Sunday afternoon we drove over to Stamford to Allegro Pianos. Our experience there was one of a kind. Ori greeted us warmly at the showroom door. He had arranged for entertainment for our four children while my wife and I received what I will call the Allegro Experience. For those of you who have not been to Ori's showroom, there are many details about the experience that I will purposely leave out. I will sum all of those details up in a single sentence.

Ori operates under a different business model that ensures his success and the satisfaction of his customers.

If any of you are struggling in the piano industry, I would suggest that you hire Ori as a consultant. I have no idea whether or not he is available for consulting, but if you are not, Ori, you would do well to consider it. Since our visit, I have been seeking ways to implement aspects of the Allegro Experience in my own business (totally unrelated to pianos).

Now for the pianos and my impressions. First, let me say that I have never played better prepared pianos. While you may think this is an unequivocally good thing, it really has two sides. The down side is that Ori's showroom is not like the typical piano store where there is one or a few pianos that really shine for you. All of the pianos feel and sound fantastic. In fact, at the level that my wife and I play, we could not discern a difference in the action of any of the pianos we played other than one Mason & Hamlin A felt a little strange to my wife. She said it felt like the keys were bigger or farther apart. I think the action was just the slightest bit stiffer. Since I had read over and over again here on PianoWorld the advice that I needed to play as many pianos as possible to find the one that brings tears of joy to my eyes when I play, the consistency of the actions even across brand and model lines was a bit of a shock to me. Because of this, I can't honestly tell you that the Blüthner action felt any better than the Bohemia/Renner action. It seems that Ori prepares all of his actions to his own specifications which at my level of play makes them indistinguishable one from another. I would really like to compare the action of that August Förster that I loved playing at Altenburgs side by side with the pianos at Allegro. The AF until my Allegro Experience had been the only piano I wanted to sit and play for hours. I would have liked to play all of the pianos at Allegro for hours. As it was, we were there for several hours.

Now what about the sound? I have a new opinion about piano sound. I'll sum it up like this. If a high quality[/b] piano has excellent preparation, the sound will be awe inspiring. Period! I simply can't prefer a Blüthner to an Estonia or a Steinway or a Mason & Hamlin on the basis of sound. One of the songs that I use to compare pianos is a simple hymn. It sounded ok on all of the pianos except the Blüthners on which it sounded inspired! My wife plays "Memory". It was exquisite on the Estonias and Bohemias. A classical piece she plays has a booming bass portion. That portion was awesome on the Mason & Hamlins. The short of it is, I am now farther from choosing a piano than ever before. Personally, I think the only option for me is to move into a piano store!

After having the Allegro Experience, I have come up with an easy 5 step plan for buying a piano. I suggest that anyone shopping for a piano follow these steps in this order.

• 1. Find the best piano technician you can to work with you.
  2. Pick the brands of piano whose sound brings out the best in the genre of music you play most.
  3. Pick models from the brands identified in step 2 based on your available space and budget.
  4. Find a piano you really like among the models identified in step 3.
  5. Have your tech optimize the piano for your room, your taste, and your style of play.
  
  Note: It might be easiest if your tech is also your dealer since that way most of step 5 can be done before you purchase. That way, you know the piano is going to work for you before you shell out two or three times your original budget.

Final impressions:
The Bluthner is unique. It is in a class by itself, so different from the other pianos I have played. Playing it for the first time was like I imagine dating a supermodel would be...A little awkwardness, a little confusion, and a lot of adrenaline all mixed together. Astonishingly, inch for inch, it is cheaper than Steinway. The Estonia is built with such attention to detail in its parts, construction, finish, touch, and sound, it is definitely a piano to consider. The Estonia's reasonable price makes it that much sweeter. Slightly less expensive than the Estonia, the Bohemia is a beautiful piano and as you know from our visit to Altenburgs, one of my wife's favorites. The Mason & Hamlin just has that power in the bass that is hard to match. I've always liked American muscle cars. Not to beat the car/piano metaphor to death, but I just have to say, "It's got a Hemi, a Holley carb, and a five inch Cherry Bomb!" And the vintage Steinways? Well, who wouldn't want one in their collection?

My best to all of you,

Why didn't you buy a piano from Ori?

I believe in paying cash for as much in life as possible, and I need to wait until next spring when one of my investments becomes liquid again in order to do so for the piano.

