Piano choice. Thoughts please

[David Boyce]

Hi again folks,

Your continuing comments on our piano purchase are much appreciated folks,
and very useful.  I gave the first two or three to the music lecturer
who'se trying to push the piano purchase through, and who went with me to
the piano showrooms.

I also made up a short tape of recordings of Fazioli, Bosendorfer and
Steinway.  Although the models on the recordings are all Concert grands
(S&S D, Bosendorfer Imperial etc), the 'family' sound is similar enough, i
think, to the smaller studio models we looked at to give an idea of the
differences.  It annoys me that the Fazioli doesn't come accross better in
the two recordings I've got (Gershwin Concerto in F, and Beethoven Diabelli
variations). Certainly you can hear that the sound is very evenly balanced
across the full compass, but whatever the recording engineers have done,
it's not got any magic sparkle.  On the two Bosendorfer recrordings, you
can hear the characteristic meaty and warm bass, and also what soke might
consider the slightly 'thin' 'papery' treble. It excites the ear though.

I'll certainly keep the list informed, Roger, of what the outcome is.
you're not nosey, you're just interested!  One factor of course is that if
the college buys from Steinway (either a new Steinway of Boston), I get a
commission!  However, what I want is the right chioce, I'm npot so much
worried about the commission (I'm so noble......)

Any more thoughts will be faithfully conveyed to the 'powers that be'.

Best regards,

David.

P.S., tuned the newly accquired secondhand bargain Bechstein (1882) of one
of my clients tonight (was late as car broken into earlier).  Appearance
very similar to Bosendorfer - thin kerfed rim. Nice old thing.  Had a
little problem - using the una corda pedal would slide the action a little
forward, so that the end few treble keys fouled the key slip rail and would
stick down.  Evidently someone had seen ths before and tried to fix it as
there was a slip of leather stuck to the front of the keyblock to push the
slip rail out a little. Not enough though.  Easily fixed with a small strip
of felt stuck to the front of the action to prevent it moving forward.