Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Feurich review in Larry Fine's Piano buyer

Thanks to all of you for your comments and insights.You all have valid points. I do agree with Norbert when he said,when a company only makes a handful of instruments,why rate them at all? This is what i am trying to express. If Larry Fine and most of his contacts have neither heard or played a Feurich, how can they be rated. Again,ratings or no ratings,I have played Steingraebers,Bosies,Bluthners,etc.I do own one of these rare jewels as Norbert would say(Feurich)and can say without a doubt,they are made every bit as good as any piano in group one. If anyone responding to this thread has not played or heard of a Feurich,you cannot make a fair assessment either. This is meant in all due respect to anyone that has responded to this thread. It's not that i am an obsessive,insecure piano enthusiast,it's that this top notch German Manufacturer that works so hard on very few pianos a year deserves his just rewards.Again he has been rated by many people from the Piano Buyer that have never heard one. This makes absolutely no sense. I have no doubt that i have one of the finest pianos in the world.What i am concerned about is the consumer might over look a Feurich simply because they think it is inferior to the Other group 1 pianos listed. This is not fair to Julius Feurich.Simply put,don't rate this piano without proper knowledge of the instrument.It is an incredible instrument!!!!!

Charles,can you give me Larry Fine's E-Mail address? This is a great suggestion on your behalf.


Terry

You may e-mail Larry at larry@pianobuyer.com .

Please read his letter on his OP announcing the release of the online version first.

Thanks Steve! I appreciate it.

He has posted a great letter to the Pianoworld community on his site:

http://www.pianobuyer.com/pianoworld.html

Here is the relevant section with his email address:

"I very much appreciate the support so many of you have given me in the past, and I hope this new work will merit your continued support. Please give me your honest and constructive feedback at larry@pianobook.com. Due to the large number of expected responses, I can’t promise a personal reply to each, but each will be read and seriously considered."

Thanks for the info. Charles. It will be of great help.



Terry

Terry,

Fine states production numbers of fifty to sixty pianos a year for Feurich. Now, of that number, some stay in Europe. Some of the exported ones go to Fandrich in Washington to be re-fitted with Fandrich actions. That doesn't leave a whole lot of pianos for consumers to overlook. Don't you think the real reason Feurich is unknown in this country is that it has such a tiny footprint? I mean, other than Brian's shop and maybe Gary at Encore, is there anywhere you can buy one? Is there a dealer network?

I'm surprised Feurich can pay even a small skilled labor crew on German wages with the income from 50 to 60 pianos at wholesale.

There's one other thing you might consider. You know how in many companies if you have a break in service and come back later, you've lost your seniority and probably some benefits as well. You and I both know that Feurich had a break in service somewhat different from the usual WW2 Soviet occupation stories. The fact that they contracted their piano production to Schimmel among others and got involved in that China deal may be cause for caution in elevating it the level that you would like. Also, from the photos of your piano that you posted here a while back, I'm not sure that the scale design is the same as the older Feurich pianos. In a certain sense, you might think of it as a new company with new models.

I think in general Mr. Fine is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. Although your complaint is gentle and polite, it certainly is persistent . It's probable that if he had left Feurich out of the ratings, someone else might have questioned that.

One consolation is that Mr. Fine is on record in Piano Buyer saying that Feurich pianos are built completely of German parts. That's no mean feat these days, and knowing how you feel about German craftsmanship, you should derive some satisfaction from that.

Per Pianoloverus - "The original poster owns a Feurich and upset that it is not in group I. The above poster who owns a Mason(as I do) is pleased because Mason is now in the same class as last year's Groups IB and IC."

Dear Pianoloverus (and esteemed fellow BB owner) - Actually I didn't say in my post that I was "pleased" Mason is back with the 1B and 1C instruments. I was simply clarifying that they are all now in the new Group 2. I think Fine's new ranking system is "brilliant" because he has decided (wisely) to lump comparable pianos together in one grouping alphabetically without further breakdown. The more general - the better.

What had Feurich to do with Schimmel? And how is Feurich involved in that China deal? Don´t they produce 100% in Gunzenhausen? Their website states Made In Germany, but it also says something about a forward-looking joint venture.

Interestingly the English version of their website is different to to German version. The English version accentuates the family owned history and the stability of the monetary worth of Feurich instruments and the use of best materials available. But it says nothing about a joint venture.

Gregor

I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong, but this is just your opinion. How would a non tech be able to ascertain this?

The venture i Think Turandot is talking about never materialized.Julius decided not to go ahead with it. It was a line of pianos made to be sold only in the Chinese market. They were never going to be sold here in the states ,Europe or anywhere else outside of China.Turandot, i don't understand why that so called China deal that never happened would in any way effect the ratings or the reputation that Feurich has earned in Germany for so many years. I can assure you that the sole production of Feurichs is done in Gunzenhausen Germany.The company is still owned and operated by Julius Feurich of the 5th generation.It is 100% family owned. BTW Julius still makes and uses the same designs as his father and grandfathers did.Did i mention that Feurich has always been one of the leaders in innovation over the years? Again anyone in doubt of the Feurich quality and sound,play and examine one. The proof is in the pudding.They are fabulous and 100% GERMAN MADE,PARTS AND ALL. Not all of the top piano makers can make this claim. Let me say some of them may make this claim but those in the know realize where those secret boxes of parts are being shipped from. If it looks like a duck,walks like a duck and quacks like a duck,it must be a duck.Cheaper parts are used when a manufacture puts price before quality.Julius Feurich has never sacrificed quality because of price.I bought my piano because it was made out of love for the instrument.I am sure economically it is hard to only produce so few pianos.From talking with Julius,(As i said he e-mails me once in a while to see how my piano is doing)it's not all about the money.He has a true passion for what he does. I feel he loves to take his time and build a piano that makes him and would have made the Feurich's that came before him very happy.

