Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Cunningham pianos -- what and where?

Recently in another thread, there have been some comments regarding Cunningham pianos. I was tempted to ask a few questions there, but I was afraid it was a bit too far off topic for that particular thread.

Many of the posters in this forum have very good things to say about Cunningham. It's a brand that I had never even heard of before I started perusing this web-site a couple of months ago. I'm in the early stages of looking for a piano and I don't want to miss out on a good possibility, so I have a couple of questions.

Would I have to go to Philadelphia to try one? Are there no dealers anywhere that carry them, esp. in the Midwest?

To the extent that it is possible to put such things into words, can you describe what is it about them that makes them so pleasing? Powerful bass? Pleasant treble?, etc.

Since I'm pretty sure I've never heard one, it would be interesting to hear opinions about whether there are other pianos that they compare to tonally as a point of reference. It might help persuade me one way or the other about whether a trip to Philly is warranted (if that is the only way to try one).

Thank you in advance for any feedback.

Hi Jeff,

Have you checked out their store website? There are a number of sound examples of different sizes of grands which will give you an idea. You might call Rich Galassini and ask if there are any examples which you might be able to try out in Central IL.

http://www.cunninghampiano.com/

The Cunningham pianos fall squarely in the "American Sound" category. Solid and deep in tonal structure and much more complex than others in its price range. If you are looking for a "light" sound, it probably won't be from a Cunningham. They are full voiced and substantial.

Thanks Marty,

I have been to the web-site, but to be honest, the idea of listening to the sound samples didn't even occur to me. Looks like there are a few videos on youtube as well that might be worth a listen.

Though it's always hard to tell how representative the recordings are, the concert grand sounds very nice. That would fit in my garage.

Hello 88FingersJeff-

Back in April I commenced my Grand Piano search. I am retiring in three years and the first thing on my list was to treat myself to what I have wanted since I first began studying the piano - A Grand Piano. Throughout the years I have played many, but the one piano I loved was the Yamaha "C" Grand. Now, I was willing to sink my savings in a Yamaha C2X. I had posted this here on pianoworld and someone responded saying if I loved the sound of this Yamaha, I owed it to myself to try a Cunningham. Much like yourself, I went onto their web site and read everything and listened to every video they had. My twin sister lives in Philadelphia and I asked her about Cunningham Pianos (she is also a professional musician) and I was surprised that she knew exactly where they were located and not far from where she lived. Armed with this knowledge, I wrote to Cunningham and arranged to go to their showroom and play their Matchless Parlour Grand (5'10"). Peter O'Connor, wrote me and we made arrangements.
Accompanied by my sister, I went to Cunningham Pianos Showroom. I met Peter and Rich Galassini. Peter showed us around and even gave me a tour of their Factory, which is located around the corner from the showroom. We returned and he took me to where the Parlour Grands were located and left me to play.
I fell in love with the first piano I played. It has a full bodied rich tone which lends itself to Jazz, in particular. There were no breaks in the tone of the piano from one end to the other. The best part was that purchasing it right then and there was a possibility because it did not cost what a Yamaha would cost. Lesson learned: you don't have to go bankrupt to get an incredible sounding piano. My piano sings when I play it. I would highly recommend that you contact Peter O'Connor or Rich Galassini at Cunningham Pianos.
Tell them Barbara from New York sent you!

Cunningham Pianos - The new American Standard

The one I tried had a very sweet, singing tone.

Barbara:

This is a familiar story but all the more sweet when someone else recounts THEIR time at Cunningham's, and with such obvious pleasure.

It's a very special place because Rich and his associates have taken pains to make it that way.

Congratulations -

Karl Watson,
Staten Island, NY

Hi Barbara,

Thank you for sharing your story, that was enjoyable to read. The tour of the factory sounds like great fun.

From what I can gather from the videos they do sound like impressive pianos, definitely in the ball park tonally of what I'm looking for. Obviously I'll learn more by actually playing one. Before I make a final selection, I'll have to make sure to do just that.

As I mentioned, I'm in the early stages of my search so there is plenty of time. I tend to take things like this slowly.

Jeff-

By all means, take your time. But, please do take the time to visit Cunningham Piano. You won't regret it.

Thanks Barbara,

I'm pretty well convinced that I do need to check them out when my schedule allows. I may be out east in the next couple of months. Possibly I can piggyback a visit on that trip. Or I can find one locally to try as was suggested above.

Worst-case scenario: road trip!

I want to go to Philly. Period.

Dear Rudy99golf,

I know you are Celaya is a few hours away from Mexico City, but I have a customer there who owns several pianos purchased through Cunningham Piano Company.

PM me if you'd like for information.

Best,

How about any Cunninghams in Salt Lake?

Corvus,

I was in Salt Lake City just a few weeks ago. I was amazed how the lake looked from the air.

Your closest dealer would be Kim's Piano in LA, but his Stanton showroom is just 2 miles from Disneyland so you could make a cool family experience of the visit.

Benjamin Kim and his family are very well thought of in the industry.

Cheers,

And the Midwest? Any dealers closer than Philadelphia? Chicago maybe?