Knabe/Samick

[ranjacob@umich.edu]

In November of last year there was a new Knabe/Samick grand at a university 
music school sale.  I don't have my notes with me but
I recall that it was probably between 5' and 5'6", with a case
(slightly orange-yellow brown?) not greatly unlike that of the
1940s Knabe that was our family's instrument. One could sense
a certain kinship in the approach to case design.

I had only a minute (I was looking at reconditioned/rebuilt instruments), 
but it was clear that its tone was a great improve-
ment on other new small/medium grands that I had a chance to
look at, with the exception of Steinways. This was especially
true with respect to a Boston, which was a great disappointment, but I 
don't know how much this results from a lack of voicing
and other preparation.  (Why would a dealer want to present an
unprepared piano?  About the new Steinways, the salesperson
seemed to suggest that it would be understood that the buyer
would work with her/his technician on it anyway; but new Bostons?)

I would describe the tone of this Knabe/Samick as having a tone
(in bass, tenor, mid-treble) of real "solidity", not harsh or
too bright like so many other new grands there, also not
mushy, not bland or "neutral" in a bad sense, interesting, but
more in the sense of a potentional that would need further working on by a 
good voicer or other technician than of an accomplishment already present. 
I would guess that what I was missing was a
certain "openness" of tone -- it seemed at that moment "dense, uniform (as 
a single tone), compact" to a fault, and I'd be very
interested to know if further voicing would "open" it, give it
(as a single tone) more "variety" or "modulation".

I can't say much about sustain or "singing guality"; I might have
immediately preferred more of the latter, but so much of that is
a matter of the player finding out "what that particular instrument
demands".

(Actually, if I could have "walked away with a piano" (I couldn't),
it would have been with a Steinway L of the mid-1920s, the most
beautiful-sounding piano (except in the lowest 3 or four notes)
I had played in a long time. What a difference from the new,
seemingly unvoiced L they had there.  And the asking price was
$17 or $18 or $19 thousand.  If someone on the list might be interested, 
you might inquire at the University of Michigan School
of Music (Ann Arbor, Michigan). Hooray for rebuilders!)

Randy Jacob
--On Tuesday, January 07, 2003 1:57 AM -0600 Roger Jolly 
<roger.j@sasktel.net> wrote:

>
> Hi David,
>                 Knabe grands have a laminated maple rim, Renner action,
> Italian Ciresa sound board, Canadian Bolduc pin block. Renner blue
> hammers. Mapes bass strings.  They are regulated and voiced in California.
> I'm currently working on changing some of the action ratios to further
> improved performance.  Dip is currently at 11.2mm and is being changed to
> 10mm.
> Very positive response from pianist thus far.  Detailing is the best that
> I have seen from Korea thus far and will get better. 6ft 4" is reverse
> engineered from late 20's scale. Will be introduced at NAMM. But I may be
> the wrong person to ask.
>
> Roger
> Tech consultant.
> Samick Corp
>
>
> At 11:15 PM 1/5/2003 -0800, you wrote:
>
> Has anyone had a chance to look at the new Knabe pianos made by Samick?
> Opinions?
> David Love
>