They are both Yamaha products, so the manufacturer is indifferent as to which of the two models we sell.

The N3 and the GB1KS are both Yamaha products, so the manufacturer is indifferent as to which of the two models we sell

I don’t know about sales in other markets but I probably could find out.

If silents can't make a dent in NYC where high-income groups live in cramped close quarters, they're not going to make a dent in other US markets.

What I would be interested in is knowing the sales to restaurants, hotels and churches

If, as Irving stated, both the N2 and N3 outsell their silent counter parts but if at the same time the silent pianos do not make a dent, the sales of the AvantGrand series will still not be a big success!
Let take an example where a dealership sells 2 silent pianos per year and now the AvantGrand outsells this by a factor 3, he will then sell 6 AvantGrands per year, which for a big dealership is nothing to be excited about!?
schwammerl.

But... why don't you post this in the digital section!

In my next post, I'll talk about the types of customers who buy AvantGrands and all-acoustic silent pianos.

I had a great train ride down to Philly (and great hosts and a great concert when I got there). Our Beacon Chris is a giant talent; our Rich Galassini is a giant person (and no, I'm not talking about his size ). During the train ride, I had the expected two or three "urgent" phone calls, but also nearly an hour to put some descriptions on paper about people who have purchased or will be purchasing AvantGrands. Here they are:

Ten scenarios in which customers buy AvantGrands:

1. A small performance venue is busy all day long, doesn’t have the time, money or patience for tuners, and showcases pianists at night who want to perform on a piano that feels and sounds as good as the establishment can provide. They want a silent feature so that the pianists can practice during the day without bothering the day crowd, and the owners can’t be bothered with strict temperature and humidity control. The N3 is the perfect choice.

2. A church wants an attractive baby grand for the chapel that can be used for piano and harpsichord performances and also for organ music for services. They don’t have the budget for frequent tunings. Temperature and humidity fluctuations destroyed their last two pianos and their pianists are always complaining about performing on the church’s digital piano. The N3, with a moderately priced sound module for the organ voice, is the perfect instrument for them.

3. A pianist prefers an instrument that has the touch of a real grand piano and also silent capability so that he can practice late at night. A GB1K would have been acceptable, but he prefers the sound through headphones of the AvantGrand, he enjoys that it is always perfectly in tune and that he doesn’t have to fuss with a humidity control system. The N3 is just the right piano for him.

4. A pianist needs as much piano as he can get in a very limited space. The GB1K is too big. He actually prefers the sound of a U3, but not so much that he’s willing to give up the practicality of super-low maintenance and the silent feature that he uses on occasion. The N3 fits his space and his needs perfectly.

5. A piano playing family wants a good, moderately priced piano for their country home that’s not well heated in the winter. Arranging tunings prior to vacation stays (especially when the stays are just long weekends) is a nuisance. They thought that a digital piano would be a good solution, but couldn’t find one with an acceptable touch. The N3 proved to be the perfect piano for them.

6. A piano playing composer needs a piano with computer ports, so he’s been using a Clavinova. As soon as he experienced the real piano action in the AvantGrand, he upgraded to an N2.

7. A family wants a piano on which their beginner children can learn but that can also be used as a player piano. They don’t have the budget for a Disklavier and the children’s teacher insists that the children practice on a piano with a real action. She loves the touch of the AvantGrand and gives it her full endorsement.

8. A homeowner desires a moderately priced piano for his three talented children. Among the three of them, the piano is used four or more hours a day. It often gets to be a bit overbearing. But there is no remote place in the house to place the piano. A piano that can be played normally at less than full volume and also sometimes in silent mode, is just what they need. The terrific look of the N3 is icing on the cake for them.

9. A music school is tired of all the complaints about how their practice room pianos are so often out of tune – especially since they keep paying fairly large sums for tunings. Between the heavy use that the pianos get and the never-ending fluctuations in humidity, the tuners just can’t keep up. Digital pianos don’t have these tuning problems, but they are not acceptable to the piano students. The teachers and students love real grand piano actions in the AvantGrands. N2’s are the perfect solution for the school.

