Posted by: David Kirkham
THANK YOU KEITH KERMAN AND PIANO CRAFT!!! - 12/11/04 02:10 PM
Hello All,
Well, I finally did it! I purchased a piano—from Keith Kerman of Piano Craft—and I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER!!!
Why did I go all the way across the country to buy a piano…well, here it is.
In August of this year, I began playing the piano again. I had talked to many of my friends and they were all recommending I do something besides think about cars all day. One of my customers then told me he was taking violin lessons to clear his head. He said he took violin because if he didn’t devote 100% of his thoughts to the violin, the screech he made was unbearable. As such, he found he was much more productive in his professional life when he had “rested” his brain cells for a while thinking about something else.
Then I had a good friend, 50, get Alzheimer’s and I watched him deteriorate almost daily. It was sad. Then I read articles about crossword puzzles helping people not to get Alzheimer’s and other mental activity was critical to slow the progress…so I put 2 + 2 together and decided it was time to relieve stress and slow down/stop Alzheimer’s…hence, I started practicing again. (Piano counts as crossword puzzles, doesn’t it?)
Of course, it didn’t take long for me to realize the cadaver (100 year old Kimball upright) I had in my living room had long since given up the ghost and was suitable for…well, firewood. Of course, I banged on it and banged on it, and 2 months later I was still banging on it every night. Time to get a real piano, I realized. All the while, I am wandering in and out of piano stores and the mall looking at pianos. Being in the car business, I have heard a lot of lines and seen the BS shoveled so deep I had to put on hip waders…but, NOTHIING prepared me for the ugly world of piano dealers.
This site told me to buy Larry Fine’s piano book and so I did…more ugliness. I have restored many, many cars and so his words of “Buyer Beware” were very clear to me. Who knows if that engine in the car I want to buy was really rebuilt as the owner says? Was it just a “Krylon” rebuild? (Krylon refers to the Krylon paint company who makes engine enamel paint in a spray paint can.” You would be amazed how much “better” a clean and painted engine “runs” regardless of what is inside.
Pianos are worse.
Who knows what is really inside a “restored” piano? Who knows if the piano just had a “Krylon rebuild?”
Oh well, off to the dealer ships I went.
Pianos out of tune.
Actions with keys that fly away from your fingers.
Kawai, Yamaha, Petrof, Steinway, Boston, China this, China that China EVERYWHERE!
China pianos=NO BASS RESPONSE AND DEAD TREBLE!
Pianos “just back from a lease on huge discount.”
Buy NOW and save. What is your budget anyway? Now, let’s just add a few thousand…or more the salesman says.
I had more salesmen lie to me than I care to remember.
They play some chord and then turn around with a used car salesman smile from ear to ear and exclaim, WOW! What do you think of that bass! “It sucks,” I reply.
I almost gave up.
Then I looked at Keith Kerman’s posts. Then I looked some more. I looked for stretching the truth—even a little…no, couldn’t find it. I looked for exaggeration…no. I looked for something that wasn’t right…no. It all seemed to check out.
Now, I have customers all over the US. I think they have pretty high standards. Hmmm, The SEMA car went to a guy in Maryland who even plays the piano. (I usually know quite a bit about my customers.) I asked him to stop by Piano Craft and to give me a report. He called back and had nothing but good things to say Keith, Sam, and the others there. He said the shop was like Disneyland. Clean, and “obviously run buy guys who really know what they are doing.”
So, I called Keith and talked to him about what I wanted. I told him I wanted a Steinway or something like a Steinway in an African hardwood. He said he didn’t have anything in stock but would be glad to look for me. I explained my situation to him that I simply had to have a piano NOW and I couldn’t stand my beast any longer. Keith told me he was making a new line pianos that were originally made in China, but that had been taken apart and been customized to correct the problems and to make the piano very, very nice. The new line of pianos was called Maestoso. I told him I wasn’t interested in a Chinese piano. I didn’t want a Chinese piano…everyone I played just stank. I wanted a “nice” piano—but no one had one.
