I have read with interest the comments regarding "preperation" of a piano before a customer takes delivery...
What i would like to know is, what exactley takes place during this process...and how would the uninitiated customer know wether or not the process has been carried out correctly, or indeed at all..?
Is it essential to ask the dealer for this to be carried out..?
Preperation..
Moderators: Feg, Gill the Piano, Melodytune
In its most basic form, correct preparation should mean that the piano is tuned at A=440 (or slightly above), the action is correctly regulated (search for regulation on this site for explanation) and that there are no obvious voicing problems (ie all notes sound with a similar brightness or mellowness with no obviously over-bright or dull notes).
Also:
Manufacturer's packing should be removed (it is staggering how many pianos leave showrooms with bits of transit-material still in the action) and the pedals regulated. This is basic stuff. One client of mine who had bought a Korean piano at a vast discount from a pile-'em high merchant in the '80s complained to me about a buzzing noise from one or two notes. Upon inspection I discovered the packing pieces still in place in the action, and that the buzzing noise was caused by a small label marked "Quality Control" (and signed by a few factory workers) which had fallen off and was stuck to a couple of strings.
The hammer-felts should be free of any 'cupping' of the felt surface and should strike the strings of each bichord or trichord (where there are two or three strings per hammer) simultaneously and equally.
Keys should not be sluggish and should return swiftly but with little discernable lateral movement.
Key coverings should have no sharp edges.
Additionally a piano can be voiced to sound mellower (less upper harmonic emphasis) to suit the client's taste. It is far easier to make a bright sounding piano mellower than it is to brighten up the sound of one that is already mellow. I very much doubt that a dealer selling pianos in quantity will bother to do the latter at a client's request, rather he will source a bright sounding one from his warehouse or the factory.
As you can imagine, just checking all these points takes time. The dealer should do all of this as a matter of course, and some will probably claim that it's done even if it hasn't. It is not always obvious to a pianist whether the work has been done, but comparing a nicely prepared piano to one straight off the truck would reveal a great deal.
Also:
Manufacturer's packing should be removed (it is staggering how many pianos leave showrooms with bits of transit-material still in the action) and the pedals regulated. This is basic stuff. One client of mine who had bought a Korean piano at a vast discount from a pile-'em high merchant in the '80s complained to me about a buzzing noise from one or two notes. Upon inspection I discovered the packing pieces still in place in the action, and that the buzzing noise was caused by a small label marked "Quality Control" (and signed by a few factory workers) which had fallen off and was stuck to a couple of strings.
The hammer-felts should be free of any 'cupping' of the felt surface and should strike the strings of each bichord or trichord (where there are two or three strings per hammer) simultaneously and equally.
Keys should not be sluggish and should return swiftly but with little discernable lateral movement.
Key coverings should have no sharp edges.
Additionally a piano can be voiced to sound mellower (less upper harmonic emphasis) to suit the client's taste. It is far easier to make a bright sounding piano mellower than it is to brighten up the sound of one that is already mellow. I very much doubt that a dealer selling pianos in quantity will bother to do the latter at a client's request, rather he will source a bright sounding one from his warehouse or the factory.
As you can imagine, just checking all these points takes time. The dealer should do all of this as a matter of course, and some will probably claim that it's done even if it hasn't. It is not always obvious to a pianist whether the work has been done, but comparing a nicely prepared piano to one straight off the truck would reveal a great deal.
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Barrie Heaton
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Re: Preperation..
Its very difficult unless you know about pianos PG has given you a few for uprights there are lots more for grandsblackie wrote:I have read with interest the comments regarding "preperation" of a piano before a customer takes delivery...
What i would like to know is, what exactley takes place during this process...and how would the uninitiated customer know wether or not the process has been carried out correctly, or indeed at all..?
Is it essential to ask the dealer for this to be carried out..?
There is one very common one you may spot on cheep uprights and that is hammers off the rest rail but you would need to take the top door off to see on most pianos
As to asking a dealer has this piano been prepped ..!!!!! If you are unsure then take a tuner with you but I have been into shops and pointed out hammers not spaced and hitting the next string with the pedal, uneven touch they said they will be fixed did they put them right did they hell I ended fixing them and that was 25k worth of piano
Barrie,
Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page
Web Master UK Piano Page
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sussexpianos
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Some dealers are pushing the standard of their showroom preparation, claimiing that a correctly prepared cheaper piano may be better than an indifferently prepared 'better' one. This is a very valid and fair point, but makes absolutely no sense if the client is then sold an identical piano from stock, no matter what amount of preparation has been done (or more likely not done) to it.
Don't be fooled. Try the pianos in the showroom, choose one if you like it, then insist on that piano, not a "similar one prepared to the same standards". Make a note of the serial number of the piano you have chosen at the time of purchase and have the dealer write that number on the receipt.
All pianos are different; no two are completely alike. This includes Yamaha.
Don't be fooled. Try the pianos in the showroom, choose one if you like it, then insist on that piano, not a "similar one prepared to the same standards". Make a note of the serial number of the piano you have chosen at the time of purchase and have the dealer write that number on the receipt.
All pianos are different; no two are completely alike. This includes Yamaha.