10. A music school is planning an essential expansion. They require 25 new practice rooms, but don’t have the budget to build them. If they could build the rooms, Yamaha P22’s would probably be the pianos that they would acquire for them. Instead, they’re going to build one giant practice room that will house 25 N2’s that will be used almost exclusively in silent mode. For silent use, most of the teachers and students prefer the N2 to the U1 Silent. Students will each buy and own their own headphones. The money that the school saves on construction costs will practically pay for the pianos. The teachers and students will enjoy the bonus that the pianos are always perfectly in tune. The school will enjoy the bonus of regular direct savings in tuning costs as well as indirect savings in administration costs.

My N3 purchased in the US came with a full 5 year new Yamaha in-home warranty included.

And why don't the schools get a decent airconditioner to solve the tuning issues and save their pianos?=

The digitals' actions probably are just as sensitive to the humidity fluctiations so they keep part of the problems with their current approach?

even with perfect headphones there will be still lots of noise (people walking, talking, phones going off...). And there is movements everywhere around you.

No offense intended, but I sense from your references to walking, talking etc. that you are part of the 'piano worship at home' sect. Have you ever played in a noisy venue, or with a small ensemble, band or orchestra where your attention needs to be divided? No big deal if you haven't, but if students in a music school are not accustomed to dealing with busy noisy environments or not attuned to teaming with other players and their instruments in practice and performance, they soon will be.

Sorry, need to point out something here (I thought I'd make it now, since Irving has had a chance to say what he wanted.

From my Yamaha contact in Germany re the AvantGrand ...

In Europe the conditions are as follows: 2 Years guarantee, any additional, extended period is up to the dealer and the dealer may charge the customer for the extended guarantee.

:
LOL!

I'm not sure that Irving is quite finished here. I think (with your permission ) he'll be back.

the rehearsal room pianos are so often out of tune and regulation.

the college where I teach just installed a Yamaha piano lab this year (using a CVP model as the controller). The pianists on staff often use it for collaborative rehearsals

Privacy in practice is really important yet easy to achieve with some simple room dividers - and there are products to achieve this end. In fact, the ability to divide a larger venue this way and configure learning spaces flexibly is a real benefit of the N2 in this application.

Additionally, there's another enormous benefit for the piano student using the N2 - that is the record function.

Hi Chris, since you're a professional musician, let me ask you this: Would you advocate providing students of a conservatory exclusively with AG's and no real grand pianos for the entire 4 years of their stay there? Do you believe that it will have absolutely no effect on the skills that they develop? Just curious to know what you think..

Edit: Note, I'm not talking about collaborative piano. I'm talking about piano majors who aim to be concert pianists (nothing less).

liszt85,

Great question! As a professional musician I would advocate providing students at the conservatory a broad range of pianos spanning the major technologies, touches and tonal palettes as well as general instruction in piano technology, techniques and options. (lots of alliteration in that sentence!) Florida State University comes to mind as a cutting-edge institution in this regard offering degree programs in piano technology and piano students wonderful variety in piano choice.

Specifically regarding the AvantGrand, I have quite a few concert pianist friends who like it and find it very useful - more than you might think. I certainly don't think that time on the AvantGrand is harmful in anyway to musical development and for the record, I'm very much a traditionalist in many senses of the word - including musical instruments...

'm sure the ideal case that you describe: access to everything, is the best scenario. Lets assume we're only comparing exclusively AG vs exclusively grands for a conservatory student in the most crucial years of his training to be a concert pianist. If you had to make this decision for a school with the best interest of the student in mind, what would you choose? Which choice would you think is more restrictive (to give you a hint of what I'm getting at here, I don't think I need special training for 4 years to be able to use DP technology or to learn practical music synthesis skills but I do think I'll need 4 or many more years to develop the technique to achieve the range of color Horowitz for instance could derive from a piano, and yet I'll probably never achieve it)?

