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Jordang:
several brands from Eastern Europe

In most politically correct circles, (and especially since the accession of the 12 newest member states of the European Union[1]), the entire region of Eastern Europe seems to have disappeared... But worry ye not, it has been swiftly and efficiently replaced by something known as Central Europe.

Hurrah! A socio-politico-geographical miracle!

-Michael B.
[1] Those being Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta and Cyprus, and then more recently Romania and Bulgaria.

Where to Go Next

My husband was already working on where we would go next, even before our trip to Houston. He could not locate any other stores in Texas with other European brands, even though we have a population of 23.5 million people. I guess most Texans only like fine pianos from NY and Japan and don't know about European pianos. Too bad, because I was growing to love these European Grands. (Yes, most people I know buy Asian pianos, including myself before we ventured out on our quest -- remember I have a Yamaha studio piano and even a Clavinova myself.) Next my husband checked out all of the piano stores in Oklahoma --- nothing there. He read a Piano World post about Seilerdirect.com and called them. After a lot of work he got a price for a Seiler 186 in Walnut or Mahogany Chippendale, ordered and delivered by air-freight in 2-3 months for under $40,000. Now I wanted to play them very much. But where? The closest place was Denver. There were dealers in S. Calf. and Florida, too. He could not find a dealer in NY, and that was a real shame. I love New York City and have been trying to get my husband to take me back to some Broadway Shows for a long time now. He was talking to dealers in Denver and Florida. He had also located a dealer in Philly and was talking with him about a new Bosendorfer in a Pyramid Mahogany case at a bargain price. It is very pretty. :p


Another dealer in Ohio had some rebuilt German Grands. NYC dealers and Allegro Pianos had Bluthner, August Forster, and such that might be my "dream piano." So where and when would we fly next?

One day he came home after talking to Brian Gatchell at Atlantic Music Center and Atlantic Piano Rebuilders of Melbourne, Florida, near Orlando. Brian had a used Bluthner and a used Feurich (Never heard of that one) listed on Ebay. Brian is a concert pianist, was a college Piano professor in Europe, and who is currently finishing his new book on the Great Pianos of Europe. He has spent days and weeks at all of the piano factories, is the importer for several brands, and stocks many European brands as well as other nice pianos. Brian had been telling my husband all about Steingraeber, Feurich, and Pleyel pianos, all of which I had never heard of. So my husband printed off a 30 page sales book on Pleyel and a 45 page sales book on Steingraeber that he found on the internet company sites.

Over the years my husband has occasionally called me his French Broad. I grew up not too far from the French Broad River in NC, studied French in high school and college, and he tells me that I look like a sexy French woman. (He insisted I write that!!!!) He figured that surely I would love a French Pleyel grand in Pyramid Mahogany with a deluxe carved music desk and sexy round legs. Okay now the pictures looked great on the Internet.
Pleyel Pictures Click and see what I mean.

Brian filled my husband in on a very interesting story about Pleyel. A few years ago a very wealthy Frenchman decided to improve the French reputation in the arts. He bought the largest music concert hall in Paris, himself, and spent millions renovating it. He then bought Pleyel pianos wanting to improve the French brand which has been around for about 200 years. Now he has decided to end the production of the uprights and some of the grand piano versions and has appointed Brian to be the importer and to close out the current versions. So my husband was thinking "Close Out Prices on a great French Piano! Wow, sounds like a deal!" Pleyel has previously had Steingraeber produce a prototype concert grand, and is currently designing a new line of grands to be the highest quality, premium pianos. They have built prototypes and moved to a new factory near Paris. The owner wants to take on Fazioli and Steingraeber with the latest and greatest designed and built grands. The only problem was that Brian had not yet gotten his shipment of pianos from Pleyel, but he said that they should be there by early May.

So this was the plan --- buy cheap airline tickets for Mother's Day weekend. Go to Atlantic Music to play several brands and then to a Seiler dealer near Orlando (Pianos Forte) and find out if I wanted a Schimmel, M&H, Bluthner, Pleyel, Feurich, Bechstein, Bosendorfer, Seiler or Steingraeber. ALL this for a Mother's Day gift. (But then, after all I had given him the Most wonderful and amazing four children.)

