Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum I'm shopping for a grand!

...She switches into professor mode: Jonathan Friedman and his colleagues have a theory called "inferred value theory" that basically says what you just said, albeit in a lot longer and more complicated manner. They argue that people use price as a heuristic to make inferences about quality. So if people see two similar products, say digital cameras, and one is twice as expensive as the other, they will infer that the expensive one is better, whether or not it actually is. (You guys didn't really think I would use certain piano brands as an example, did you? )

....switching off professor mode: Your statement that delivery is pending on working out elevator issues was a little scary. Are they going to be able to get it up to your place? Will they have to use a crane? (Gulp) Carry it up the stairs?

Jeffrey,

It was not known until my M&H BB was delivered that it would not fit in the elevator.

Solution: It was pushed/pulled up FIVE(5) flights of stairs without any hoists or other such devices. It wasn't that tough; but I wasn't the one pushing/pulling.

Interestingly, removing the piano and controlling its mass proved more difficult.

Regards,
fingers

With a Mason & Hamlin you just crank the Tension Resonator tighter until the piano is about half the size. Then it will fit in ANY elevator.

you might have to choose between Mason or Hamlin

whippen boy and apple,

Great use of thinking inside the box. Just beautiful. LMAO

It would be pretty cool to watch the video of somebody else's piano being hauled through a window with a crane.

Jeffrey:

Congratulations to a superb piano buy from a superb dealer!

Thank you also for your very eloquent and intelligent reporting about your piano shopping trip and sharing your thoughts and observations with us.

Too many people have come here to suck up all kinds of information - only to disappear with their *fill* into the great unknown later.....

As a dealer, one could say I'm perhaps biased saying this - but when it comes from a discerning piano shopper like you - people listen.

As are hundreds and hundreds of other smart piano shoppers and buyers comparing similiar high end makes.....

ENJOY your wonderful new piano!!

norbert

I read whippen, apple and ftp and practically busted a gut. Thanks for a real set of laughs!

...choose between Mason and Hamlin ....right

Oh, my, I'm still laughing.

I tried saying it to myself and it came out

"Mason in half-lin"

Hey, I'm a regular fountain of knowledge when it comes to indispensable piano moving advice:

Free Advice

Ok, guys, the fun at my expense over! The piano movers scoped out the joint this morning, looking at the elevator and the foyer etc. All is fine and the move is set for Monday.

Also, (as I mentioned on the WTF version of this thread) I am getting a serious Eastman and Vienna Conservatory trained classical teacher, starting Sunday. I told my current teacher about this, and he said he wasn't surprized, he was going to suggest I find such a person soon anyway. He generally does Pop/Broadway/Blues type of improv stuff, and that is where his real love is. So I am going to continue with him doing Pop and fakebook stuff (which I really like, and which my wife likes more than the classical!!) and then start classical lessons with a trained classical pianist in addition. Each teacher knows about the other, and is fine with the arrangment, since neither overlaps in any way with each other's specialities. After getting a grand, I certainly intend to use it!!

As for other piano impressions, the August Forster, my one time favorite, faded on me as I played them more. Initially beautiful, the notes lacked a certain depth or quality in other pianos such as Bosie or Bluthner. The build was uneven between individual pianos. The lighter action was less attractive to me as I played them more and compared to a very smooth, but slightly heavier action (as in the Mason AA).

I personally preferred the laid-back, "quieter" "sweeter" tone qualities of the Bluthner and Bosies, over the brighter, sharper tones of the Grotrians or Bechsteins. This is purely subjective preference, not an attempt to rate by objective quality. A Bluthner Model 4 (or 2!) would be my second piano, if I had unlimited space and funds. (Not that a Model 4 would be "better" than a Mason AA, perhaps the Mason is even a bit more well rounded for more types of music, but I loved the exquisite tonal purity of the Model 4's I played - two of them - and I'd love to have it as my "backup" piano!! Ha!!).

HA yourself.

i'll be thinking about you on Monday and praying you don't have a heart attack.

apple - "heart attack"

Only if they make me move the thing myself.

gosh i was sooooooooooooooooooooooo excited the day of the piano delivery. I had been pianoless for 3 weeks..it was sprinkling.. I kept imaging that a plane would crash into truck or the driver would have a heart attack or it would be delivered to the wrong address..i started crying and cleaning the house at 8.. I was counting down the minutes.. they were 2 hours late.. i couldn't eat..my kids were so concerned..

-of course, i'm a woman.

Norbert - I did a "Mason" search for back posts, and somewhere you said that the BB was (one of?) your favorites. I chose an AA. My ego kept me playing some BB's, and they are not that much more money. The bass is thunderous on a BB. But I thought that the AA (with Ori's guidance) would fit and play better in my actual living space. It seemed very well balanced between the registers. (And I have a trade up if for some reason I change my mind.) Any thoughts on the AA versus BB issue?

