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like an Afred Hitchock movie! ..the suspense!!

Wow. I believe that you are correct. I just called Kraig at Peter Collora Piano, He told me that Estonia and Bosendorfer music desks look very much alike. However the Bose's are straight on the top and Estonia are curved. See here.
http://www.petercollorapiano.com/estonia.html
So I posted an incorrect picture. Kraig will send me a correct picture tomorrow. The next chapter will be later today. Thanks for comments and having fun with us.

Feurich Rococo Again
Mr. Kahn calls. He just got back from S. Africa because his father is doing better. The piano is in a customer's home but the customer has not yet decided to buy it. Mr. Kahn is moving his store down the street and agreed to put the piano in the man's home and let him try it out. "May we see it?" My husband asks. A few days pass. The man has decided to buy an Artcase Steinway that Mr. Kahn is rebuilding. He says that we can come to his store on Friday and see it. Okay, we will hurry to Dallas on Friday evening and play this Feurich Rococo and then fly out of Dallas to Florida very early Saturday to see more Feurichs and the other fine pianos. What a plan this has become!

Friday comes and the plan is to rush to Dallas. I am delayed before getting out of town while trying to buy gas at a Flying J gas station with the best price in town. There were others with the same idea, and after waiting around 20 minutes to get up to a pump (because people were pulling around the other way and cutting in front of those of us in line) I finally fill the tank and leave town. Then a wreck on the highway to Dallas closes the highway completely. Traffic is completely stopped for an hour. We call Mr. Kahn. Will he wait until 8:30 or 9:00 PM when we can get there? He says yes.

Finally we arrive. There it is --- a piano fit for a palace, and the owner is there also.

We walk around the piano admiring its beauty while Mr. Kahn begins to tell us some of the history behind the piano. Then I sit down and begin to play it. I had instructed my husband to walk the dealer or pianos salesperson away from the piano while I played so I would not disturb their conversation and they wouldn't disturb my enjoyment playing it. My husband is into all kinds of piano's details. Ever since we looked at antique Steinways and the dealer went into how he could improve the sound by changing to Abel hammers, he is always asking such questions as what brand of hammers they have. And I want to play and listen and such. Mr. Kahn told him that this piano has Renner hammers but after 20 plus years of not being played very much they are harder and the sound could be improved with needling the hammers or even more by changing them to Abel hammers.

Mr. Kahn used to sell some of the greatest new pianos in the world and he had sold this one brand new in 1984. This piano had had no expense spared in the making of it. There were full ivory keys, not the usual two piece head and tail type pieced together. He tells us the piano has hardly been played since it was new, because it was bought to be a showpiece in a fine home. He tells us how Feurich makes the finest soundboards in the world. They start with a much oversized soundboard. Then they put some very fine sand on top of the board and start to tap on it. The sound waves put waves into the sand which tell where the sound centers of the board are. This allows them to determine where to cut the board to create the most wonderful soundboard. This wastes much soundboard but leaves behind the best.

We are truly impressed, but I comment that this piano looks like it belongs in a castle. The young man who is the owner tells me it belongs in my castle! I smile at him. The piano is beautiful with a beautiful sound and touch which Mr. Kahn says can be improved and there is fading on the trim pieces from sunlight which can be fixed. My husband negotiates a price, just in case... (He likes bargains.) ...and we rush off to the hotel for some sleep before our trip to Florida early the next morning.

That is a gorgeous example of a fancy art case, indeed. But you didn't say much regarding what you thought of the sound! How did it compare to some of the other pianos you have played?

Hi Jordang,

that dealers description of soundboard building sounds like what Steingraeber does and is described in their brochure. Also, is this a 227 grand, or is it smaller?

Thanks
JW

jperiod --- I'll say more about the soundboard on the next post. The size is a Feurich 190 (6'3")

Monica --- The Feurich sounded much to my liking. The bass notes were rich and rumbling and the high treble was clear and bell like. The middle keys sounded clear and well balanced. There was a brightness, which I like, but not too bright and certainly not thin. So this one was definitely on my list of the ones to consider.

that cinches it -- now i REALLY want to hire your husband!

i've heard that story about the sand on the soundboard before, but i can't remember which piano it was about. it was not the one you are describing as i've never heard of that brand before.

this is a great piano adventure!

I wonder if other companies do the sand test?

Our Trip To Florida

5:00 AM is early for us, but we were up and rushing to the DFW airport for our direct flight to Orlando. We had a bit of a rough start at the airport because we had not paid attention to all of the new rules, and we had some personal items, like toothpaste and moisturizer with us in a see-through bag, but not a sandwich baggy. We were only taking a carryon, so the airport inspector took our stuff over to a table, confiscated all of the liquid and gel items and threw them away. We probably could have kept most of our things, but we didn't have time to go back through security again just to pick up a couple of baggies that were on the other side. The flight was fine and we got off and rushed to Hertz, then made the hour trip to Melbourne.

