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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Brian M:
[QB]I forgot about the thread on opinions. Naturally, my question on the CW is opened to all. Even if you've only overheard something at a dinner party

I forgot about the thread on opinions. Naturally, my question on the CW is opened to all. Even if you've only overheard something at a dinner party

The Walter is one of the most authentic "hand crafted" pianos made. Each one is basically a one-off original. Bear in mind that the term "hand crafted" is a bit misleading, as "hands" build even the cheapest junk, so as a matter of semantics could be also referred to as "hand crafted" and no one could say they were lying - exactly. A better term is "premium level musical instrument", or something similar. Whatever one wants to call it however, the Walter grand in my opinion is one of the finest pianos being made today, and when you factor in the price it sells for in comparison to the pianos it competes with, it is probably the best piano being built today. Park it next to a Steinway, a Mason Hamlin, or any other piano you care to mention, and it will more than hold its own, then look at the price tag and smile!!

This is only my opinion of course, but it would seem that this is too sophisticated a group to attend a ****tail party. So if you want to hear opinions that have been shared over a drink, you must remember that this group only attends "Coque-tail parties".....

Or keggers.

A few random thoughts:

Regarding Yamaha education, I'm not familiar with what Yamaha is doing in the US recently, but I'm a product of Yamaha education just over 30 years ago. As some of you know, I've worked as a composer/arranger/producer/keyboard player (full-time) for about 15 years now. I firmly believe that my Yamaha experience had a great deal to do with my passion for music, and I'm indebted to them for giving me a great foundation to build on. At the age of 3, I was part of a group class at a Yamaha Music School in California where we learned sightreading and singing as well as ear training and even improv. I have two young children, and I'm very disappointed at the programs that are available now. I haven't found anything comparable. All this to say that Yamaha Music Education was at least at one time good for a great deal more than selling pianos.

Regarding Yamaha pianos, I'm still amazed at the way these instruments are characterized by some on this board. Of course everyone is entitled to his/her opinion. It just surprises me when some of the "pro's" on this board seem so "out of step" with the professional arena. Yamaha pianos are used all the time major venues (concert halls/high-end studios, etc.) and by artists that could have just about anything they want. And yet they choose Yamaha. I can already hear the response -- that "the long arm of Yamaha's marketing department has pulled the wool over someone else's eyes", or that "of course they'll use a Yamaha if it's provided free of charge". I think this reasoning is weak. My peers and I are often solicited by manufacturers to use their equipment. They offer us free equipment if we commit to using their products exclusively. Of course they can always find takers, but none of the folks I respect are swayed by such things (and some of them play Yamaha pianos anyway).

(I don't own a Yamaha piano)

Regarding Larry quoting his friends from Japan:

My husband lived in Kobe for most of his childhood. He recalls a specific day where EVERYONE would put stuff out on the street EVERY YEAR. Maybe they don't do it now; this WAS in the 80's.

What's the count now?

mike:
i have no idea what the source of the problem is. i have heard from several techs that the modern steinway k is a bitch to tune, and my information on the scale design came from a steinway tech who services pianos at faust-harrison in new york. they had a five year old steinway k i was interested in buying and he tried to voice it to cover up the scale problem, but it didn't work. the store told me the story about how in the 80s they had a scale design problem but it was supposed to be fixed.

so, that's where i got my info, and that's all of it. (not pretending to be an expert here, just relaying the info i was given from reliable sources.)

in any event, it has no bearing on a "golden age" steinway k such as yours. (at least so far as i know).

Steve, you should own a Yamaha piano but steer your children away from Yamaha school.

To echo Larry's comments about the CW190 - the Charles Walter grand fits my definition of a "stealth piano". It just kinda comes in under the radar and blows you away! Quality components, quality construction, but mostly it's about sound. I've heard that Fandrich designed the scale, maybe so, maybe not - but it projects bigger than it is. My wife and I had a chance to play a well prepped CW190 next to a well-prepped M&H BB. The BB was better, but not by much.

A fine piano that many people just don't know about.

What do you think about Petrofs? And, what about Petrof verticals? And, specifically, the 125?

Any truth to the rumor that they lack longevity?

...and, if I'm not mistaken, this sets the new record....

Dwain

I hate not to be a part of the Walter grand bandwagon, but I've yet to find one that I truly like among the half dozen or so that I've played. The tone on many of them sounded quite thin and was disappointing because I very much would like to like this piano. From my totally subjective vantage point, I can't imagine them comparing favorably to a Mason BB or the 6'4" August Forster (which is only a few thousand more, generally speaking).

That being said, maybe I just haven't found any particularly well-prepped Walters, and I'm certainly willing to give them another try, at least for opinion's sake. In that regard, and as I've asked previously of Larry and Rich G., have our high-value Walter dealers on the forum found that these grands are selling well? Certainly, if a heretofore unknown piano like Estonia can command sales when it made its recent leaps in quality, a 6'4" well-built Walter also should be able to claim its share of the dpmestic market -- particularly since it is "American made" and costs only a few thousand more than the 6'3" Estonia, generally speaking. How about it guys -- are any of you having comparable supply problems with the Walter as Norbert is with the Estonias?

Jim L.

Excellent point, Jim!

But I don't know if the answer really matters

Estonia focused on grands right from the beginning while C.W. is a much more diversified piano maker with uprights,etc.

I suppose they make and have to sell more pianos than,say,Estonia [which makes only around 300]

Still, I think this excellent maker should have received much more recognition by now.

You never know....they may just prefer to keep their success rather...quiet!

Norbert Marten
www.heritagepianos.com

I'll put it this way - I have 6 sold that are in the pipeline, 2 will be arriving in a couple of days, the rest scattered out over the next month or so. I have 6 more on order, just to keep my name in line on the list. Every grand the Walters finish is sold long before they even started building it. It got so bad that just to be able to show one, I "nailed one to the floor" as a display model. It's not for sale. It's beginning to look bad, because it's seen nearly 3 years as a demo model (plus I've rented it out for some concert use) but man, does it sing!

As for the lack of bass, I don't hear that in any of them. The bass is excellent if the piano is set up properly. Some of the early ones were a bit too bright from the factory, and had a bit of a thin tone as a result. But they experimented until they found the right setup, and they've been terrific ever since. Maybe you heard some of those.

Glad to hear the good [bad?] news...Larry..

Well deserved and... congratulations!!

Norbert Marten
www.heritagepianos.com

i've found the cw's in the seattle area, and their performance is not uniform. some are wonderful, and some are not. but those that are are REALLY wonderful.

I, myself, like Jim L., have yet to come across one that is wonderful, but I'll keep an open mind!
penny

Still haven’t found ANY Charles Walters. I guess I’ll have to get back into NYC soon and see if Piano Piano has any. The rumor is that DEL Fandrich had a hand in designing their pianos, but I haven’t called him to find out. Darrell Fandrich, his brother, is the man behind the vertical action. As far as I’m concerned he’s “king of the hill,” well maybe he’d settle for just “prince.”

Just checking in to see if this thread was still growing.

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