The Opus now Christofori piano? I was at Schmidt today and I loved this little guy. It's5'4" and was warm/mellow and the action felt great. It's reasonably priced and I would like more information. Apparently this is designed by Schmidt built in China and this little guy could play some very romantic music with the softness. There were many Boston's Yamaha's and others that I hated because they were so darn loud.

Let me know your thoughts. I know these pianos are very new, but ANY input would be appreciated.

Thankyou

I heard of it, and will probably try to find one to play. I'll let you know what I think.

Don't get too excited. It is a Chinese piano. Know nothing else about it. I think it is Sejung piano.

Perfection,
I think if you would perfect your subject line and add the name Opus/Cristofori, you would get a few more responses.

It is called communication

This piano may be a custom-stencil brand. I can find nothing on Dongbei's or Sejung's websites about making such a name -though that doesn't mean they don't since they make many pianos for diffrent customer names. But I agree with Albanypark38 that it's still probably Chinese. But the point is, if you really love it that much... buy it! Just make sure whoever or whatever "shcmidt" is, offers good service in case warranty issues come up.

Ace30

I played an "Opus II". A 4'8 was going for around $7,200. I am not sure if this is the same thing though. I really liked the way it sounded, but I felt safer going with something that had more of a name, and was at least listed in Fine's book.

I played several Opus II pianos at my local Jordan Kitts shop. They told me that these were Chinese-made in a factory they set up under requirements and QC that were very strictly governed by Jordan Kitts' people. So it is a "custom stencil" brand being mass-produced for the dealers. I played a couple of uprights and they seemed ok to me - nothing to jump up and down about, but rather inexpensive for new pianos. I decided to go with a brand with a track record, since these Opus pianos are so new. I also heard they were changing the name of them, because Opus is a name that is apparently owned by Steinway.

Regards,
Eric

Not too sure is you meant Cristofori ?
http://www.piano.com.sg/grand/crist_c_grand.html

There's a company here in Singapore under this name and they teach music and sell pianos as well under their brand. One of series of the grand pianos is the Cristofori Niemeyer which are from Dongbei. I've tried them and sounded mellow indeed, but I've yet to try them again as the ones I've tried before at their showroom were not well-tuned. They sounded much better than the Samick grand, which were too bright for me.

These pianos are made in China by Sejung. They are carried only by Jordan-Kitts and Schmidts. Sejung has agreed not to sell any of their pianos (even private label) to any other retailer in the markets covered by JKM and Schmidts so that consumers will not be able to price compare them locally.

They originally were to be called "Opus", but as some mentioned the Opus name belonged to Steinway who objected to its use. They settled on "Cristofori". A few containers of the "Opus" models were shipped before Steinway objected.

The pianos are basically like other Sejung pianos, but supposedly receive a more extensive "prep" job at the dealership, particularly voicing. They are priced at very high margins and warranties are only backed by the two chain-stores.

They have trained their sales force to "sell off" Kawai and Kohler & Campbell with side-by-side comparisons of like sized models of Cristofori. While many might prefer the Kawai tone, they point out that there isn't enough difference to be worth the substantial difference in price.

They make more selling a 5'9" Cristofi than they make selling and RX2!

I can understand that Steinway opposes the use of Opus if they own the rights to that name. What amazes me is that the inventor of the piano's name is not owned or registered somewhere other than by a company who runs or joins venture with a Chinese piano factory.

Well, went back to play those Cristofori pianos. It was kind of strange because I tried the 5'4" and heard an aweful ringing at middle C. I asked the salesman to play the other 5 on the floor and, sure enought ALL OF THEM had the same ringing noise. I also noticed that the ones on the floor that had been there longest had very, very squeaky keys.

Also, when I asked the dealer anything about the parts of the piano, he was completely oblivious. When I asked what parts were laminated, i.e., sound board, he said what do you mean laminate is wood... When I asked about the hammers, he said they're good ones. When I asked about the action he said it's good as well. He knew NOTHING about how this piano was made but INSISTED they were real good high quality parts???

Oh, he did say it had Steinway strings...but didn't elaborate.

I actually am glad I went back today to play because I wasn't at all impressed. I don't know what hit me last week about them except that I only took a few minutes. Today, I really, really looked at them and heard them all. All of them had the same buz in the same area of middle C. I asked the sales person how much time is involved in prep and he basically said just a tuning and the tech went over everything. I insisted he knew that I and others are under the impression that Chinese pianos needed a lot of prep, but he insisted they are ready out of the crate. I told him of a rep that sold Perzina close by that said it took him 2 weeks or so to prep a Carl Ebel and he said that theirs won't need that because they come in perfect. I truly truly disagree with this approach and really believe that ALL pianos need good prep work and if you don't prep them properly, then...you get what I witnessed, i.e., buzzing, ringing, harsh tones, etc., etc.,

Why is Schmidtt selling these pianos unprepped? since there is such a high mark-up, why can't they put in more time to prep them properly?

Can they be good pianos if they're prepped right? I am going back Friday to see if the tech could fix those noises and also voice a couple.

We'll see...

I don't know anything about the construction of the Opus. My only reference point currently is that a good friend bought one about three and a half months ago. He had it for about 3 or 4 weeks and was starting to feel really crummy about it. I went to play it...it was terribly out of tune. He'd had Schmitt's tuner out the day before! It just wasn't holding. The guy came out and tuned one more time and gave up. He traded it in (they were accommodating, no problems with the exchange) for a G series Yamaha and is happy now.

If you go with the Opus...make sure you feel comfortable with the guy you buy it from. Just in case you aren't happy with it once it's home.

I think it's good tht you're going to give them another try, but my money is on you finding them just as dissatisfying the next time. Your post really didn't have much encouraging to say about them, and it doesn't sound like the dealer is willing to prep them thoroughly.

What is your general budget and what other brands have you looked at so far?

Sorry to "resurrect" this thread, but I'm a noob to the Piano Forum.

I have a Cristofori which I just bought in Feb. 2009. When I first got it, I was filled with regret (in fact, I've seen this very same review back then). I, too, "heard" what I called a strange "twang" around middle C. Then, I had it tuned in April. It now sounds great. It very much suits my family's needs and budget. My daughter and I are both beginners, so it was a great starter piano for us.

No technician I've ever talked to about them has had a positive opinion. I've seen a few and think they're awful.