Hi One and All!
I am looking to buy an upright piano, but am struggling to find exactly what I want. I have played for years, and am a professional stringer, but have relied on work pianos to practice for the last lots of years. Now wife is pregnant and finally agrees that music in the house (to add to the viola, violin and bass) would be good. So I would like a decent instrument, which a small child can one day begin on, but I can play each day also. Problem is money (isn't it always) and tone. Ideally looking not above Ł3k, and I personally find the bright, bright tone of most Yamahas and copies grating. Played an Irmler with a nice sound the other day, but heard bad things about build quality?
Any advice gratefully received!
Buying an upright - any opinions gratefully received
Moderators: Feg, Gill the Piano, Melodytune
Some Irmlers are good, some are less so. Build quality can be iffy. I have a thing about pianos held together by cheap Torx bolts (they remind me of Ikea) and spare old wrestpins used where nice wooden dowels should be. I suspect some are Polish and some are Chinese, but Irmler are cagey about where they're actually made, preferring instead to major on the Bluthner connection.
If you don't like Yamaha, try one of the latest Wendl & Lungs from Hailun Piano. Chinese, but designed in Austria and about 2.5K or search for a recent-ish (1980s or thereabouts) example of one of the best of British made at that time, eg: Welmar, Danemann, Knight. A good one of these could be cheap, and can be a better piano than many sub 3K-ers available new.
Get a technician to check any of these over, since the build quality of Knight and Welmar was variable. Danemanns on the other hand were consistently good.
If you don't like Yamaha, try one of the latest Wendl & Lungs from Hailun Piano. Chinese, but designed in Austria and about 2.5K or search for a recent-ish (1980s or thereabouts) example of one of the best of British made at that time, eg: Welmar, Danemann, Knight. A good one of these could be cheap, and can be a better piano than many sub 3K-ers available new.
Get a technician to check any of these over, since the build quality of Knight and Welmar was variable. Danemanns on the other hand were consistently good.