Well, this must be a common occurrence, but I have had my piano delivered and found that in situ it doesn't sound as good as when I tried it in the shop.
The piano I have bought is a Kawai US-50 (think Yamaha u5) and having put it in place in my dining room I have a problem. The treble between middle G and two octaves higher is painfully bright. The room is not finished in so much as it has no carpet at the moment. We intend to get a carpet fitted in the next couple of weeks but I am still worried that the piano won't be right. This is compounded by the fact that it is quite significantly out of tune due to the move. I love the piano but it is not delivering the experience it did in the shop, but I'm not sure I can part with it...
What's your advice?
Not happy with piano once delivered
Moderators: Feg, Gill the Piano, Melodytune
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Gill the Piano
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Tell 'em you aren't happy, but reserve judgement until it's tuned, the carpets are down and the rest of the soft furnishings are in place - carpets and curtains have a significant effect on the sound of a piano. Was in in a huge echoing warehousey-type shop or a small, intimate one? You have to take that into consideration too.
Is it a new piano? It wasn't clear from your posting and I'm not well up on model numbers like Pianoguy and Barrie! A firm I tune for once changed a piano for a client of mine who simply didn't like the sound of her piano once it was in her house...I think most reputable dealers want you to be happy and will do their best for you.
Pianos can be toned (needles used to soften the nose of the hammers and ergo the tone) but the process is fairly irrevocable and needs to be done by a specialist - it's not a job I'd tackle, for instance, I prefer to pass it over to a factory-trained colleague with far more experience than me, even though I've been tuning for 25 years this year (egad!
I'm OLD!!!).
I'm sure Barrie or PG will have further advice...sit tight and don't panic!
Is it a new piano? It wasn't clear from your posting and I'm not well up on model numbers like Pianoguy and Barrie! A firm I tune for once changed a piano for a client of mine who simply didn't like the sound of her piano once it was in her house...I think most reputable dealers want you to be happy and will do their best for you.
Pianos can be toned (needles used to soften the nose of the hammers and ergo the tone) but the process is fairly irrevocable and needs to be done by a specialist - it's not a job I'd tackle, for instance, I prefer to pass it over to a factory-trained colleague with far more experience than me, even though I've been tuning for 25 years this year (egad!
I'm OLD!!!).I'm sure Barrie or PG will have further advice...sit tight and don't panic!
Don't panic, Captain Mainwaring!
As Gill says, the soft fabrics have a huge effect and you shouldn't make any decisions until you have the room organised as you intend. You might give the piano shop a ring and tell them that you are unhappy, but will wait until you've got the carpet down before taking matters any further. I'm sure that they will understand.
I always wait at least three weeks after a piano is moved/ delivered before getting it tuned, which is what any piano that's been moved will need. I do this to let the piano acclimatise to its new location.
In my own case, I have bought a thick rug to go on the wooden floor of my music room to soften the acoustics, and it has worked a treat. I find that drawing the curtains (they're pretty heavy ones) can deaden the sound even further. I also find that a lot of people in the room seems to suck up the sound too.
So, don't worry too much
. My guess is that you will be able to tinker with the acoustics to suit your taste without too much of a problem. If you think about it, pianos have been designed to work well with the average acoustics of the average room. As they haven't changed much in 100+ years, it shows that they've already got to be as about as good as they can get, for the price.
As Gill says, the soft fabrics have a huge effect and you shouldn't make any decisions until you have the room organised as you intend. You might give the piano shop a ring and tell them that you are unhappy, but will wait until you've got the carpet down before taking matters any further. I'm sure that they will understand.
I always wait at least three weeks after a piano is moved/ delivered before getting it tuned, which is what any piano that's been moved will need. I do this to let the piano acclimatise to its new location.
In my own case, I have bought a thick rug to go on the wooden floor of my music room to soften the acoustics, and it has worked a treat. I find that drawing the curtains (they're pretty heavy ones) can deaden the sound even further. I also find that a lot of people in the room seems to suck up the sound too.
So, don't worry too much
. My guess is that you will be able to tinker with the acoustics to suit your taste without too much of a problem. If you think about it, pianos have been designed to work well with the average acoustics of the average room. As they haven't changed much in 100+ years, it shows that they've already got to be as about as good as they can get, for the price.Otto