Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Estonia L190--looking for reassurance!

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!]