It was fun reading your description of Ori's presentation, Ryan, since I had the same feeling when I visited his showroom - like being a kid in a candy store, and isn't it ridiculous that you can play piano all your life and never learn how it is constructed and how it works? From my experience shopping at many other showrooms, I was surprised at how many pianos seemed not to have been prepped, or were poorly prepped. I just don't understand how people can buy a piano based on future potential, so I really appreciated how well prepped Ori's pianos were.

Good for you for taking your time shopping. Throughout my life I have had to spend so much time playing mediocre pianos that learning to discern what makes a fine instrument was a new skill I had to develop. I found that with every shopping excursion my ears developed so much, especially by trying pianos that were out of my price range. Good luck on your future purchase, Ryan.

Thanks, Ryan! Of course that raises the question of how are you going to decide when spring rolls around? Have you sampled most of the brands you wanted to try or do you have other expeditions planned?

Ryan,
Thank you so much for your kind words.
I missed this thread initially since its title is very similar to your previous post, and I thought I have already read it.
So I was a bit surprised when I understood that this was PART II of your excursion number 4...

In any case, you made me blush reading about the "Allegro experience". I'm glad though that you enjoyed your visit here, and found it useful and worthwhile.

I also agree that there is no rush to go ahead with a purchase.
Good pianos don't turn to pumpkins after midnight, and there will always be many great instruments to choose from.
Use the knowledge you now have, your growing understanding of the differences between piano makers and the sound they aspire to...visit some more piano stores, and see how you respond to the different instruments.

Should you ever want to come back here and play the pianos again, please know that you and your family are always welcome.

Ryan:

I can sympethize with your struggle between such greats as Bluethner,Estonia and Mason - they're all totally awesome pianos.....

As you noticed yourself, Ori's prep is top notch regardelss of make and this is something which will always make a big difference in the long run!

In many cases, I have seen it to turn out simply to be the single most important variable.

Good luck with your eventual choice of perhaps any anyone of these pianos - personally,I don't see much chance of 'error' here......

Norbert

Hi Ryan,

I am Swedish so I can´t handle the subdleties of English very well. I sense that you have a favorite among the instruments. Am I right?

Ori,

Have you heard Pizarro´s Chopin recordings on a Blüthner? If you have, do you think it captures the Blüthner sound well? I think the sound is very nice but I have heard equally beautiful but different sounding Blüthners as well.

This is true with most brands.

That's why it pays to go back and perhaps try the same kind of pianos again.

Norbert

Thanks Jerry, Having been there yourself and experienced Ori's prepwork, are there any other piano stores in the northeast that I should visit where the work is even close? I also agree with you on future potential. It would have to be a top notch brand at an incredible price for me to buy on future potential...something like the legendary deal that Kenny got on his 9' Blüthner.

Thanks Monica, I don't know how I am going to decide. I still want to try some Grotrians, Sauters, and Steingraebers but all dealerships are quite a drive for me.

Thanks for everything Ori, especially for the invitation to come back with the family! You had better get Rebecca's approval on that first.

Thanks Norbert, I had no idea what excellent prep was until I went to Allegro. I now agree, preparation is incredibly important in choosing a piano. I don't understand why more dealers don't see the value in having every single piano in their showroom in perfect shape. I think it would be well worth the expense.

Pianistical,
I Have a few favorites right now, but one has not emerged above all of the others. I am curious as to which piano you sense is my favorite. What do you think?

Because most don't care.

Once you have a showroom full of brand names that every school kid knows, you don't have to work for a living.

Just pick a number and line up at the cashier....

Norbert

Pianistical,
Yes, I have heard some of Pizarro’s recordings on a Bluthner.
I too thought that it was a beautiful sounding piano, but on the other hand have heard some other recordings, such as those made by Mikhail Pletniev, Alexander Paley or Maria Ivanova, in which the Bluthner pianos used all sound very different…yet still distinctly Bluthners in their character and just as beautiful.

One of the things I like to discuss with my customers when they visit here is what qualities of the instruments can be controlled and changed by a good technician, and what is due to the design of the instrument, the choice of the parts and materials, or the work methods used.
While the basic character of the instrument is the result of the design and the usage of parts and materials it dictates, other elements, like voicing and regulation can be worked with…but still, within the limitations of the design.

