Maybe he's thinking about retirement? :p

Worst case, you'll probably still get some sort of a very nice piano even at half the cost of the Schimmel. Which is still great! You're a lucky young woman.

The recent Schimmels that I service are fabulously expressive to play on, and internally show an attention to detail and features that will extend its life. For example, on a recent 189 Konzert, I went through my lubrication routine, and found that the keyframe had nylon inserts to reduce friction from the cheekblock (I added some lube anyway!). Good design shows.

--Cy--

I played the Schimmel upright and was really impressed.

Dad, Be proud that your daughter is so passionate about learning the piano. It's a gift and there's no monetary value that can be attached to it.

Thanks for the words of advice. I have only one more hoop to jump through and then Schimmel upright can be mine. Even though I was completely in love with the grand, I can see that the upright is more practical for me right now as it will fit in a small apartment better when I do go off to college. Also I went back to the store and played the upright a few more times and I am really beginning to be quite attached to it; and after seeing me play the upright my Dad has come around to my side of the discussion, which is grand in itself.

Just by way of a footnote: I played a Schimmel upright for years to accompany a violinist friend of mine. It was (and is) a wonderful piano--much better than one might expect from an upright. Good luck in both obtaining it and enjoying it!

BTW, is it Irene Adler as in Sherlock Holmes?

Excellent deduction, yes I did take Irene Adler from the Sherlock Holmes stories. I have been a fan of the stories for years. My sister who plays the violin has promised to learn the opening theme from Granada productions one day. I really hope this is the piano I get to take home. In my long quest for a piano I lost out on a piano that I really loved, but C'est la vie.