I'm not sure that Irving is quite finished here. I think (with your permission ) he'll be back.

Yamaha’s EKB division has announced a dedicated push for its Avant Grand series of pianos into the UK’s performance, broadcast and recording markets

Now, with the release of the affordable N1 model, which puts the Avant Grand range within the reach of even more customers, EKB has identified professional artists, venues and services as a valuable and largely untapped additional market. To this end, EKB has hired Gez Kahan as a freelance consultant to help maximise sales into these areas

The Avant Grand range – initially the flagship N3 and the upright-style N2 – was launched in 2009 and promptly drew praise from players and reviewers for its touch, tone and looks.However, the pricing – real piano actions and ground-breaking sound design circuitry don’t come cheap – meant the immediate market for those two instruments was fairly small and Yamaha operated a restricted dealership.

85,

Please stay on topic. This thread is about scenarios in which AvantGrand pianos make sense in the real world. It is not about the use of any one piano to the exclusion of all others.

I don't know whether you have an inordinate fear of digital technology destroying all acoustic pianos or you fell that those of us who see a place for digital keyboard technology in the present and future of music have no appreciation of acoustic pianos, or ??????????

You promised Irving on the last Avant thread (which crashed and burned due to your "passionate" digressions, insults, and putdowns), that you would stay out of this one. So you're here. That's fine. Such a promise is hardly enforceable anyway, but for goodness sake, try to understand that the thread topic is about situations where these pianos make pragmatic sense,, not about confinement to one piano for four formative years, and not about Horowitz's status as an icon and moneymaker that allowed him to insist on playing one brand, one model, and have his personal technician in tow to lighten the touch of samples of that brand and model to his preferred standard.

As James Mason said to Carey Grant in the auction scene in "North by Northwest"' "Could the gentleman please get in the spirit of the bidding?", or in this case, the spirit of the thread topic.

Since Daniel Barenboim was quoted earlier, I'll quote him again here .... Sound is often talked about in a very subjective way, as if it had a colour. This is a bright sound, this is a dark sound. I don't believe in that because I think that is much too subjective.

And just a follow up to what I just wrote...

I've observed that most talented pianists tend to adapt easily to whatever instrument they are playing at any given point. Based on my own observations, if a talented pianist practiced most of the time on an AvantGrand at school for a number of years (undergraduate lets say) and then played on acoustic concert pianos in concert at the beginning of the career, I'd wager that the pianist would adapt to the new instrument and create the full color spectrum almost immediately. It's just the nature of the extremely creative musician. In fact, the same musician might even lament the colors he/she can create on the A/G that are not possible on a particular acoustic.

The reality is that we will probably never get to do the experiment because most pianists play on such a variety of pianos throughout their learning - even their formative years - that they are naturally inclined to adapt (even to really bad pianos) Interesting to think about...

Personally, I'd love to have a Yamaha CFX in my house and play it all the time,

Liszt85, I think it's safe to state that in your particular situation only the finest acoustic piano, perfectly tuned and perfectly maintained would be beneficial.

For the rest of us in the real world of music, I for one am willing to forgo that which I cannot afford. I feel no limitation or harm in practicing on my piano.

I have to add one more thing. The local theater bought a new nine foot Steinway a few years back. A small group went to the Steinway factory in Hamburg and picked out a piano. I've played that piano. It responds very well and is very easy to play, too easy to play. That piano is great for performing but I wouldn't want it as a practice piano. It would be fun to play on it from time to time but for a practice piano I want much more resistance - I want to work harder when I practice.

May I probe this deeper? Why is this your personal preference? Does it have anything to do with sound (or anything pianistic) at all or is it simply because you think you'll feel better Psychologically if you owned a Yamaha CFX?