We found Atlantic Music after a quick lunch stop. When we walked in I saw a beautiful store with amazing grands. First was a completely restored Bechstein - a wonderful instrument that was like the first one which was not rebuilt. At last, one to play and compare to others we had seen and heard. Next an almost new Bluthner VI. Finally I could find out if this was the piano that my husband was searching to give me. He had purchased some CDs from Bluthner's artists so we could hear the quality and sound of the instrument. The Bluthner was indeed gorgeous sounding, better than the Bechstein. I tried to hear the difference that the Alloquat strings make and it sure has a wonderful treble.

This 6'3" Bluthner had been sold by Brian just a few years ago but a divorcee had returned it to be sold again.

The next one to try was the 5' 6" Steingraeber. We had read that it had an unusually large soundboard and it sounds like a 7' grand.

This SURELY was true. The bass side of the soundboard is about 5" wider than any other piano. You can see the extra space to the left of the keyboard. It also has a very wide tail which allows for an even larger soundboard and more crossover for the strings. So this is why this little piano sounds so very big. After a few trips back and forth between the first three pianos, the Steingraeber was on the TOP of my list.

Then Brian showed us two Broadwoods from the 1850s which he had restored. He wants people to be able to play the type of pianos that Liszt and Chopin played on.


This was great fun, and these old pianos played and sounded better than I had guessed. There were Feurichs, several Mason and Hamlins, a carefully prepped 7' Kawai, and lots of other Steingrabers to play, too. Brian had other Bluthners, also, and lots of uprights to see.

After a while we decided to cancel our plans to go to another store to play Seilers. Now that I had gotten to "taste of the most amazing candy," so to speak, (remember I told my husband not to show the baby the candy, then take it away) I wanted to feast here for hours. We spent all afternoon in this "Piano Paradise".

Finally we approached the 1992 Feurich 196 cm. that we had been looking at on Ebay, which was selling for less than $30,000.

What a beautiful piano! Although I had said I wanted a mahogany, walnut, rosewood, or some piano of brown wood, I knew that I could be happy with one of the finest pianos in the world in ebony if that is what I ended up loving. This piano was the same basic piano as the Rococo version I had played the night before. We asked about the hammers on it and learned that they were Abel. Now I started comparing it with the Steingraebers, M&Hs and Bluthners. I truly loved this rich sound, wonderful touch and action of the Feurich. I played the 7'5" Feurich and listened to it. This was becoming very difficult, having to narrow the choice between these amazing pianos.

We asked Brian if it was true that Feurich starts with a large soundboard, sprinkles sand on it, and taps in several places to produce sound waves in the sand; and then cuts the soundboard to create the best possible one. He says yes and he has watched this process at the Steingraeber factory. He also related that one day he saw a worker at Steingraeber sorting hammers and shanks. The man was tapping them on a table and then putting them to his ear to listen to them, then sorting them. What was he doing? He was listening for the pitch of each wooden piece. Each hammer and shank has a natural pitch which he was matching up with the pitch of the string it would hit. Hammers without a pitch were considered "dead" and thrown away. So on Steingraebers the hammer shanks natural sound corresponds to the area of pitch of the piano and helps to produce its great sound. Amazing!

Now there were more to try out. In the back was a 6'8" Steingraeber. (The cost is too much for us, but I can dream can't I?) It was marvelous! My husband told Brian we wanted to spend no more than $50,000. How much are the Steingraebers? Brian writes prices on a card and gives it to him. He studies it and says that we can afford the smaller Steingraeber in black, even though the cost goes beyond the $50,000. I am thrilled! But that is a lot of money.

There is still a small Bluthner and a very long, very beautiful 9' Steingraeber concert grand waiting for me...

I'm enjoying reading about your piano search very much but you're killin' me! I'm a guy that reads the first chapter of a book, skips forward and reads the ending and then goes back and reads the rest of the book. I'm dying here! More!

And congratulations on your new piano (I'm assuming you're not just shining us on and that you did actually buy one ).

Hold on, Greg. We're almost there. The new grand is really sitting in our home now and I'm lovin' it.

Visiting Atlantic Music Center Part 2

I have played several 9' concert grands on this adventure including Yamaha, Baldwin, Estonia, Kanabe and wonderful, amazing Mason and Hamlin and Bosendorfer. Now here was a Steingraeber 9'. As I started to play it..... I could not believe it! This piano was more than wonderful.

It was glorious and awesome! Brian told us that he is expecting to sell this piano to the pianist for Julio Iglesias. Julio lives in Florida and is now the largest selling artist of all time (in the world). (I have always liked Julio Iglesias. He is a gorgeous man with a great voice.) His accompanist has come several times to play this Steingraeber in Brian's store for hours, and has arranged to use this piano for his next solo recording. In his story, Brian also added that he has secured the land and is about to build a new finer store with an enclosed recording studio. He believes that most piano recordings do not have the finest recording engineering, and he wants to provide it and with a 9' Steingraeber. WOW!!! Brian wants to add Grotrian and Bosendorfer 225s to his list of pianos in stock so that people can really compare all of the top pianos in one store.

