Ya know, it just kills me to think of someone buying a piano like that (hey, don't give me any #$%&! I tuned a couple of nasty Kimball (yuk! - no, double yuk! I really can't even say in words how bad it was.) and Aeolian spinets today - so there!). If they could just go up about 1K, they could go home with a Yamaha P22: just about 4,000 times the piano for 33% more cost. Sorry, just had to say that. Just my opinion. Terry Farrell ----- Original Message ----- From: <LarryinAtlanta@AOL.COM> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Thursday, February 07, 2002 8:20 PM Subject: Re: Krakauer console? > In a message dated 2/7/2002 10:21:53 AM Eastern Standard Time, > hoffsoco@martin.luther.edu writes: > > > > At 19:17 02/06/2002 -0500, you wrote: > > >I have worked on one of these. Sound-wise and in all other respects its > > >sounded equally as bad as Wurlitzer, H. Cable, Lester, etc... bad. The > > >customer told me that the Krakauer brand was owned by Steinway and Sons. > > > > > >Jim Rickson > > > > > > I think the only thing of Krakauer that Steinway owned was a view of it's > > factory across the East River > > > Of course, you all know that Steinway didn't own them, and their employees > didn't have anything to do with building any of them, and that the only > difference between a used car salesman and some piano salesmen is that the > used car salesman *knows* when he's lying....... ;-) But to label all the > American built Krakauers as bad would be a mistake, since they did build some > extremely well made pianos during their years in business. > > If you've seen one of the Krakauer consoles built in Berlin Ohio during the > 60s - 80s, you should be aware that these were top notch for a console. They > were actually better built than the consoles Steinway built. I don't know if > you can see the Steinway factory from Berlin Ohio, but you could apparently > talk to Jasper Indiana from there, because Kimball ended up owning the > company, and that's when things changed. They ran it in Ohio for a couple of > years and then closed it, letting the name sit. When they got out of the > piano business, they sold the Conn and Krakauer names to a Chinese company > they had initially intended to partner with in China, as well as all their > factory equipment. The name of the company is Artfield Pianos, not Artcraft, > as someone thought. > > The Krakauers being built in China are entry level, thats for certain. But > for an entry level Chinese built piano, they are in the "above average" > category. They hold tune very good, the actions work good, some problems with > bass strings not wound properly so they buzz in a few, and sound and play > about as good as 90% of the consoles that were built in the US after WWII - > better than some of them in fact. But their biggest plus is their cabinetry. > Since they own all of Kimball's old furniture designs and machinery, they > look just like the top of the line Kimball consoles (no matter what the > opinion of a Kimball, you must admit they were pretty). For a piano where > 95% of everyone who buys them are buying the furniture on it more than they > are the piano in it, the Chinese Krakauer is not a bad piano. It's > consistently well made for an entry level piano, very attractive so that Mom > is happy, not a lot of action problems, and it's relatively cheap. > > Just thought I'd toss in my 2 cents worth. It's important to remember who > buys consoles. It isn't too often that someone asks you to help them select a > "high grade performance level hand crafted work of art" and then says "and I > only have 3 thousand to spend, and it must match my queen anne living room > suite." You have to let them find the furniture they want, and then hope the > insides are made good enough to hold up. From my experience with them I think > the Krakauers will hold up just fine for the segment of the market that buys > that kind of piano. > > > Larry Fletcher > Pianos Inc, Atlanta > Dealer/technician > PTG Chapter 301 >
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