I continued my search and found a Steinway A. I was apprehensive for all I read in Larry Fine’s book about old used pianos and so I sent some pictures of the piano to Keith. He very kindly emailed me back and patiently enumerated all of the problems with the piano. I felt like he was quoting Larry Fine with each point he was making and slapping me in the back of the head just to emphasize his points. I must have 50 emails from Keith.
Finally, Keith offered, (probably offered it earlier, but I was too dumb to listen), “Look, why don’t you get my Maestoso and let me look for the piano of your dreams--(both looks, and budget.) When I find the piano, I will give you 100% of the value of the piano on trade if you would like. But, I must tell you, you probably won’t want to give the Maestoso up. I thought about the price, 10K-16K depending upon options, and I thought about dreading having to touch my beast again, so I agreed on an option list for prep work and waited for my piano. I chose a larger piano and a corresponding higher price.
I only waited a few weeks from the time I ordered the piano until it arrived yesterday. Keith offered updates all along the way. I was eating lunch when the piano mover called and one of my employees overheard and said, “I guess we will see you tomorrow.” Off I went.
I would like to say, Keith called REPEATEDLY and gave me updates. Keith called two days before the piano arrived. Keith called 1 day before the piano arrived. Keith called when the piano arrived. Keith had a tech arrive 2 hours after the piano was set up just to make sure nothing had shifted in transport!
The movers were great. The service was great…but I still had to play.
I have to admit, I was very, very nervous about the bass…boy was I surprised! The bass blows me out of the house! It is only a matter of time before the neighbors call.
The action is smooth as silk. The bass is as big as an orchestra. The treble rings and the tenor has a beautiful melodic voice. My piano is better than those I played at 2 and 3 times the price!
I called my mom over. She started playing and I couldn’t get her off! Finally, she paused and remarked, “Wow, what a bass! This is far better than my piano.” She has played for over 50 years in our church. I played until 12:00 midnight last night. I played until my back couldn’t stand it any longer.
Keith even called today to see how everything was!
I told him, “What a wonderful instrument! I couldn’t be happier!”
I haven’t smiled this much in a long, long time.
Thank you Keith Kerman and Piano Craft!
David
Well, I finally did it! I purchased a piano—from Keith Kerman of Piano Craft—and I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER!!!
Why did I go all the way across the country to buy a piano…well, here it is.
In August of this year, I began playing the piano again. I had talked to many of my friends and they were all recommending I do something besides think about cars all day. One of my customers then told me he was taking violin lessons to clear his head. He said he took violin because if he didn’t devote 100% of his thoughts to the violin, the screech he made was unbearable. As such, he found he was much more productive in his professional life when he had “rested” his brain cells for a while thinking about something else.
Then I had a good friend, 50, get Alzheimer’s and I watched him deteriorate almost daily. It was sad. Then I read articles about crossword puzzles helping people not to get Alzheimer’s and other mental activity was critical to slow the progress…so I put 2 + 2 together and decided it was time to relieve stress and slow down/stop Alzheimer’s…hence, I started practicing again. (Piano counts as crossword puzzles, doesn’t it?)
Of course, it didn’t take long for me to realize the cadaver (100 year old Kimball upright) I had in my living room had long since given up the ghost and was suitable for…well, firewood. Of course, I banged on it and banged on it, and 2 months later I was still banging on it every night. Time to get a real piano, I realized. All the while, I am wandering in and out of piano stores and the mall looking at pianos. Being in the car business, I have heard a lot of lines and seen the BS shoveled so deep I had to put on hip waders…but, NOTHIING prepared me for the ugly world of piano dealers.
This site told me to buy Larry Fine’s piano book and so I did…more ugliness. I have restored many, many cars and so his words of “Buyer Beware” were very clear to me. Who knows if that engine in the car I want to buy was really rebuilt as the owner says? Was it just a “Krylon” rebuild? (Krylon refers to the Krylon paint company who makes engine enamel paint in a spray paint can.” You would be amazed how much “better” a clean and painted engine “runs” regardless of what is inside.
Pianos are worse.
Who knows what is really inside a “restored” piano? Who knows if the piano just had a “Krylon rebuild?”
