Petrof 7'-0" Versus Kawai RX-6 (7'-0")

[Leslie Bartlett]

I'm pretty ignorant of a lot of the esoterica of pianos. I only know 
that none of my customers owning a Petrof  has done other than praise it 
highly.
les bartlett

Bruce Dornfeld wrote:
>
> I have worked on many Petrof pianos and would add a few observations.  
> Petrofs have been imported from Prague for many years now.  Early 
> Petrofs show Czechoslovakia, later ones the Czech Republic as country 
> of origin.  The quality of the pianos improved a lot over the years.  
> I would not make a recommendation about a new Petrof from experience 
> with older models.  Geneva International was until recently the only 
> legal distributor of Petrofs in the USA.  Joe Swenson, when he was 
> their head of technical services, visited the factory frequently.  Not 
> long after the fall of the iron curtain he noticed such improvements 
> in the pianos that he asked the factory workers about why.  After 
> consulting each other in Czech, they laughingly told Joe in English, 
> "We could be fired now."  They have had a R&D department which has 
> taught classes about their research at PTG seminars and technical 
> institutes.
>  
> If I recall, the new 7' Petrof was called the Passat.  It had not only 
> a new scale, but is the only Petrof I've seen with all individually 
> tied (looped) tenor and treble strings.  It was a very impressive 
> looking and sounding piano.  I won't try to compare with the Kawai; 
> both are excellent pianos, the Kawai is a better known commodity.
>  
> One thing I always recommend for Petrofs and most European pianos is a 
> complete Dampp-Chaser system.  If your climate is anything like here 
> in Chicago, the Petrof will suffer from it more than the Kawai.
>  
> I would also make sure of the source of the warranty of the 
> Petrof.  Geneva International was involved in a legal battle over 
> distribution rights for the Petrof in the USA.  Geneva has since 
> closed their doors.  I do not think they will handle warranty claims 
> in the future.  Currently the importer is Petrof U.S.A., LLC.  Paul 
> Rea is listed as the contact, their address is in Liburn, Georgia.  
> The website is www.petrof.com <http://www.petrof.com> and email: 
> petrofpianosusa.com.  If the dealer bought the piano from Geneva, will 
> the warranty be honored?
>  
> For my money, the Petrof is a great piano and value.  I would let the 
> buyer choose by playing, the tone and touch of the Petrof and the 
> Kawai are different enough for this to be a big factor. 
>  
>  
> Bruce Dornfeld, RPT
> bdornfeld at earthlink.net <mailto:bdornfeld at earthlink.net>
> North Shore Chapter
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