Bohemia pianos

[piannaman at aol.com]

 Hmm, sounds weird, Les.  I've tuned lots of Bohemia pianos, but I haven't needed to file the hammers yet.  I have to admit, I haven't noticed three layers of felt, though I don't doubt the truth of what you say.  I do know that the hammers get pretty hard after a while.  The ones I've worked on respond well to conventional voicing.  What model piano is it?  The 158 can get real harsh sounding.

Key bushings have been inconsistent...some are tight, some are loose.  Hard to say what the manufacturer wanted, it may have been more of a question of how the guy on the line was feeling on that particular day.  Maybe the one you looked at was done on an "I'm angry so I'm gonna squeeze the hell outta you" day.  

Also, more than one has had sloppy balance rail holes.

Overall, I like them.  Bechstein ownership of the company will undoubtedly bring changes for better or worse.

Contact info for Bohemia is Bohemiapianousa at aol.com.  The people there will probably have to forward your technical question to the factory, so the response won't be immediate, but it will get there.

Good luck,


 


Dave Stahl, RPT
Dave Stahl Piano Service
dstahlpiano.net

 


 

-----Original Message-----
From: Leslie Bartlett <l-bartlett at sbcglobal.net>
To: pianotech at ptg.org
Sent: Sat, 29 Mar 2008 8:33 am
Subject: Bohemia pianos



















Do folks know about Bohemia pianos?  I was asked to look at one yesterday for a prospective buyer…….   It was nicely regulated, with the exception of blow distance being a bit less than 1.75, and drop was a bit low.  But what set me to wondering was the hammers, about a third of them, at least, having three layers of felt.  The top, soft, like a Schimmel, was maybe 3/16ths of an inch thick. Below that was something that at least resembled felt, but was  very very hard. Then there was the little colored layer and core.  The store manager said they were Abel hammers- so I went to a distant part of this small store and called Wally Brooks.  He was gone so the lady said she'd call him, with result that he said the company certainly didn't sell anything like that in the states.  One filing and the sound would be compromised.   Keys wobbled like a 35-40 year old Yamaha, and the manager said that the manufacturer purposely made them loose…………   A Steinway, had been rebuild was sitting next to it, keys being tightly bushed, and solid, where the Bohemia as I moved keys back and forth seemed to have pillows on either side, so there was nothing solid at all.  They prospective buyer said the price was $18,000, taxes and delivery included………



I told the prospective buyer the hammers looked like a "compromise" in quality, and I wondered, along with the key bushings where else it might be so compromised.  Anyone know the pianos so I can know whether I was just crazy or not- that being different than just crazy in general…………………………



thanks 


les bartlett




 

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