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I didn't play much when the piano was in the spare room. You might regret parting with it, so maybe renting an upright for a year and decide the fate of the Knabe in a year.
Whaddya mean I shouldn't be swinging it? Beethoven wrote some great rags.
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Liza Jane, My suggestion would be to sell it or try to get an even up exchange rather than keep it in the basement. How sad for the Knabe. Some uprights do in fact sound better than many smaller grands as far as tonal quality. Today, Samick has started making Knabes in Korea. This is not a stencil piano and they have taken great pains to duplicate the old Knabe's design and scale. Perhaps you could find a Knabe dealer in your area who will take your piano in trade for a Knabe upright. And, even tho' you are sentimental over your current piano, it is possible to get attached to your own piano that you bought and paid for and selected. Check with your local Knabe dealer. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how well the Knabe verticals sound. Good luck and keep us posted
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the question is, are you or aren't you going to play the piano?
if you are going to play the piano, i strongly recommend you hang onto the piano you have and get it rebuilt in stages, if necessary.
what you have is indeed something rare and difficult to find, and possibly very worth rebuilding. even if you decide later you would still prefer an upright, you will very likely at least get your money back if you decide to sell the knabe *after rebuilding*.
i'm not surprised you were told the piano needed no work. most techs are accustomed to dealing with piano owners who don't expect much in the way of performance from their pianos, and yours may be just fine for light home use or as furniture.
since you are in nyc, you have access to some of the best technicians in the country, and some of the very best rebuilders.
the metropolitan museum of art has a musical instruments division and i used to know the curator. he's a pianist and has built and rebuilt many pianos. call there and ask to speak to him and ask him for a referral to 1. a good and trustworthy piano tech and 2. a rebuilder he can highly recommend.
then, have the tech he referred you to come and evaluate your piano. let him tell you what the piano needs, and give you his recommendations. if he thinks the piano is worth rebuilding, then call in the rebuilder to get an estimate.
at this point, you will have a fuller picture of what your real options are and the cost/benefit.
in the meantime, play every upright piano you can get your hands on and see if you fall in love with anything.
but if you do fall in love with an upright, i hope you have the money to buy it, because the knabe is not going to fund the purchase of an upright. and i will be very surprised if you find an upright that can satisfy you for less than $10 or 12K (make sure you go back and play any piano you think you like several times.)
find out the truth about what you have and what it will cost to make the instrument all it should be. then decide.
and get it out of the basement before it deteriorates any further! even if you end up not keeping it, that is going to be a great piano for someone else if it doesn't get too far gone.
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Not to worry guys, it's a basement that's lived in. (This is New York, where we do strange things to get space, and I actually sleep down there, too!).
Knabe dealers? Really such an animal exists?
Liza Jane
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Originally posted by NYCSilk: Knabe dealers? Really such an animal exists?
Liza Jane Liza Jane, check out http://www.knabepianos.com/kn/ BTW, if I had had a daughter she would've been Elizabeth Ann and nick named Liza Jane. It's a pretty name. Seriously, try the Knabe verticals. You will be surprised. They have a nice rich warm tone (which I prefer.) Samick uses very fine materials for the piano. IMHO, the Koreans are doing a beautiful job with them. We stopped selling them in this area and I miss them. Many people preferred Knabes to Steinways for an American piano. And did you know that the Star Bangled Banner was originally performed on a Knabe? Good luck with whatever your decision is. Keep us posted.
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it's not the same knabe. it's made in asia. don't be fooled by the name on the fallboard. you have the real deal. the new knabes are "stencils" and bear no resemblance to the vintage american ones.
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Originally posted by piqué: it's not the same knabe. it's made in asia. don't be fooled by the name on the fallboard. you have the real deal. the new knabes are "stencils" and bear no resemblance to the vintage american ones. You're right, Pique, they are not the same Knabe. NO one is saying they are. But, they are a very nice piano. Have you ever played one? It's already been discussed that she's not going to be able to replace the Knabe she has. but, this is a viable alternative for someone who has to consider price and space.
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Also, pique, I have nothing to gain by this honest opinion. I'm not trying to sell her a piano. I'm just suggesting an option. An option I myself might take. If you look at my profile you'll see I own a Sohmer vertical. I do believe my vertical has better tone than many baby grands I sell. Has anybody else out there played the Knabe verticals coming out of Korea? What do you think?
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yes, i've played them. and the samick verticals as well. i can't stand them. the only thing they have in common with a real knabe is the name on the fallboard.
suggesting that she might like a samick knabe because she likes a vintage american knabe makes no sense.
the only vertical piano i would consider that is reasonably priced is the petrof 131. i hunted for a vertical for more than a year, and that was the only one i found to be acceptable, unless you start spending over $10K.
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Originally posted by piqué: yes, i've played them. and the samick verticals as well. i can't stand them. the only thing they have in common with a real knabe is the name on the fallboard.
suggesting that she might like a samick knabe because she likes a vintage american knabe makes no sense.
the only vertical piano i would consider that is reasonably priced is the petrof 131. i hunted for a vertical for more than a year, and that was the only one i found to be acceptable, unless you start spending over $10K. But, pique, she doesn't have 10K. And who are you to say she won't like it? I still maintain it's a nice piano. It fact, I believe it's a beautiful piano! For the right customer. I strongly believe we shouldn't make up buyers minds for them. She may or may not like the Knabe but it's one of the best d*** sounding pianos in the 5K price range. It's also very well made and they DO use Knabe's old designs and scales. They've come as close as possible by still remaining affordable to the average piano buyer. I don't know where you played the Knabe vertical you spoke us, but the ones I've played have been wonderful. JMHO,
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i agree we shouldn't make up anyone's mind for them. i would never do that. she should play all the verticals she can get her hands on. i think i already wrote that.
i am hypothesizing that someone who grew up playing a knabe grand is going to be very disappointed if she thinks a new knabe vertical is going to make her happy, just because it is called a knabe. but by all means she should play one and make up her own mind.
we don't know how much money she has available for a new piano. if she posted a budget, i didn't see it, so i'm not sure where you came up with that figure.
i suspect that someone who lives in nyc and has more than one story to a house with a basement might have the means to buy whatever piano they like. of course, she might be in astoria, not manhattan, but still, we don't know what her budget is, now that she's had a reality check about the market value of her current piano.