Turandot,have you ever played a Feurich? I suggest you don't because you may be tempted and forced to make a much higher and serious upgrade.Make sure and bring lots of money because QUALITY IS NOT CHEAP,IT'S PRICELESS.Then you too would become a Feurich fanatic as i and others who own them are.And yes my complaint is persistent but respect is meant where due.

Terry Cunningham

Yes but suppose Fine had (using the groups in his previous Supplement) combined IB and IC together alphabetically and IIA and IIB together alphabetically. Would you still be as pleased?

By putting Mason and Estonia in the same group as the previous IB and IC pianos, Fine has in effect raises the ratings on those pianos, no?(I don't mean to imply raising the ratings for these two is justified or not)

Pianoloverus,In the many months of studying Feurich and other high end pianos,i hired 2 different independent techs well known to be excellent in the field of how higher grade pianos are built.They both said in their OPINION the Feurich without a doubt is one of the best pianos made.After all,Larry,s book is based on opinions isn't it?I don't just throw that kind of money away,believe me i did my research. I feel after all of my research and the many contacts i made about Feurich and the other top notch pianos, i could write my own publication. Then Feurich would get the rating it deserved.lol.Just kidding Larry,no competition here!

Putting my research aside,when one sits at such a beautiful piano and plays it one just knows. One does not need science or a tech to confirm what one hears. It,s just a given.

So pianoloverus in answer to your question I listened to many people and to my heart. This is how i can make this assessment. Hope i answered your question because my questions were answered when i wrote the check for my Group one piano.

Terry

I don't understand why people get so worked up over someone else's opinion of their piano. The info in Fine's book is great for new buyers but this need for constant validation by happy piano owners is baffling to me.

Enjoy the piano that you love --tiers be damned!

Exactly. I suspect that at some point owners or dealers of pianos formerly in Tiers IB an IC will express concern or disagreement that their pianos are right now listed in the same Group as Estonia and Mason Hamlin. I can understand why this happens. I think it's almost impossible for owners(including me)/dealers to be totally objective.

I think Terry referring to his piano a Group I(see two posts above) when it is called Group II in Fine's new Buyer Guide is a perfect example of this.

Terry,

I have not played a Feurich that I know of. I'm old enough to have forgotten a good many of the pianos I've played, but things haven't reached the point (yet) where I would have forgotten playing one built after the company was resurrected.

Look, I have no wish to upset you and had reservations about posting at all. There are a good many pianos that I have played that are better than any I have owned. I'm okay with that. I can admire them without wanting to break the bank to own one, so I am unlikely to fall prey to the charms of a Feurich.

All I can say is that if the company wishes or needs to retain the current production level, the reasons that it is overlooked will be related to that fact, and not to any supposed snub from Mr. Fine.

BTW, you did not answer any of my questions and your posts are becoming a little redundant. If you want a dialogue on this, you have to provide more than a drum-beating sales spiel.

Good point, it adds one member to the club.

The only others belongong to this increasingly rare species are Grotrian,August Foerster, Pfeiffer, Steingraeber and Sauter.

The others make pianos with 100% German parts, but dabble in sublines that come either from elsewhere or are using parts made outside Germany.

Norbert

Actually I believe Pfeiffer is on record saying already last year that the moment has arrived that no German piano manufacturer will be able to make pianos with 100% German parts due to Chinese takeover and domination of the piano industry and the disappearance of the family-owned piano ecosystem parts manufacturers.

I wonder whether the moment isn't far off when it's just less important whether any pianos have 100% German parts.

Being a kind of 'international citizen' used to be reserved for the super-rich, but now loads of ordinary folks find themselves in this class. The Chinese have been making pianos for sixty years and many high-profile artists are Chinese -- why shouldn't there be a Chinese Sauter?

Terry, why don't you just enjoy your piano instead of being upset about the rankings. Even though I like Fine's latest ranking system, these top-tier rankings are subjective. Some brands don't have the widespread recognition that others have. That's just how it is. And I assume, this will never really change. If you look at the workmanship of any German piano, it's really hard to say: This one is better than that one. If you objectively look at the material and the build quality that Sauter, Seiler, Feurich, Grotrian or whatever company is using, I assure you that there is little difference. They all use high-quality wood and other high-quality materials. They all carefully put their instruments together with skill. It really comes down to the sound, and in this league I'd really say this is very subjective. I've heard my former German piano tuner complain a lot about a particular Hamburg Steinway D that immediately would go out of tune as the concert hall filled up with people. To him, that was a piano that cost an arm and a leg and has been fussy throughout the entire time that he was tuning it. It happens. Larry Fine's guide is great, but if you really love your instrument why do you care if he puts it in group one or two.
I was a bit disappointed that Larry didn't gather a quote from a Seiler dealer about the Seiler sound profile. I liked the dealer impressions and why they liked their top brands. Subjective but informative. You get a rough idea about how a particular piano sounds. Had Fine written this section himself, people would have accused him of being biased. Now, I regret that there is no statement about the Seiler tone color (which I think is pretty unique), but honestly, so be it. They haven't had much exposure here in the U.S. (I guess similar to Feurich), and thus they're not at the center. But that's ok as long as you love your piano.

The article in PB you refer to Dealers Speak About Their High-end Pianos is a feature article and will be replaced each issue.

Here's an opportunity for contributions for our future issues. Any takers?