improve the set up (if it needs it) once you have taken delivery. Also came across Minster pianos which are GEAR4music's own brand. Might be worth looking at.

[seano]

Thanks all for your tips! The lady says we're restricted to gloss black so the used piano search is difficult! :)

Would y'all put Broadway in the same category as Bentley? They seems to be the other most common lower cost upright.

Also came across Minster pianos which are GEAR4music's own brand. Might be worth looking at.

Interesting. Are they new to making acoustics? I can find nothing about them other than their digitals. Risky to go with a new make unless GEAR4music have a good reputation to backup their products.

[chrisw]

I haven't heard of Broadway pianos but I guess they are made in China. When Bentley stopped manufacturing in the UK they were briefly revived under the name of Woodchester. I probably wouldn't consider a Woodchester but I don't think new ones are available anymore.

You may have looked at the GEAR4Music website. They look to be international company based in the UK with a large shop on the outskirts of York. As I have always been vaguely interested in upgrading to a grand piano and I live near enough to York I may pay them a visit to look at their very competitively priced pianos. If they play and sound well I could be tempted at the price. Just need to come to terms with making room for it!

[chrisw]

I visited the GEAR4MUSIC showroom in York a couple of weeks ago whilst spending a few days of holiday in Harrogate. I specifically went to look at their Minster baby grand acoustic piano which had a price tag currently about £5000. I was pleasantly surprised with the touch of the keys and the dynamic response that could be achieved. The piano case was substantial and the strings, frame and sound board looked quite good. I found two negative points; firstly that there was a disconcerting large gap between two white keys in the treble area and secondly if you pulled the adjustable music desk too far forward it collided with the edge of the fall board. Presumably these two faults could be easily addressed but I am not sure if the vendor would be able to respond other than to exchange or give a refund.

A sales assistant I spoke to said the GEAR4MUSIC sourced all the components needed for the piano but would go tp whatever factory was most economically appropriate to have them assembled.

Also visited Yorkshire pianos to look at the Cavendish baby grands. They are very nice indeed and if I am ever privileged to be able to buy one I have no doubt that the set up would be immaculate.

[seano]

For those also looking at pianos in this price range: We ended up getting a Kawai E200 from jspianos.com.
The E200 is the same as the K200 but without the gloss finish which greatly reduces the cost.

Considering the brand reputation, warranty and great service from jspianos I think it's a much better choice than the brands like Bentley & Broadway.

[chrisw]

That appears to be an excellent solution. Thanks for reporting back to the forum.

[mdw]

I specifically went to look at their Minster baby grand acoustic piano which had a price tag currently about £5000. I was pleasantly surprised with the touch of the keys and the dynamic response that could be achieved. The piano case was substantial and the strings, frame and sound board looked quite good.
A sales assistant I spoke to said the GEAR4MUSIC sourced all the components needed for the piano but would go tp whatever factory was most economically appropriate to have them assembled.

from their website "Expert technicians and painstaking design means that the keys pivot at exactly the right point to counteract for the weight of the hammers, without allowing for any discrepancy in feel between black and white keys."

................................like almost very other piano ever made then!!!! I do love it when they try to baffle with bull s£$t. Ive never tuned one of these but my guess is its just another far eastern piano with a different name. Anyone know what it really is?

[chrisw]

Only that it was made in China. Surprising that a piano on a showroom floor should have the little faults that I identified in the earlier post.