That you prefer the CFX (or lets say a C3 before people start complaining that its an unfair comparison because the AG uses action from the C3) in an ideal world seems to be very suggestive but I'll let you respond before I speculate on what it suggests (but I believe its evident to you what I wish to suggest here).

Well, actually, I think I'd rather have an N3 than a C3. Same great action and the N3 has an even longer sustain... (with and without headphones)

As for the psychology of my preferences, I'll have to leave that one to my shrink anyone know any good ones in nyc for us musical types? hehe

Seriously, if you haven't played a CFX, you need to. A very powerful and colorful piano.

85,

My post was a polite personal plea to you to please stay on topic. There were ten scenarios suggested for employing an Avant. Those ten scenarios contained ample material for discussion. Scenario #11 --a piano student with intent to become a concert artist enrolls in a conservatory and is confined to playing only the AVant for 4 years -- that scenario was never presented. Not was it in any way suggested, or even vaguely hinted at. Scenario #11 is your concoction, and in perfect alignment with your tendencies on other Avant threads. I assume you know the meaning of the term 'straw man'.

What you refer to as your much misunderstood 'passion' comes off more like rage. I could easily put together a retrospective of your gauche insults and putdowns from the last Avant thread, comments that caused you yourself to make the empty promise to the OP that you would stay out of this one. However, I have no personal wish to embarrass you beyond your considerable skill at making an arse of yourself.

I will not post again on this thread.

Go outside people! You take each other way too seriously!

Irving, where are you?

it would be hard for most pianists to take it over a world class instrument like the C3.

Liszt85 - five consecutive posts. I think we have a record!

As I wrote, there's a difference between practicing on a piano where you really have to work and performing on a piano that is effortless. I can't speak for Horowitz but I can appreciate an effortless action for a performance, I just wouldn't want to practice on it.

I thought that was clear.

The hypothetical given by liszt85 is just that, great perhaps for a cocktail party,

I'm glad to have personal assistants here on PW. One that counts my posts and gives me stats when I've beaten my own "record", one that is a self-appointed shrink helping me with people-problems that he assumes I have in my personal life, one who throws insults at me yet doesn't want me to grow up to be like him and hence gives me advice how not to be like him, etc.. This sure is a fun place.




Oh yea, that was clear. Your reason for it was what I found funny (that work for you equates to physical exertion of the fingers to depress the keys, for most of us musicians in the real music world, work means trying to develop a technique that would allow us to play as musically as possible, not to develop the strongest fingers we possibly can.. why have a heavy action piano when you can simply do finger push ups?).

P.S: Btw, my tone would have been different had you chosen not to belittle me with no provocation here with the "for the rest of us in the real music world" statement. Give and take respect is a policy I live by. You diss me, I diss you. Fair enough?

Go back to studying.

Great, now we have my personal academic adviser here too.

Thank you.
(When I say it, I'm termed close minded and elitist by these "polite" people and I'm accused of having a fear of digital technology and of being old-school/purist. :D)

85,

To be clear, my point that most pianists would prefer a C3 over an N3 is not an agreement or disagreement with you or Chris or anyone. What I had in mind was that there are certain things that a C3 does that are important to a pianist that aren't done quite so well by an N3. I doubt that anyone disputes this - even the most die-hard AvantGrand fans.

Liszt85, I think it's clear from what you've written that you should not consider buying an AvantGrand. I think we're all in agreement there.

When Yamaha introduces algorithms (that exist in other digital models and software) that produce additional overtones, the ones that are not produced in the AvantGrand (but are produced in pure acoustic pianos), your argument for color might just be moot, but here again, we're discussing the icing on the icing (not to you of course); no one's playing, no one's technique will be harmed by practicing on these pianos.

If I were to depress and hold a C major triad without it sounding and then play other notes, in a pure acoustic piano the depressed C, E and\or G might produce additional sound depending on the notes I choose and with what velocity the hammers traveled. The AvantGrand does not do that though depressing the sustain pedal does create additional sounds just like a pure acoustic.