Oh well, off to the dealer ships I went.
Pianos out of tune.
Actions with keys that fly away from your fingers.
Kawai, Yamaha, Petrof, Steinway, Boston, China this, China that China EVERYWHERE!
China pianos=NO BASS RESPONSE AND DEAD TREBLE!
Pianos “just back from a lease on huge discount.”
Buy NOW and save. What is your budget anyway? Now, let’s just add a few thousand…or more the salesman says.
I had more salesmen lie to me than I care to remember.
They play some chord and then turn around with a used car salesman smile from ear to ear and exclaim, WOW! What do you think of that bass! “It sucks,” I reply.
I almost gave up.
Then I looked at Keith Kerman’s posts. Then I looked some more. I looked for stretching the truth—even a little…no, couldn’t find it. I looked for exaggeration…no. I looked for something that wasn’t right…no. It all seemed to check out.
Now, I have customers all over the US. I think they have pretty high standards. Hmmm, The SEMA car went to a guy in Maryland who even plays the piano. (I usually know quite a bit about my customers.) I asked him to stop by Piano Craft and to give me a report. He called back and had nothing but good things to say Keith, Sam, and the others there. He said the shop was like Disneyland. Clean, and “obviously run buy guys who really know what they are doing.”
So, I called Keith and talked to him about what I wanted. I told him I wanted a Steinway or something like a Steinway in an African hardwood. He said he didn’t have anything in stock but would be glad to look for me. I explained my situation to him that I simply had to have a piano NOW and I couldn’t stand my beast any longer. Keith told me he was making a new line pianos that were originally made in China, but that had been taken apart and been customized to correct the problems and to make the piano very, very nice. The new line of pianos was called Maestoso. I told him I wasn’t interested in a Chinese piano. I didn’t want a Chinese piano…everyone I played just stank. I wanted a “nice” piano—but no one had one.
I continued my search and found a Steinway A. I was apprehensive for all I read in Larry Fine’s book about old used pianos and so I sent some pictures of the piano to Keith. He very kindly emailed me back and patiently enumerated all of the problems with the piano. I felt like he was quoting Larry Fine with each point he was making and slapping me in the back of the head just to emphasize his points. I must have 50 emails from Keith.
Finally, Keith offered, (probably offered it earlier, but I was too dumb to listen), “Look, why don’t you get my Maestoso and let me look for the piano of your dreams--(both looks, and budget.) When I find the piano, I will give you 100% of the value of the piano on trade if you would like. But, I must tell you, you probably won’t want to give the Maestoso up. I thought about the price, 10K-16K depending upon options, and I thought about dreading having to touch my beast again, so I agreed on an option list for prep work and waited for my piano. I chose a larger piano and a corresponding higher price.
I only waited a few weeks from the time I ordered the piano until it arrived yesterday. Keith offered updates all along the way. I was eating lunch when the piano mover called and one of my employees overheard and said, “I guess we will see you tomorrow.” Off I went.
I would like to say, Keith called REPEATEDLY and gave me updates. Keith called two days before the piano arrived. Keith called 1 day before the piano arrived. Keith called when the piano arrived. Keith had a tech arrive 2 hours after the piano was set up just to make sure nothing had shifted in transport!
The movers were great. The service was great…but I still had to play.
I have to admit, I was very, very nervous about the bass…boy was I surprised! The bass blows me out of the house! It is only a matter of time before the neighbors call.
The action is smooth as silk. The bass is as big as an orchestra. The treble rings and the tenor has a beautiful melodic voice. My piano is better than those I played at 2 and 3 times the price!
I called my mom over. She started playing and I couldn’t get her off! Finally, she paused and remarked, “Wow, what a bass! This is far better than my piano.” She has played for over 50 years in our church. I played until 12:00 midnight last night. I played until my back couldn’t stand it any longer.
Keith even called today to see how everything was!
I told him, “What a wonderful instrument! I couldn’t be happier!”
I haven’t smiled this much in a long, long time.
Thank you Keith Kerman and Piano Craft!
David
Congratulations on the new piano![/b] 
