Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Hailun, anyone?

Norbert,

All that may be true, but Turandot is an ordinary piano buyer from California, not a dealer from Europe or Canada. I don't understand why you say *he* needs to get a life! He's just researching pianos (as the rest of us have tied to do), and pointing out rather clearly (in my view) all of the bizarre confusion a consumer is likely to face.

It's difficult to navigate in this market, and difficult to make a purchase & feel comfortable, especially if one doesn't have tens of thousands of dollars to buy a Tier 1 piano. Why the hositility to him? These flame wars are entertaining, but not all that constructive, I don't think, and at least his posts clearly show all of the conflicting claims and counterclaims. We in the buying public at least can see who's saying what & must make assessments as to who to believe. His posts help with that, I think, and he, like everyone else who posts, gives enough information that his stuff, too, can be assessed.

Margaret

I see you edited the part about Europe & Canada.

Turandot posted pix of his new piano & said what it was on a different thread a couple of days ago.

Pix of new piano

Perhaps the "obsession" comes for those of us who read the board for weeks or months, shopped at many dealers, and read much confusing information. Before I spent thousands of my hard-earned money on a piano, I did become obsessed, and I did have a bad experiences with a ("highly regarded") dealer in my area badmouthing other dealers and giving me clearly false information.

These flame wars just show me that it can happen to anyone

The funny part is that as far as I can tell, you & turandot *agree* that Chinese pianos have arrived---

Margaret

turandot not only told the forum what he purchased, he has posted pics of his new Nordiska 126.
He also seems to have researched to know exactly what he purchased.

Enjoy it turnadot.

Frank Woodside
www.hzmpiano.com

And considering that Norbert had to disciplined, to eliminate his blatantly self promoting, thread highjacking infomercials, his questioning Turnadot's motive is not entirely devoid of humor.

Hello Norbert

I will not respond to your personal comments. I don't take myself or my opinions seriously enough to get worked up about it. That said, I must admit that I take you and your opinions no more seriously than my own. I hope that's fair enough.

As to "glee" over creating a controversy, I did not create the controversy. Nor do I feel any glee about it. I have to admit that Frank's post about who would get which color, which contract etc. seemed hilarious to me. It conjured up an image in my mind of all the participants fighting over who would get the Queen Anne leg, who would get the Renner hammer, who would get the full Renner etc. But that was just a funny mental image, nothing more.

I think you know I have no agenda. I once sent you an E-mail asking for a point of information. I signed my real name. My E-mail address is also my name. I wasn't hiding then. I'm not now. I thought you sent me a cordial reply. In any case I didn't sense any hostility.

If you lived locally, I would offer to buy you a beer after work. It's a gorgeous day here in Southern California. I think a few minutes shared with 2 cold ones on a beautiful late afternoon would dispel your notions about my secret agenda. I think sometimes electronic communications in and of themselves give people a false picture of what another person is like. Maybe that's what's happened here.

Since you are too far away to make my offer meaningful, I will have one myself and offer a toast to you, Hailun, Steigerman, Wendl and Lung, Mr. Chen, Mr. Bruneau, Mr. Flacco, Mr. Wilson and everyone else in the little theater piece that has unfolded in this thread.

Here's to you, no hard feelings, and I will e-mail some pictures of my piano to you personally.

All the best

T - appreciated, although I don't remember you mailing me.

I appreciate your reconciliatory tone - responding gladly in return!

Things here get sometimes misunderstood when writing [or reading... ] -
- people who know me however, know that I am very sincere in my expressed opinions including the fact that I have personally worked very hard to get a certain edge with the pianos we have chose for our own, highly valued clientile.

Rest assured, starting from scratch in one of the most competitive regions anywhere - it's never been exactly a cake walk...

Selecting hopefully superior pianos in each and every price range on the market has become serious buisness for us and judging by the success we have had - including the many good reports about our chosen makes by people right here on the Forum - we couldn't have been too far off.

T - sorry about the piano you had indeed bought, I did miss it - my mistake - full apology offered!

FogVilleLad said:

I leave the writer of this rather ridiculous statement in his innocent belief if that's what gives him comfort in life or makes him feel any better.

Hailun pianos, be they of the Wendl&Lung [Europe] or Steigerman Premium [North America] variety - including any of the other makes we happen to represent - don't need 'Norbert'.

They'll all be perfectly able to stand on their own.

Norbert

There is no Mr. Hailun. Hai Lun is his given name.

His family name is Chen. There is a Mr. Chen.