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pique, She mentioned budget when she mentioned:
"I'd been hoping that I could make an even switch; that for the money I'd get from selling it, I could get a very excellent upright which could approximate the quality"
Of course, the Knabe vertical made today in Korea, is not on the same tier as a Knabe grand made in the 1920's in America. I never said they were. But, she herself would prefer a vertical. And right now she's not playing anything because it's in the basement. If she had a vertical at least she could be playing. Also, a Knabe dealer may be more interested in the Knabe grand let's say than a Yamaha dealer would be. In this case, she might be able to make an even up exchange. I don't know. Her beautiful vintage Knabe could be worth "stool" but it's worth the try. The Knabe vertical is very nice for it's price point. If she can go higher, than God bless her! But, that's a different issue. You saw how excited she got over possibly of replacing just a little of the sentimentality she's losing. I'm sure she's not stupid. At least she doesn't sound stupid.
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justme,
i like you, but you are starting to make me wish larry would come and visit this thread.
she was hoping she could do an even trade. that's not the same thing as saying what her budget is if she can't make an even trade.
a knabe dealer is not going to be more interested in an old knabe than any other dealer. either it's a piano that is marketable or it isn't. i don't think trading in a vintage knabe baby grand for a brand new samick/knabe vertical is a very good trade, even if it was an even trade. she would be getting ripped off, in my opinion.
of all the dozens of kinds of uprights she could get, there is no reason for her to focus on a knabe other than the name. there are lots of verticals at the same price point. i personally would rather see her get a used yamaha, kawai, charles walter, or baldwin vertical than a new knabe.
for that matter, there may be new yamaha, kawai, charles walter, schulz-pollman, or baldwin verticals that are already close to that price point. there certainly are new petrofs for around that money, just not the tallest ones.
forget the name knabe. it is samick by another name. just get the piano you love, if you do indeed go for a new vertical.
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pique, I'm sorry. Gosh, don't wish that. We just disagree that's all. Hopefully, Liza Jane will bring her Knabe back upstairs and get rid of something else to make room for it. I just find it doubtful. Sorry, to be so argumentative. Sincerely,
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pique, Also, it's funny you're looking for Larry. I was hoping for Jolly. I know he likes the Knabe verts. Have a good night.
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Originally posted by justme: pique, Also, it's funny you're looking for Larry. I was hoping for Jolly. LOL. no hard feelings, justme. i'm happy to agree to disagree any time.
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God I love you guys already and I've only known you a few days! You are truly amazing; your passion for my knabe and my issues is actually making my eyes get teary.
Here's more information about me, my piano, my house. I cannot tolerate the piano being in the basement "music room". I am a leisurely player--the kind of person who sits down when the mood hits and plays my favorite Gershwin tunes. I go through phases of playing a lot, phases of playing less, but I've never been without a piano in my living room to niggle at me and remind me to sit down and piddle at it at sing, until last summer. Last summer a fella I was briefly dating had the nearly marvellous idea of my making a music room downstairs. I live in two floors of an old brownstone, and "downstairs" is my bedroom, dressing room, and this extra room, now the music room. I thought the idea grand and moved it.
I haven't played since last summer. I hate it down there.
I am also renovating my house, and moving around furniture and budgeting for a new deck, paint job, scrape the wood floors, etc.
So, I budgeted NOTHING for a new piano. I had just figured it was such a terrific piano, sure I oculd make a trade I'd be happy with. I don't want to spend a lot on a new piano. That would take an adjustment in thinking.
So, what will I do? Well, hopefully, this week, before I leave for a quirky vacation to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, I will move the piano back ustairs and see how it looks in a different spot.
If I can deal with it crowding me in, I will do the work on it as soon as I feel I have the money.
If I can't. I'm back in the situation I was in. Instead of selling it, I could move it to my parents house to store, so maybe one of my kids could take it when they grow up and marry?
Anybody know anything about RENTING pianos?
Argh. This is hard.
Liza Jane
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Calling Larry?? Pique doesn't don't need to! [She's quite able of some 'heavy fire' of her own!] You only call Larry before you drop the A-bomb! norbert
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sorry, posted twice. didn't see that there were two pages and kept resending.
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Judging by UK prices for renting, it doesn't seem cost effective in normal situations, but I thought it might be a justifiable expense in your case. At least you'd know how much you'd miss the Knabe. Also, with research, (and some luck,) it's possible to buy a semi decent upright for the cost of a years rental. The main thing imo, is to get something into your living room, or you're not going to play much. Would you consider having a digital upstairs and have a regular session on the Knabe downstairs? btw, when plodding through my beginners book, the first tune with a bit of life in it was "Li'l Liza Jane".
Whaddya mean I shouldn't be swinging it? Beethoven wrote some great rags.
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Piano
by Gino2 - 04/17/24 02:34 PM
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Piano
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