For example, an instrument with a thick sound envelop and good sustain, may allow the technician to have more options in terms of voicing, and the ability to create a sound that can appeal to different pianists tastes…as well as to reach better results in a broader range of acoustical environments.
On the other hand, an instrument with a poor sustain and lack of depth in its sound due to compromises in the stage of the design, due to compromises made in the choice of the materials used, or due to poor execution and workmanship (or all of the above combined), will offer the technician much less choices, and will often call for only one “type” of sound.

In all, the tone of a higher end piano such as the Bluthner can be adjusted and manipulated rather easily to fit different tastes, acoustics, or even musical genre. However, the basic character will usually remain, as long as the instrument wasn’t abused by a technician who was dead set on turning it to something that it is not (and unfortunately I have seen quite a few instruments that received “treatment” that was completely in contradiction to the intentions of the manufacturer desired tone and the basic character of the piano…and I’m not talking here specifically about Bluthners).

Ryan - Please tell us what you finally choose! Ori cares for his client's pianos after they leave the store as well. This is a big plus.

Ryan,

I apparantly was wrong, so what I guessed probably had more to do with my own projections and wishes. Those are off topic.
Hint: See my signature.

However, you made me curious when you wrote that you had some favorites.

I must say that Ori has an excellent taste(definition: a taste similar to my own). Based on his choice of pianos, I think it is slightly leaning to the romantic side. If I were a dealer, I very well could have choosen the same pianos. The only one missing in his collection would be a Steingraeber.

Ori,

It is interesting that a thick sound envelop and a good sustain are good for voicing. It kind of makes sense.

I played a lovely Schullman piano in a small village in Tuscany this summer. Is Schullman short for Schultze Pullmann?

Pianistical,
Indeed it looks like we have a similar taste in pianos.
The Steingraeber is a beautiful piano too, and if I were to add another line of pianos it would be one of those I'd consider.

About the Schullman piano...I think there were Schuller and Schumann pianos, but I have never heard of a Schullman.
Are you sure that Scullman was the brand of piano you played, or could it have been one of the other two?

Pianistical,

Of course...the Blüthners. I can't say that they were my favorite pianos. They are just so different than everything else I have played. I can see how if I got used to the sound, nothing else would ever sound right. They were very exciting to play. I can't quite describe it. I could tell that I was playing an instrument that was superior to anything I had played, but the sound was so different... I was not expecting it and it sort of assaulted my senses. I liked it, but I'm not sure I'm ready to leave behind my sense of what a piano should sound like. Pianistical, Loving the Blüthner sound like you do, can you fully enjoy a recording or concert played on a Steinway or Yamaha anymore?

My favorites...well there was the 6' AF, the 7'4" Bohemia, a 6' Estonia, a M&H BB, and in a different way, the Blüthners. I'll put it this way. If I could have any two pianos in the world, right now one would definitely be a Blüthner, but since I can only have one at this time, I don't think it will be.

Ryan,

I think that what we are exposed to and what we become familiar with has a lot to do with chance( karma, predestination or divine intervention if you will). We then get attached to certain qualities of these familiar objects.

So, yes, after having been exposed to the pure, brilliant, deep and warm Blüthner tone over a period of time, I do find the equally brilliant tone of modern Steinways a bit cold, dirty and rough. However, if I let go of the Blüthner tone and get used to the Steinway tone, I find the seductive veil of overtones quite intoxicating and the roaring bass, I admit to say, rough in a satisfactory way(I guess the same goes for M & H).

It is a bit like with women(or with men from a woman´s perspective). I travel a lot between Asia and Europe. When I come to Sweden from Hongkong, I find the Swedish girls rather big and masculine. After a while in Sweden, the Swedish women become more and more attractive(They are in fact very good looking). The reverse is true when I travel to Hongkong. First I think that their features are not so attractive, but after a while, I find the Chinese women to be very feminine and slender. I am not equating Steinway with Swedish girls and Blüthners with Chinese girls. This discussion about women is, of course, purely aesthetical, and does not involve the littlest piece of lust.

But still, I think you expressed it well when you wrote that, once you get used to the Blüthner sound, nothing else would ever sound right.

Ori,

Yes, the brand was Schulmann, apparantly a very obscure brand. It was not a spectacular instrument but still a pleasent surprise. I have played Schumann pianos and they are quite mediocre instruments.