Dream Come True
Written: Jul 31 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sound, Glossy Black Finish, Action
Cons: None
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| harveyny's Full Review: Steinway Model L |
Every pianist dreams of owning a grand piano. This is an account of how my dream was achieved. Both my wife and I play the piano, so this was a dream for both of us. First of all, we did not have the income nor the space for a full-sized concert grand piano, and I have never been impressed with any baby grand pianos that I have played.
We had been shopping for a grand piano for about a year and a half. I had come to the conclusion that I wanted a grand piano that was at least 6'3". This decision was reached after having the opportunity to try out a Yamaha S4 grand piano (see my epinions on this piano). I also thought that we might be able to fit a 6'11" or 7' piano in our house.
The next step was to borrow a piano template from our dealer to see how a grand piano would fit in our house. The 6'11 would fit, but it would not leave room for anything else. The 6'3" fit, but it would feel very crowded in that room. What a dilemma. I tried my hardest to come up with a configuration whereby I could fit a 6'3" piano in our room.
During our shopping trips, I tried pianos from Steinway, Boston, Kawaii and Yamaha. As any pianist will tell you, no two pianos are identical. I did not come across any Boston or Kawaii grands that I liked, I did come across one Model D Steinway that I liked, but it would not fit in our house, plus it had Steinway's satin finish. My wife wanted a glossy black finish. I also loved the Yamaha S4 (6'3") and S6 (6'11").
One weekend, while helping a friend select a baby grand piano, I came across a newly rebuilt and refinished in (glossy black) 1926? Steinway Model L. Let me say that an "old" piano, is nothing more than an "old" piano. Age does not improve a piano's performance. This is due to the complex mechanism of the piano. This mechanism does not last a life time.
When I sat down and played this instrument, a beautiful tone and huge volume erupted from this piano. The sound was what I was looking for in a piano. I had not encountered this sound in any piano that was less than 6' and this piano was only 5'10-1/2". This piano would fit beautifully in our house.
There are many pianos that sound impressive when you are playing loud passages, but die when you are playing softly, this piano does not. It gave me beautiful control of loud and soft passages. I have always preferred a piano that had a firm, resistive touch. I have found this feature more so on Steinway pianos than other brands. I would rate the touch of Yamaha pianos as being medium.
We have had this piano in our home for about one year. It was the perfect size for our house. What has made the experience even more pleasurable is the service that we received from our piano dealer, Hendrick's Pianos in Downers Grove, IL.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
harveyny
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: IL
Reviews written: 88
Trusted by: 6 members
About Me:
My main interest is QUALITY. This affects the way I evaluate everything.
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