This is coming from someone who thought a Steingraeber was a greedy person at Oktoberfest, but I love the looks of that Pleyel piano.

I am enjoying your travelog and piano expeditions Jordang.

Looking forward to the next installment!

LL

If you are looking at pianos in that rarefied stratum, why omit Grotrian? A Grotrian may well surprise you, price wise.

You simply must try one (and then post your thoughts here ).

Feurich Grand Piano

Since we were going to Atlantic Music Center my husband began to research Feurich pianos. He showed me a picture of a Feurich Rococo in walnut which would match our walnut furniture. I was amazed at this piano pictured on the website. http://atlanticmusiccenter.com/newpianos_feurich_roccoco.html
(Click to see.)
Our problem, Fine listed the piano as costing $135,000 !! (Very big problem.) When I first saw the Feurich Rococo I thought that it looked like it belonged in a castle or a palace. It did have Chippendale style legs which I love.

So my husband searched the Internet for Feurich Rococo. He found a used 5'7" in Chicago.
Beautiful but a little short. "Could it have the big rich bass I want?" I wondered.

Then ---- BEHOLD! A PW thread saying that someone in Texas had a Feurich 190 (6'4") in Rococo which he had inherited from his grandfather. The thread was from last fall and the owner wanted to know how much it was worth and how to sell it. It seems his grandfather had paid $50,000 for it in the 1980s. Could this piano still be for sale? Would it be the right color? Could we find the owner? Would I love its sound and touch?

So with some searching the owner was found and my husband called him on the phone. Yes, it had not been sold. THEY ARE ASKING $29,000 AND WOULD LIKE AN OFFER. The piano is supposed to be in Mr. Kahn's store in Dallas! So the next weekend we rush off to Dallas. But, shucks, the piano is not in the store. The lady says Mr. Kahn is in S. Africa for an extended visit as his father, who lives there, is very ill.

The piano is not where it is supposed to be and we think that it could have been sold just before Mr. Kahn left. Shoot! Well at least we're having fun taking trips together every weekend in search for my Grand Piano. This sure beats going to my husband's college ball games like we did years ago, or going to business meeting trips and dinners and

jordang, i don't know how all this is going to shake out, but ... can i hire your husband to find ME a piano?

And me...

I'll tell him to consider it. He did learn a whole lot about pianos and I think he is an expert now, but that's just my opinion. When we were in Florida, Brian told him he knew more about pianos than 90% of people who sold them. That was quite a compliment, huh?

And....

?????

I don't want to grow old here, waiting!!!

Problems getting a Pleyel to Florida

Two weeks before we left for Florida, Brian called to say that his shipment of Pleyels would not be there by Mother's Day but he would have one shipped by air freight from Paris to Florida so that it should be there for us. (What a nice guy.) He would order a Pyramid Mahogany for us. Then on Monday before we left he called again. The workers in France take lots of vacations. It was currently spring break and the warehouse workers had more than a week off. He could not get a piano from the warehouse to the airport. He asks if we would like to delay coming. We decide that we can't change our tickets and we are ready to play all of his brands of pianos as soon as possible. "What a disappointment," my husband said. "No sexy legged Pleyel will be waiting for us in Florida." We figure that that drops Pleyel off our list of pianos to choose from. But our list of great pianos is so long that maybe we need to cut some.

Before going I thought I'd recount: I know I love Mason & Hamlin in rosewood, but it is plain. Schimmels are great and come in beautiful cases. Both cost a little less than $50,000. I would love to have a Bosendorfer. I havent't gotten to play Feurichs, Steingraebers, Bluthners, Bechsteins, and some other wonderful pianos. My husband has gotten prices on Seilers in Chippendale, ordered and delivered for less than $40,000. Who knows what other brands of pianos my husband will discover. He keeeps finding more and more choices on the internet.

Your husband secretly doesn't want to actually buy a piano - he's having too much fun shopping for one. Keep on the lookout for symptoms of PPBD - post piano buying depression.

Like the saying goes, "It's the journey, not the destination"!

Jordang, welcome to PW. It sounds like you are having an exciting adventure and I wish you the best. Like Monica said, I'm hoping you end up with a Mason & Hamlin (though I wouldn't rule out Yamaha completely, either).

