I'm in the process of deciding between a Feurich or Hailun 178cm grand piano. Unfortunately they are both sold by different dealers in two dissimilar locations, making it impossible to compare them tonally and technically. If anyone has played, or is familiar with, both pianos, I would greatly appreciate their opinion as to the differences in the tone quality and touch of the two instruments. Also which, inyour opinion is the better quality instrument?

I wouldn't say "impossible to compare" but clearly more difficult.
Perhaps you can find a way to get a decent recording of each to try and help you decide or maybe go back again and try each for an extended period of time with the same pieces?

Do they sound/feel quite similar to you or is it more that you are having a difficult time remembering the sound/touch?

Aren't they the same thing? The Hailun was marketed in Europe as Wendl & Lung. But now Feurich. Same piano I thought. Hailun definitely makes the Feurich 178. Unless you are talking about a (much more expensive) German Feurich?

If they are the same price, and you like them equally, I would definitely get the Feurich. There is much more prestige in the name and supposidly the Feurich has extra prep done in Germany. Also, I love the open music rack as I can hear the piano much better that way.

In the case of the model 178, I believe they are the same design and same quality. I think there are design differences in the upright models.

This is a great opportunity to compare dealer prep, indicators of aftersale service and price.

Forum member BoseEric represents Feurich and would have the most information regarding the Hailun built Feurich pianos.

The Feurich 178 is based on the Hailun design, but the Feurich has specific features that set it apart from the Hailun. The Feurich design seeks to develop a specific European tone through components and the prep process, which is an integral part of the brand.

Gee Eric!

It's nice of you to resist the opportunity to hawk your wares here but hardly necessary in this case. Anyone who reads here regularly knows that's not your MO, and the question calls for specifics beyond what Feurich "seeks" to do.

If there are component differences that affect tone production, why not state what they are? And even if it's more a matter of prep than build, aren't you the guy who preps them for the US market?

"European tone" always sounds nice as a catchphrase, but a reveiw of the tone of European pianos proves that the phrase can mean many different and sometimes opposite things.

I'd like to know the differences too. Living in the UK there are no Hailun branded pianos here. Just the Wendl & Lung which is now branded Feurich. I can find decent online demos of the Hailun but there is almost nothing in relation to the Feurich. I'm engaged in a tentative search for an acoustic after many many years of digitals and a brief and disappointing ownership experience with a Yamaha GC1. Might go upright, might go grand, not sure yet. But the Feurich 161 or 178 would high on my list. So as much information as possible would be gratefully received!

Steve

Steve

Here is a Youtube video of a British pianist Paul Barton - now living in Thailand - playing a Wendl & Lung (now Feurich) 178. There are several videos of him available - and also him playing a Wendl & Lung 122 upright.

He recently purchased a Feurich 218 for himself, and look on Youtube for him playing that instrument as well. I believe he also purchased a 122 upright for his teaching studio as well. I have corresponded with him and he loves both instruments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8IBiXgenxk


There will be no Hailun brand in Europe - Feurich has the exclusive rights there as I understand.

I would give a great deal of weight to the quality of the dealer. In this case, especially because I am friends with the Feurich dealer and know how much prep they give their instruments, I say go with the Feurich, hands down.

The quality of a dealer (whatever that means) has no bearing on the quality of a piano unless they modify the piano’s structure or components. Most pianos can be shipped from the factory to your house quality intact, uncrated, and prepped on site, by-passing the dealer completely, which, considering the consumer has one less mouth to feed and listen to, is a plus.

Hailun produces stencil pianos for various folks under various business arangements, the 178’s and smaller mostly with a laminated soundboard, in my opinion mediocre for the most part with varying functionality as a musical instrument, and, as evident from the recording, not a lot to love.

Mike

Mike

Thanks, as always, for your insightful comments.

Sure a piano can be drop-shipped directly to the home. It doesn't cut out the dealer, however. The builders don't sell to consumers directly. Certainly, you can select a piano at the factory, but then, the sale will be conducted through an authorized dealer.

IMO most people would include the quality of the dealer prep as part of the quality of the piano they're buying unless they hope to transform the piano after purchase(not a good idea I think).

The quality of the dealer prep is one aspect of the the "quality of the dealer". Nothing complicated to understand here.

Thank you very much indeed for this!

Cheers,

Steve

Good point.

Perhaps what's really meant is "non-Japanese"

Norbert

First price award for the most ignorant statement ever made.

Norbert

I've never found a satisfactory smiley for eye-rolling. I don't think it is any more serious than that.

If there once was (perhaps through the Wendl & Lung European distribution), I don't think there is any prep in Germany for Hailun made Feurichs. Hailun USA has made several different hammer choices and several different factory prep routines as the pianos are being refined. Feurich is probably making their own choices in this regard. Those are not qualitative in terms of materials or manufacturing level, but subjective due to the manufacturer's goals as Eric said. Small changes can make them more or less alike, but I believe they have the same scale design.

Currently, Hailun specs German Abel hammers in all of the N.American grands. Not long ago, they had used a clone of a certain Renner hammer on the 178 and smaller, and before that, something else. Outside of N.America, you have a different distributor driving the bus.

For perspective, I understand there are scale design differences in the Hailun built Cunningham models. Without dragging Rich into the room, the differences including and beyond the scale design are likewise quality neutral but do affect the subjective performance evaluations to win a customer's selection. Likewise, the dealer experience matters both for things that affect quality and those that affect relationships.

If the customer is a curmudgeon, then they might not put much value on the dealer experience, good or bad. There is a solution for that, too...buy a boxed unit, hire your own tech, etc.

These are examples of modern brand differentiation in the complex arrangement of global piano manufacturing. I think it is fair to call them stencils in the manufacturing sense of the word, however the other connotation of stencil piano has meant cheap. Hailun and their competing partner brands (oxymoron, I know) are squarely targeted at the middle (and sometimes higher), not the bottom.

First sorry my english!
I am interested in feurich (ningbo) 218​​. Someone tell whether it is superior to Hailun HG218?
I'm from Brazil and here the Feurich not arrived.

That's quite ok! I play maybe 30 minutes a week. Maybe I should have bought used, too.