Zimmerman Grand

[Richard Brekne]

Ah yes the Zimmerman.

Now HERE is a piano I would just love to hear the re-scalers / 
re-designers comments on.  These have to be the deadest sounding 
instruments I've ever run into. And not just the bass either.  The only 
success I can relate in improving these at all from a field tech 
perspective was aggressive string leveling and mating, along with as 
good a regulation as the things allow for.

Not a great action by anymeans. Along with the Forster instruments the 
action flanges always showed signs of some kind of a chemical being used 
on the bushings, which inevitably lead to sluggish action. The uprights 
on both used plastic flanges so you couldnt really use the water/alcohol 
trick. Repinning was the only cure.

Eastern Germany piano, still made I believe and there are a few clones 
I've heard of with similar sound characteristics. They actually held 
tuning well enough, tho they were plagued with lots of false beats of 
various sorts which took on a particular acoustical flavour when the 
overall deadish sound was mixed in.  Not my favorite piano by any 
means... but reasonably popular with the buying public.

Cheers
RicB


Terry writes:

I tuned a 1980 Zimmerman microgrand today - my first one.  Kind of a =
dead less-than-stellar piano.  Is Zimmerman kinda like the Kimball of =
Germany?