I immediately fell in love with this Steingraeber and was lost in my own world of enjoying playing one of the finest pianos in the world. Everything was perfect on this Steingraeber. If I was a concert artist, this would be the piano I would insist performing on. My experience of this one exceeded my experience at a Bosendorfer and a Mason & Hamlin .......... but all good things must come to an end and finally my husband came over to me and said: "Honey, the list price on this piano is $183,000. Please come over and play the pianos we can afford." Reluctantly I ended the piece of music and drug myself away from the concert grand --- but that's okay. Julio needs that piano, so I'll just get another wonderful instrument that doesn't cost as many $$$$$, and I know I'll be very happy.

So back to the Feurichs, smaller Steingraebers, Bluthners, M&Hs, and the one Kawai. ( I think it was an RX-6. It was almost in the league of the other pianos in our opinion.) Carefully we compared the sound of each piano and the joy of playing them. From this experience, I arranged the pianos in this store in this order - the wonderful, full and grand Steingraeber, the beautiful grand bass and easily responsive treble of the Feurich, the bright and full sounding Mason and Hamlin, and the nice Bluthner. We tried out a newly rebuilt older Steingraeber grand, but it was not as beautiful as the new ones. In this adventure, I had determined that I wouldn't be happy with an antique rebuilt piano. For those who want a beautiful piece of furniture in their homes and are not as concerned about the actual instrument, a rebuilt piano would be just fine. I, too, am attracted to the beauty of their cases. I also tried out a few of the new and rebuilt uprights.

One was a Bechstein upright which my husband thought particularly pretty. I agreed, it was beautiful, but I was not shopping for an upright. For those pianists who are, they should certainly consider these.

Finally the day was over and we asked Brian where a nice seafood restaurant was so we could discuss everything so far. He suggested one a short distance away, we went off to the restaurant then to the beach to talk and make a decision. It was time to finalize the list, scrutinize each piano we had seen, and cross off the contenders until there was only one left. My husband was ready to spend his money and buy my Mother's Day present. What piano did I want most?

"In 1836 [Charles] Dickens also began to publish in monthly installments THE POSTHUMOUS PAPERS OF THE PICKWICK CLUB. This form of serial publication became a standard method of writing and producing fiction in the Victorian period and affected the literary methods of Dickens and other novelists. So great was Dickens's success with the procedure -- summed up in the formula, "Make them laugh; make them cry; make them wait" -- that PICKWICK became one of the most popular works of the time, continuing to be so after it was published in book form in 1837."

I dont want to follow a thread if they go house hunting...

Jordang,


I look forward to finally finding out what you purchased.
But a comment like the one you made below is a bit, well you know, strange. It all depends on the rebuilder and the work performed.
But every one has an opinion and you have done some major homework.
Rebuilt piano's can be more than furniture and many clients are concerned with the end result.
__________________________________________________
In this adventure, I had determined that I wouldn't be happy with an antique rebuilt piano. For those who want a beautiful piece of furniture in their homes and are not as concerned about the actual instrument, a rebuilt piano would be just fine.
__________________________________________________

Sorry - but I'm getting tired of this. Enough already. Spit it out.

This is Jordang's husband writing:
Hello Teachum: you won't be 10 years older when you find out--only two days. Full pictures will be in the chapter in two days. Tomorrow she is writing about details of her final list. Then our adventure will last a few more days. (Not as long as American Idol or Dancing with the Stars.)

Thanks Mike A, we loved your quote from Dickens.

Rod, your comments have a lot of respect in our eyes. The rebuilt antique Bechsteins at Atlantic were very nice. We know that the best quality rebuilds are every bit as good as the pianos were new. However, we learned that some of the newest pianos are improved in design over older pianos. In the last few years alone, Seiler and Schimmel have improved scale designs to create richer sounds. C Bechstein has new designs and are putting their old designs in their Bechstein Academic line. M&H have better Renner actions now than their American versions sold up until recently. One H&H dealer we visited beleives that the M&H have improved scale designs also. We have been told that Yamaha and Kawai have improved their scale designs over the last few years also to improve the sound of their pianos.

However we read about some Steinway pianos which are being rebuilt with Renner actions and German hammers like the Hamburg Steinways. So we guess that some rebuilt Steinways could be better than new ones.

So my wife decided that she only would want a new M&H, a new Schimmel or Seiler, or a modern Bluthner or Bosendorfer or August Foester... trying to get the best piano. (These are only our non-professional opinions.)

Sorry Pleyel, Grotrian, Ibach, Bechstein, etc. we didn't get to play your wonderful modern pianos...

Hi Jordang, and Jordang's hubby, I've really enjoyed your story, and I like having it in smaller batches than one huge thread I wouldn't have time to sit and read at one time. I'm looking forward to the outcome.

One small correction: M&H pianos don't have Renner actions; they use Renner Blue hammers but the action itself is made to their specification by Wessell, Nickel, & Gross.

Oh, thanks for the correction on the M&H.

"Sorry Pleyel, Grotrian, Ibach, Bechstein, etc. we didn't get to play your wonderful modern pianos..."

For what you spent, that's too bad.