Well, I went ahead and made a (refundable) deposit on an Estonia L190. I do love it and it will be my first grand piano! But it's so nervewracking to make such a huge purchase. Is there anyone out there, including owners/tuners/technicians who have time to leave a comment or two? If it helps any, the other piano I was considering was the Yamaha C3X which was also lovely.

I'm just an amateur player, but putting in lots of hours lately. On the Estonia I played some Mendelssohn, Brahms, Chopin, etc. and it was heavenly--like the piano was just made for those kinds of pieces.

Part of the deal is the piano will have a Dampp-Chaser installed. I live in brutal midwest climate. Of course I will try to run a humidifer in the winter and the AC in the summer, but I wanted the D-C as kind of an added assurance. Opinions about the D-C are also welcome.

YOU'VE MADE A HUGE MISTAKE!!!!





Just kidding:) Relax. They're top notch instruments. You really can't go wrong.

Also, I would not own any piano that I care about without putting a Damp chaser on it. Practically EVERY piano maker out there recommends a DC on their website.

hotcat:

Congratulations to your choice!

You will love your Estonia even more as time goes by, you obviously took to it playing the pieces you indicated.

Make sure you're getting good service from your dealer: as is the case with all pianos, it often can make all the difference allowing your piano to perform at top level.

Norbert

Thank you--very helpful! I tried to find a technician in the area who works on Estonias, to get a professional opinion, but could not find one. Estonias are not sold in my area. I had to drive to Chicago to find one.

The Estonia L190 is a fabulous piano. Congratulations!

Thanks Rank Piano Amateur!

Interesting, those are my top 2 pianos I'm looking at right now. They both have great tone (the C3X being nothing like the C3). It'll be interesting to see how they rate the C3X in the piano buyer guide.

I don't know how it was for you, but right now the Estonia is cheaper for me - and I've pushed the Yamaha dealer but not the Estonia dealer. It seems like the Yamahas come with much better prep work out of the crate. The dealer said he did very little action prep and the action was great. The Estonia's action was really hard and sluggish, but they also had a more prepared model with a player in it about to be moved that was much much better.

Probably can't go too wrong with either one. I was able to try them side by side on two occasions. The first time it was a close call. Then the second time I just knew. Yes, the Estonia was a little less expensive too.

A humidifier from Home Depot would be a lot cheaper and easier to fill than the little thing that is hung under the piano.
I wonder about the heat from the drying strips. Is the humidity in an air conditioned place high enough to cause trouble? Air conditioning is rare here.
My piano is in a very dry climate. I unplugged the heat strips.

Greetings hotcat - from a fellow dweller in 'brutal land.'

The Estonias are lovely instruments. There is nothing else to say. You will have endless enjoyment with your new piano. There is nothing which would cause an experienced technician to be confused or hesitant. The most important consideration would be the quality and experience of the tech/tuner.

In our climate, I am a firm believer in the full D-C system and have them on all three of my pianos. If you are in a single family home, it is best to also add a full house humidifier to you HVAC system. That way, your entire environment will be be controlled across the seasons. In addition to the piano, it is good for people, pets, and all of your other furnishings.

Congratulations on your new piano.

Please see my response on the Technician's Forum.

I've had an Estonia 190 for 5-6 years now. I've had the bushings eased (a relatively quick job) and that made my action much quicker and faster. I also sprayed some dry lubricant under the keys and that also helped a bit, but my action still feels very solid and maybe a bit heavier than average. I think that helps my playing because practicing on an instrument with a slightly heavier action means I can play just about any instrument comfortably. It's much easier to adjust to a light action when you're used to a heavy one than vice versa. The 190 is a players piano you'll only love it more over time.

hotcat- As long as you've tried out enough pianos to not make a decision on the first piano you love(and this seems to be the case), then I doubt anyone will say that from a quality perspective Estonia is anything less than terrific. Not everyone thinks they're as sensational as some posters have indicated(I found the ones I've played mixed in terms of their tonal appeal for me as have others I know), but that could be and has been said about virtually any piano including ones that cost closer to 75K for the size you're considering. I would put Estonia, Mason Hamlin, Shigeru, and probably Yamaha CX(haven't played them) in a group of "extremely good values" among the elite Tier 2 pianos.