Good luck!

Now I know why he wanted to help me write this story. He gets to relive and remember all of his shopping details. He remembers all of the pianos that he found for me to consider. And he had such fun checking out online stores and Ebay sites in Europe. He's trying to fight off PPSD! I didn't know that existed before. My family is home for Memorial Day visits. A big extra for having our new exciting piano is that my two daughters and-son-in law are sitting down to play again. Now my daughter and son-in-law have decided they want my husband to find them a piano.

So this adventure has given us such wonderful time together. It has trully recharged my passion and joy for playing. My husband has found and bought books on the great pianists and pianos for me and this is something I have not read a lot about before. Music history covers the great composers, not necessarily the pianists. He has been buying and listening to classical piano music and has gotten me interested and taking time to do this again. And I am going to get a new smaller keyboard for my new grand which will make playing hard music so much easier, possible, and enjoyable.

But...but.... did I miss something? what is the
"new exciting piano"??? Inquiring minds want (need) to know!

May everyone have a good Memorial Day!


Sophia

Wow, I envy you! I wish my husband showed so much interest in piano and classical music! He wouldn't mind if I bought another piano, but he wouldn't want to be part of the process.

Congratulations, and hope you reveal your choice soon!

Bosendorfers at Last

I had played several Bosendorfers of several sizes in Denton. I had loved Bosendorfers since I was 20 years old and this was wonderful. But the new Bosendorfers were beyond our reach financially, so my husband began early on to search for used ones. After much research, we wrote off antique Bosendorfers because they were built with old string scales, and the ones built before 1900 had straight strings. Those built before about 1910 had Viennese actions. After learning this, he devoted his time to finding a used modern one. He got a great offer on a new Bosendorfer 5'8" in Pyramid Mahogany, but we decided that it was too short to have the wonderful bass sound I wanted. (You can check with Cunningham in Phily if you would like the 5'8" Bosey.) There were several on Ebay but none that we wanted. He found a Bosendorfer 225 in Germany on German Ebay that was being sold by a Volkswagen dealer. No fooling! We wondered if it was his own piano or one he had taken in on trade. It was offered for less than $35,000. He talked about flying to Germany and trying it out, but this was not possible until June when school's out.

On a side note, did you see the pictures of the dropped Bosendorfer? My funny honey joked about buying and fixing that one. (Maybe he wasn't joking.) Check out the great articles about this.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...in_article_id=447706&in_page_id=1770
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/12/npiano12.xml

I got to play two used 225s in Houston which were great. Indeed that size seemed to be the most wonderful size as they had extra keys and a wider bass section soundboard to provide a richer sound in the low notes which I would use.

But the dealer would not take only $50,000, which was our new limit. In talking about those two, if we had bought one from the Houston dealer, ( the one we were afraid to trust, and if they were on consignment at his store and he did not pay the true owner, then we would be in the middle of a fight over ownership. Boy, that would be terrible.)

As our trip to Florida got nearer, my husband really wanted to find me a 225 Bosendorfer that we could afford. He found a 10 year old 200 cm Bose. in a Senator Case which was so beautiful. We often looked at the pictures of it on the internet and he called and negotiated a price which was still over $50,000. (Woods and Son)

He then decided that I could have it if I really wanted it. Oh my! What a gem I have for a husband!

He found classified ads in California: a music teacher in LA has three grands and is selling her 20 year old 225 cm. Ebony, and a person in SF asked for offers on his almost new 225 Ebony.

Then just before we left for Florida the 225 cm Ebony on Ebay, in Dallas no less, said: Price dropped to $49,000, owner very motivated to sell." My husband had done it! Two Bosendorfers for me to choose from. Which one did I want?

But Feurichs, Steingraebers, Bluthners, etc. waited for me to try in Florida. Would I love them more? I was now close to getting one of the finest pianos in the world. I had to try out these Grands that I had never seen or played before buying anything.

Not to offend, but it's "irking" me...

The lower tones are bass notes, not base.

sorry...


When do we get to learn about the final selection?

Monica,

If this is the piano desk you are referring to, I believe it is a Bosendorfer, not Estonia, music desk. It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but it looks an awful lot like music desk.

You can see it below.

Derick