In Western terms he might be "Mr. Hai Lun Chen".

In China he is "Chen Hai Lun" or "Chen Xian Sheng (= Mr.).

Got it?

Not even the Brodmann CE 148?

The top uprights we have been seeing in recent times are the 50" Hailun H5 and the 49" Brodmann 123M.

The latter was just purchase by a local peformance venue whose pleayers were taken by its even and resonnant tone.

Intererstingly enough, none of them had either heard the name or played one before....

The Hailun H5' are being picked by anybody from the Lang Langs to the Jerry Lewises.

Or all those with aspirations becoming one...

Norbert

Is it advisable to buy a Hailun upright? (125 cm)

I'm so confused. Especially about the durability of one... Is it true that a Hailun is really that good?

I'm new to playing the piano and can't really tell the difference in the sounds..

and i'm in singapore, from the same place as wzkit and TTT, looking at the same shop that has Hailun and W&L side by side.

Any help please?

Vigelic,

This is a really old thread. It brings back memories. I doubt if Wzkit ever bought one, but I think you should send him a PM to get his advice. It's probably a good idea to check into the Adult Beginner in Singapore thread as well. You'll get lots of local opinions from folks like Wzkit, Digitus, and Snoopycar.. Ask what people in Singapore think of the pianos and the dealer who sells them. Here's a link.

http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/82991/2.html

Hailun has been well-received in the US market. We also have a few W&L dealers now as well. The piano make a very strong first impression. But it's more important for you to get a sense of how the pianos are holding up in your climate and how the dealer's prep and service has been.

If I were you, I would ask the dealer for a referral to one or more of his customers who bought a Hailun-built piano two or three years ago. If you could make arrangements to compare one that's been in the field for that amount of time to one in the showroom, it would be helpful. If that checks out and you like the tone and touch, why not?

alright, i've gone ahead with the purchase of a hailun 125 (HL 125). they'll install a heater for me.

what's the heater for? =\

i hope i dont regret this =\

Now wait a minute, Vigelic! I told you to check out how they were holding up in your climate and to get local opinions of the piano and the dealer. I didn't tell you to buy one!

Anyway, congratulations. I don't think what you bought is really a heater. It's probably something to keep the moisture content of the structural wood stable.

Hi Vigelic,

The heater bar dehumidifies the interior of the case to prevent action parts from swelling and seizing. If the piano is going to be located in a non-air-conditioned room you must leave that heater bar on 24x7. If you live in a particularly humid part of Singapore then you really should consider locating the piano in a room that can be air-conditioned as and when needed. The keys are outside the case and can absorb too much moisture from overly humid environments. If they swell too much they will stick.

If the piano is located in a room for which you can keep the RH between 40% to 60% (on average) then you must not turn on the heater bar!

Coincidentally I was in the Hailun dealer's showroom in Singapore last week. I played two HL125's -- the one in the showroom and one fresh out of the crate in their warehouse/workshop a few doors down from the showroom.

The HL125 on the showroom floor was out of tune and out of regulation. The touch was uneven, with some keys having a lot of resistance before let-off. Overall the action felt sluggish and spongy. I asked why this is so and I was told that "they all become like that after a few years". Oh dear. Not a good answer. Why can't they just say that they haven't bothered to tune and regulate their showroom unit properly?

The HL125 fresh out of the crate was a different proposition. It is clear that the action was designed to have a somewhat meaty feel, which I like personally.

Tonally the HL125 was not bad, particularly for an instrument that costs SGD3,600. You obviously don't get the last word in quality finishing. For example, the sides of the keys really could have done with some sanding after having been cut apart.

I think that with decent prep work by a competent tech the HL125 could be a good performer in that price range. The question is whether the prep work will be done at all, in order to get the HL125 performing at its best. Although the piano seems to be in OK shape fresh out of the crate it really needs prep before delivery. But most piano dealers in Singapore don't, even for pianos costing a lot more.

lols. i'm guessing the one a few doors down should be mine..? i've taken note of that serial number anyway so ya...

so.. do i switch the heater off everytime that i wanna switch on the air con?

and hmm.. i agree with you that the one in the room a few doors down felt wayyyy better than the one on the showroom floor.. and he says he will be delivering that one to me anyway so it should be ok i guess?

not too sure about what's gonna happen a few years down.. i'm just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best?