Also, thank-you for your kind comments. I really know very little about piano technology or piano playing, I just tried to keep an open mind and play and hear and look at many different brands, ask a lot of questions, and find a dealer I was comfortable with, with a good service model. Also, I am not going to mention exact prices, but I did come in way under budget for a piano of this quality. The Masons are very competatively priced compared to other legitimately Tier One (or even Tier Two!!) brands. (This leaves me lots left over for lessons.)

Best - Jeffrey

Jeffrey,
Once again, congratulations! That is one monster piano you bought! I pity the movers. One other thing about Ori, he is a fine artist as well. In addition to being a superb tech, he plays lovely and it is truly a pleasure to listen to him. If anyone has the chance to hear Ori play, ask him to play Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat Major. Your spirit will begin to soar.

I too have visited Ori's home and played the many fine pianos in his showroom. Anyone who is looking for a piano in the northeast owes it to themselves to visit Ori as you'll spend the first two hours or so having Ori provide the most amazing demonstrations about grand pianos and all the things that go into their respective designs and manufacturing. Even if one hasn't read Larry's book (which I did), it will prove to be one of the most informative afternoons you could ever hope for without all the high pressure sales tactics I've personally witnessed at some dealers.

Oh yes, and as for him being "brusque", I prefer to think of it as passionate, which Ori clearly is in regards to pianos and the wonderful sound that comes from them. I believe all pianists have this quality, to some degree or another. Ori is not one to blow sunshine up anyone's a$$ either. All one needs to do is meet Ori once and whether you agree or disagree with him, you will, at the very least, walk away respecting him as unlike so many others, he will demonstrate to you exactly what his opinions are based on.

Hope to catch you at the next concert at the Bulgarian Consulate.

Regards,
Roger

Hi Jeffrey,
I am REALLY happy and excited for you. Now that you've made your decision, let me boost your confidence by telling you the following. When I first began taking lessons years ago I lived in an apartment, which precluded me owning an acoustic piano right away. So I purchased a Yamaha Clavinova to practice on. I used to make my way over to the University's music department whenever I could, (2-3 times per week), and sneak my way into the music classrooms where they had numerous Steinway and Baldwin small to medium sized grands that were kind of beat up, from all the use, but high quality grands, nonetheless. I remember what a thrill it was to play on those instruments as I prepared for my first recital. Finally the first recital, at Steinway Hall in Manhattan, was upon me. I got there about an hour and a half early, like a kid in a candy store, and couldn't believe I got to move from one incredible instrument to another, at will, with no one hovering over me or trying to keep me from playing so they could give a sales pitch. I proceeded to play my first recital, three Chopin Preludes and a Bach Prelude, in the rotunda area of S&S Hall on a 9 foot Steinway "D". I vowed from that time forward, that I would someday have a Concert Grand, no matter what it would take. When I purchased my home I was finally able to begin my trek toward that ultimate goal. I began with a Yamaha U3 upright, which was a nice instrument for my entry into the world of acoustics. After a couple of years I traded it in for a 5'7" Tadashi grand.....a now defunct Japanese maker who modeled their scale on a German/European model. It had a sweet tone, uncharacteristic for most Asian pianos. Next came the Bechstein "A". A piano from 1876 that was completely remanufactured from the ground up.....beautiful to look at, but always left me feeling that something was lacking both tonally and in touch/response. This despite constant regulation/re-regulation and voicing by top techs. So I moved on to the Steinway "B". A gorgeous instrument from 1934 with a top of the line rebuild/remanufacture by craftsmen that used to work for Steinway, then Faust Harrison, then went out on their own in a shop in Yonkers. What an incredible instrument this was.....power, subtlety, control and golden tone. So I pretty much figured that this would be my piano for life....until I played the CC2. I came upon my Mason quite by accident. A nine foot monster that drew me to her. Rebuilt to a level I had rarely seen, I was blown away by how the two of us connected, and I knew I had to have her. Uh oh, this is beginning to sound like a Romance novel . Anyway, my point in all of this was that, despite all the other high quality instruments I have been fortunate enough to own, NOTHING even comes close to the Mason. This piano combines incredible craftsmanship, high quality materials, an immense, yet controllable, sound and a wonderful touch that blows away anything I've played. I feel very fortunate, as I know you will with yours, to have this piano in my life. The joy it brings is incalculable. I am SO happy for you and wish you many years of happy, healthy playing!!!!!

CC2 - I'll happily invite you over to play the (new) AA, and maybe sometime I can year your fantastic piano!! I was pushing the Spousal Acceptance Factors by going with the AA in an apartment, so I may have to wait a bit before getting a full Concert Grand!! Congrats to you as well. I'd really love to hear a classic CC sometime.

The first lesson with the new classical teacher went well. She liked my musicality and expression, and ability to memorize and keep time, but did, in fact, point out several technique issues we will work on so I don't get bad habits ingrained and can progress further. I am very happy.

Best - Jeffrey

Jeffrey,
I will certainly be happy to take you up on that, and extend the invitation your way as well. It is really fun to have someone else sit down at the instrument you are so familiar with and listen to it from an entirely different perspective.
All the best,
Dan

a real page turner.. i love stories about pianos

Piano arrived today. Wow!! Please forgive me if I don't post too much tonight.