When the audio/electrical engineers go to town on creating additional algorithms for the next generation of hybrids, they won't consult a color chart, they'll use physics.

I believe your course of study is now psychology, correct? Would the above quotations be examples of passive aggressive behavior?

Irving, I have made that exact claim and these die-hard AG fans have protested and disagreed. You probably didn't see/read those threads in great detail. It is exactly this that caused us to start arguing in the first place. It was difficult for me to understand why anybody would dispute the fact that the C3 can do things that the AG cannot that pianists prefer. Turandot told me that it was all in my head. Dave talked about how hammer velocity was the only thing that was important and so how he thought that what I talked about tone colors, etc that a C3 could produce that were different and manipulable relative to that produced by an AG didn't make sense.

The way you word your points 2 and 3, are exactly what I said in all those threads. The sound of the C3 can be controlled in more ways than that of the AG can be, by an accomplished pianist. I can show you tens of posts that argued that point.

So whether you like it or not, I think you just agreed with me about that issue.

I don't really owe you an explanation but I thought I'd explain since you seem to be pissed off.

You're projecting. I never interpreted your comment being aimed at me, if anything it was self deprecating humor. It is quite clear that you have a very high opinion of yourself and that's fine. It's great to have a high opinion of yourself.

I'm simply amazed at your prodigious output in light of your promise not to partake in this thread. Curious.

85,

Of course I agree with some of the things that you’ve said. However, I also agree with some of the things that others have said. It seems to me that what really “caused [some of you] to start arguing in the first place” is that your disagreements, no matter how minor, were often emphasized whereas your agreements, no matter how major, were often not even stated.

You write that “It was difficult for me to understand why anybody would dispute the fact that the C3 can do things that the AG cannot that pianists prefer.” I’m not sure that this was really disputed. Consider this statement that one of your sparring partners here might make: “It was difficult for me to understand why 85 would dispute the fact that the N3 can do things that the C3 cannot that pianists prefer.” If one of them had actually said this, I imagine that you would have also responded that you don’t dispute this.

The point that I’m trying to make in this thread is that there are things about the C3 that pianists prefer and there are things about the N3 that pianists prefer. For some pianists (such as yourself), the advantages of the N3 aren’t important enough so that they would consider it over the C3. For other pianists (like Dave), the advantages of the N3 are so important that they’re more than willing to consider it.

Let’s talk about the most accomplished pianists in the world – some of whom I know very well, one of whom is my wife. If one of them could have just one piano and price wasn’t a consideration and the choice was the C3 vs the N3, of course they would take the C3 – unless they really wanted the silent feature, in which case they’d be very happy to take the N3.

to the contrary, many of them feel that their piano playing skills were enhanced by the challenges that these instruments presented.

... and liszt85, thank you as always for whatever it is you bring to these discussions.

[/quote]

Irving, I see what you're saying. However, don't you think this applies to Turandot and Dave too? ....I'm sure I responded aggressively because of the kinds of responses I got...

So I don't agree with the burden of agreement that you're laying on me. Turandot, Dave and I are equally responsible for any of these threads getting derailed. I refuse to accept any more blame than an equal share.

I'm a little confused by your statement here because you earlier said that it wasn't a problem for a top concert pianist to practice for 4 years exclusively on the AG (in a hypothetical case) because if he were asked to play a Steinway D after those 4 years, he would be able to immediately produce all the different tone colors the Steinway D is capable of. To make my stance clear, I disagree with that but lets not discuss that. My point here is, if adaptation is so very easy (at every subtle level), then your statement above doesn't make sense. You're claiming that the AG offers challenges that the acoustic does not and hence must contribute something to technique that the acoustic does not, but then you argued against my statement earlier about the grand offering crucial technique that the AG cannot makes it less than ideal for a conservatory piano student to practice exclusively on an AG (again, in a hypothetical situation. Hypotheticals can give important insight..this is for the people who talk only about the "real world").