I guess it depends on how often you use the air-con. If you can keep the RH in the room between 40-60% all day long you won't have to use the heater bar at all. My Sauter Omega is located in my living room. The air-con is turned on as and when needed for personal comfort or when the RH in the room creeps up towards the mid-60's. There are no heater bars installed in the piano, and there never will be if I can avoid it. One thing: if the volume of the room is large and the doors and windows are never open for long, it is is MUCH easier to maintain RH within safe levels than in a small room. For example, it is very easy for me to keep the RH down to safe levels, whereas Wzkit has his Sauter Delta in his bedroom (in an HDB flat) and he has his air-con AND dehumidifier turned on 24x7 and still struggles to keep the RH down to about 60%.

As for your coming HL125, I could be wrong, but my guess is that the only prep that Piano Master will do on your piano is to tune it and wipe it down. The factory regulation and voicing should be OK to start with, at least for the initial 1+ year settling in period. But after that you may want to pay the $ to do a complete regulation and voicing. Or you can try one or two other independent techs (PM me or Wzkit for suggestions when you need one). These same resources can be used to help look after the piano down the road, so don't worry about the future.

Of course, only you can decide whether or not to pay money to wring the last ounce of performance out of what is at the bottom line a fairly inexpensive piano.

One last thing about RH and pianos in Singapore. The RH can vary tremendously across Singapore. Some areas are very humid all year round. Even so-called 'tropicalised' pianos will not survive RH that stays high all year round (where 'high' depends on the piano). Don't listen to people who say that just leaving the heater bar on 24x7 will do, because it really depends on where you live and how much control you have over the piano's micro-climate. Having said that, pianos are also surprisingly hardy things. Even Fazioli is happy to honour its warranty if the piano is located in a 70%RH environment and fitted with a Dampp-Chaser or equivalent.

Enjoy your new piano!

The local Yamaha dealer keeps some of the Hailun grands in stock, and if the verticals are anywhere near the quality of the grands, then it should end up being a great piano for you. My wife and I have actually seriously considered one of the 178's now for a couple years, and even thought about a 198. I wouldn't say they're as good as a Yamaha or Kawai, but after those two (and out of what I've played), Hailuns seem to be about the best thing coming out of Asia right now.

I've uploaded my pics on the other thread at http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1211503 ... lols.

Hey guys...I've been a lurking on these forums for the longest time but have finally decided to sign up as a user cos there are some burning questions I really wanted to ask some of you, especially people like Wzkit/Digitus/Snoopycar. Some of them have already probably been done to death before but I hope you don't mind me asking again ( if I can say, for the love of music lol!).

Btw, I'm from Singapore too.

Just a bit of background on myself, I picked up piano again recently (i passed my grade 8 long ago when i was in my late teens but stopped due to uni studies and work) but started learning again(it's weird one starts to appreciate classical music again with age!) with a view to taking my diploma in a couple of years time. I am playing on a 20+ yr old Schimmel upright but it's always been my lifelong ambition to own and play on a grand.

So I've been looking around for a grand piano around the range of 30+k at the usual places like Robert, Chiu, Emmanuel, Yamaha, Piano Master....I was initially thinking of getting a 2nd hand but after a long deliberation, I think a budget of 30+k for a brand new one that would probably last me for the rest of my life doesn't seem like such a bad idea. I was initially keen to get the C3 but there's just something about the plasticky keys of a Yamaha and the bright tone that didn't really move me. The rest that i've tried are Kawai, Boston, Schimmel, Bosie(which Yamaha had a few months back in their showroom, just for kicks), Hailun, W&L and Grotrian.

Amongst these, there is something really special about the singing tone of the Grotrian 192 that connected with me and I have to say that it's probably the one I liked the most out of all of them....only thing is that the price is about 2x of my budget! The Hailun had a rather nice sound and touch too and for its price, I have to say it's quite a steal but then again, I don't know what's the shelf-life of a china piano, especially in a country like ours. I wanted to try the Petrof which was probably the closest to my budget(it's about the same price as a Yamaha C3) but unfortunately they didn't have it in the showroom. My own experience with Petrof is my cousin's one whose piano is just falling apart and I didn't have a great impression of the brand despite its Czech roots. I've also read on a couple of forums that the new pianos are better but then again, some technicians have said that they're still awful pianos (and we're talking about pianos circa 2001 here).

Oh yes, I remember trying out an Ibach a long time ago when Singapore Piano was in existence... that was another fantastic piano with a beautiful singing tone. Too bad they don't distribute anymore.

Alrite, I'm about done with my grandmother story...It'd be great if anyone could share their experience with me...thanks!