Agreed.

Except when people come back later after playing all kinds of others, things become more interesting.

Our last 4 customers in a row.....

Norbert

Yes you can...

I bought the Estonia--should have delivery in a couple weeks!

Hotcat:

As is the case with virtual every single maker, great after service will make all the difference. Especially if piano can offer finer nuances of tonality and has been designed for discriminating players.

Without that, a piano is often like a Pizza without being baked in oven first.

Anybody eating that?

Norbert

'Oh Happy Day' when it is delivered and you get to play it each and every day thereafter!

Glad to hear that you are getting the DC, humidifier (several of us own VENTA). AC was not enough here but I live near the ocean, so also have a Dehumidifier for months when that is needed.

Have you purchased a hygrometer yet to check? 'They' say around 42 RH is desired.

Oh, the things we learn when we own a nice instrument!!!

Congratulations!

You have chosen a truly beautiful instrument. Enjoy.

Not only can I opine that you made a great selection, but in the upcoming issue of Piano Buyer a new feature wiil reinforce that opinion.

[Consider this my first "upcoming isssue" tease!]

Congrats, Hotcat.

I hope you are as pleased with your 190 as I have been.

One thing I didn't count on.... before buying it I thought I was practicing quite a bit, but once the 190 showed up I wanted to practice all the time. And as for noodling.... I could sit for hours just listening to the beautiful sound of a few chords. In a month or two you will be asking yourself why you waited this long to give yourself this treat.

We want pics!!


OT. Hey, Hiya Rich!

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

I had a technician inspect the piano for me. He said, among other things, the piano is a "wonderful instrument...meticulously crafted...gorgeous sound...its palate of tonal color and volume range are exceptional...whatever I asked of the piano, it delivered."

Delivery is arranged for next Friday!

Well if you are going to play Troll why don't you at least dignify us with a less cryptic response and elaborate.

Hi Jim,

It is good to see you here! Either I have been missing your posts or you are one of those "lurkers".

Why not hang out and contribute more here? I always enjoyed your posts.

Good luck with your Estonia, hotcat.

Congratulations!
Yes, taking the plunge can be doubt-inducing, but since buying my Estonia 190 5+ years ago I have never regretted it. It sounds fantastic and my tech also still admires it.
Post a picture when it arrives!

It's common knowledge here, of the problems I have had with my L190. Nothing cryptic. When you stated you can't go wrong, you weren't 100% accurate.

Is reading "The Tribulations of Mark..." a prerequisite for understanding the focus and purpose of this thread?

It is a bit presumptuous to assume that all members are acquainted with your issues.

I didn't think going over my Estonia problems again would be helpful, but when someone makes a blanket statement that "you can't go wrong" and its not true, then I felt it was necessary to speak up.

I wish Hotcat only the best.

You have every right to speak up, Mark. If it's good enough for every delighted Estonia owner to chime it with supportive pats on the back, it's also good enough for somebody who had a less than stellar experience to chime in. Surely we are interested in truthful balance around here?

The "truthful balance" was that several people including the original dealer have made several efforts to help in this case.

The problems encountered were that even after a tech was sent out, no problems had been detected or could even be identified.

The dealer in question next offered a full trade in value, which was rejected by the owner.

It's is regretful when someone is not happy but not accepting what appears to have been sincere help is a different matter.

If a piano is not to one's own liking or not in the state it should be in, it is something that in most cases can easily be improved by additional technical services to the instrument.

It is inconceivable to me if there were indeed an issue with this piano that a credible dealer would not look after his customer. Besides there is a 10 years factory warranty.

Interestingly enough, there was another,independent tech who apparently recently inspected the piano.

It would be nice to hear from him at this point.

If this gentleman would be my own customer I would not rest until the matter has been 100% resolved.

A customer is "always right" and when something is "not right" it needs to be made right. Simple.

Regretfully,the owner [not my own customer] has viewed my efforts to help him as hostile and there's nothing one can do in this case.

There are cases where one can't help even when help is offered.

Regretfully, this one may be one such case.

Norbert