How can one be true and not the other? So could you please explain this apparent contradiction to me?

Fair enough.

I don't understand what you mean by this: "Second, as others have already suggested, when a man is made of too much straw, there may not be too much to learn by knocking him down."? Who were you referring to by "a man made of too much straw"? (Sorry, English isn't my native language).

Sparky, I think liszt85 knows what a straw man argument is since this was pointed out to him early on.

I've seen it mentioned a few times about Liszt85's non-English speaking origins, both by the man himself and by others, as a possible source of misunderstandings, however I don't see any evidence for that whatsoever. I don't recall ever seeing even the slightest error in spelling, grammar, idiomatic word/phrase-use, etc. Apart from the mention of his background itself, there is no hint at all that his grasp of English is at all inferior to our own. I don't believe that language has been the source of any problems in discussions with Liszt85.

Out of curiosity, Liszt, what is your country of origin and where/when did you learn English?

Very clever (that part in bold). You managed to make it sound almost like a compliment. I do make grammatical errors (I often see them after I've submitted a post and I then go edit it..so you'll see many edited posts from me. A lot of those have been grammar corrections). As for country of origin, I don't feel comfortable sharing that here but somebody diligent can easily find my country of origin. Plenty of hints right here. However, I do not wish to explicitly state it here (especially when asked by somebody who does not take kindly to my posts ;)). I will tell you this though, I started learning English very early (at 5 or 6 years of age). We were also required to converse in English at school.

I think you have used your alleged language disadvantage rather cleverly yourself at times (as a non-sequitur).

I agree, we are absolutely on a level playing field here in terms of language.

I can agree with that.

Zach,

My company has gotten to know the N2 and the N3 quite well, but we have much less experience with the N1. Would you kindly comment on whether you compared the N1 and the N2 and, if so, why the superior sound and touch of the N2 weren't enough to tempt you to go for it instead of the N1.

For me, this is not just an academic question. We sell both models so your feedback would be of value to both me and my customers.

Thanks.

I sent Irving a message through his store address. I had forgotten his name though knew he was the owner of the Yamaha dealership for NYC. I since located this thread (which was the reason I contacted his site to begin with).

I was wondering if Irving had any more scenarios to share with us ... and I was wondering if he had reason to pull an action from the N3 as I am curious to learn exactly how to proceed to accomplish that task. I had no problems pulling the action from my since traded in GranTouch, but the N3 seems a tad more involved. (I went back and reread some of the posts ... interesting.)

Has anyone had a chance to take apart a N3 (or N2 or N1) and determine what pieces the action consists of? I have a bit of reluctance to trust Yamaha's marketing because of past experience with their DGX line.

And do all these AvantGrand's have the same action? Some marketing material implies that the N3 is superior, but Yamaha's website lists all three as only "Specialized Grand Piano Action", and that could mean anything.

Third, what are the AvantGrand's actually made of, inside and out? The specifications on the website say only that it is a polished ebony color. For (humorous) comparison, I can buy a Yamaha motorcycle that is polished ebony; I hope they are not the same materials. Are the mechanisms made of wood, and if so will they ever need maintenance? Is the exterior made of the same wood as acoustic pianos, or is it made of something that may be more durable, so perhaps it could live in sunlight or will not be ruined by a spilled drink?

Fourth, why do these pianos have 256-note polyphony? That is almost three times the number of keys, and certainly greater than the number of strings in a grand piano. An orchestra may need 256 notes, but the piano only comes with 5 voices.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, what is the realistic current price for these pianos? They should depreciate faster than an acoustic (even when unsold in the dealer showroom), but slower than most DPs and electronics, if only for the fact that no better new product is on the horizon. The only prices I have seen include the short-term premium to be the first person to own one.

(the following was edited in later)
How repairable is the piano? Many people may say "its electronics. If it breaks, you have to throw it away and buy a new one", but that is only true for cheap electronics. If my computer breaks, I can replace a broken part for around $150, instead of paying $1500 for a comparable new computer. Somewhere inside the Avantgrand, there is a processor, circuit board, computer memory, and 88+ sensors; can any of them be replaced? Does Yamaha have a supply of replacement parts so the machine can be fixed 5 or 10 years from now? (car companies are required to keep several year's worth of replacement parts, so this is not a far-fetched idea).

If the hype is true, then Yamaha has raised the bar for electronic pianos. They used to be a cheap substitute for acoustic pianos. Now, however, they are a viable alternative: a large group of customers have needs (other than price) which the Avantgrand may satisfy better.

Why don't you guys take this to the Digital Piano forum?

Both the AvantGrand and the U3SG (Silent U3) sound impressive to me when heard through EXPENSIVE headphones. However, the sound of the Avant through its own speakers was like listening to a phone message machine or a phone tree voice instead of hearing a real person. To my ear, it just didn't cut it. Am I the only one who thinks even the latest model Avant doesn't sound like a real piano (despite sampling a 9 foot skillion-dollar concert grand) when heard through its own speaker system? Does that unsatisfactory sound not bother musicians? To me, this is a much bigger deal than the difference between the Avant action feel and that of, say, a good upright. (I know classical players will disagree. I play jazz, if that matters.)

Both the AvantGrand and the U3SG (Silent U3) sound impressive to me when heard through EXPENSIVE headphones. However, the sound of the Avant through its own speakers was like listening to a phone message machine or a phone tree voice instead of hearing a real person. To my ear, it just didn't cut it. Am I the only one who thinks even the latest model Avant doesn't sound like a real piano (despite sampling a 9 foot skillion-dollar concert grand) when heard through its own speaker system?

Jivemutha,

Your overly negative comments about the sound of the AvantGrand aren't consistent with the comments of hundreds of musicians (including some who are well known and highly regarded) who've played N2 and N3 AvantGrand pianos in the Faust Harrison showrooms. They don't tend to say that these AvantGrands sound exactly like the top acoustic pianos; however, none of them has ever said that N2's or N3's sound like "phone message machines" or "phone trees".

Perhaps you're commenting only on the sound of the AvantGrand N1 - the budget model in which the speakers aren't the same super-high quality as in the other models? If so, please let us know. It would be unfair to generalize to an entire line based on an experience with just the bottom of the line. On the other hand, if your comments are about the N2 or the N3, then we have a bit of mystery to solve.

I shouldn't have to write this, but I will ... and I'll probably regret it.

Of course, just about everyone here can hear and appreciate the difference between a well voiced, in tune acoustic piano and a digital or hybrid. There are differences, we can hear them, but for some of us ... and it has nothing to do with the type of music we play, the sound of the beast comes in second place - a close second or a distant second to the feel of the action. A perfect world would always have a perfect marriage of the two, but with the constraints of money and neighbors ... and one's own hearing, compromises will always be made.

I always find it curious that there's a distinction made between classical performers and performers of the jazz flavor. There's almost a negative connotation with the use of the word jazz ... (and historical usage backs that sentiment up).

This goes without saying but every composer worth his salt (or her salt) is or was a brilliant improvisor, period. Many here seem to forget that. Jazz is specific to a period of time but the art of improvising has always been here and the finest composers have always been among the best in that art form.

Cecil Taylor plays a Bösendorfer when he can get one.

Cecil Taylor ... I liked Dick Hyman's editorial comment on his A Child Is Born album.

Irving, haven't seen you for a while, welcome back!

Sometime ago I asked you if you would let us know if you ever have to remove the action of an N3. At some point I'll have to remove mine and have it worked on. If you ever have to remove an action, please consider making a video of the process.

Can you share more stories on how many AvantGrand's you've sold?