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My entire family is pitching in to purchase a first-rate "professional size" grand piano (6-7.5 feet long) for my 13-year-old niece, who has been studying piano since she was 6 and shows great promise. We have considered a number of prominent brands - Estonia, August Forster, Grotrian, Bechstein Academy, Shigeru Kawai,and some used Steinways. All of these pianos sounded fine, but we have yet to audition a piano brand that is not nearly as well-known as the other brands - specifically, the Brodmann Professional and Artist series pianos in the 74", 84" and 89" sizes.

Like I said, Brodmann is not nearly as prestigious as the other brands we have looked at, but the prices are fantastic. I've perused the Brodmann website and listened to some salesman, and it sounds almost too good to be true - high-quality German componentry, build quality and sound at low Chinese prices.

We wish to hear from people who have played Brodmann pianos, and from technicians who have worked on them or evaluated them. We want to know whether these instruments really are the high-quality, low-price value that the salesmen are touting, or are they just typical "stencil brand" pianos backed by a lot of marketing hype?

See the UK Piano Forum and contact Chris Venables.

I've played two models of Brodmann grand at a piano dealer. I didn't spend a great deal of time with them.

To answer the subject: "are they a value?". Yes, in my opinion they are a value. My impression is that they are a good option to compare with other consumer grade pianos. I would comparison shop them with the Hailun pianos, the Yamaha G-series (and perhaps the Cs) and the Kawai RX pianos.

They are not the same level piano as an August Forster, Grotrian or Shigeru. Those are significantly more refined pianos. Touch, tone, and probably longevity are going to be better on these tier one pianos.

It may or may not be significant that they are sourcing parts stamped with "made in Germany". Shigeru Kawai apparently doesn't need to import parts from Germany to make stunning pianos. Perhaps the European parts do add to the quality (IMHO it would require a piano designer to fully answer that question), but I think it's worthwhile to realize it's also a marketing ploy.

So to summarize my opinion: They're a good value and it's a fine decision to buy one. But they're not worthy competition to a Grotrian, Shigeru or Forster.

Yes, I've played extensively on, and own a 187 Brodmann. Very good quality in build, tone and touch. Not aware of any overly marketing hype or a stencil brand status in regards to Brodmann.
Have you played one ? How did it feel ?

The Brodmann is a good value in today's marketplace. If you enjoy it you can be assured that it will perform well and hold up well.

Frankly, if we did not take on the Matchless Cunningham project ( www.cunninghampiano.com/cunningham/ ), we might be Brodmann dealers. Both the Cunningham and the Brodmann are currently "Editor's Picks" in the Spring 2013 Piano Buyer.

It cannot be compared to the other brands you are considering. They are in different leagues.

Good Luck,

Make an appointment to visit PianoCraft in Gaithersburg, MD

Go see and play one of their Brodmanns - which will be expertly prepped.

My guess is that you will buy it.

I have played, sold, and serviced Brodmann pianos for going on six years now.

I also service Brodmanns on an ongoing basis for my clients who have been using them for as many years.

There is nothing I have seen to suggest that the pianos will not continue to hold up well, and they are very musical and much appreciated by their owners.

Unlike most other pianos, the Brodmanns I have voiced (and most of them do need some voicing) have remained stable and most have not had to be addressed again. I attribute this to the high quality of the Abel hammers, and there are a nice range of tonal palettes possible.

Also, the amount of sustain in the high treble is rather remarkable as it is seldom found to that degree on most other pianos and sometimes even on pianos costing several times more.

The attributes described above as well as the playability of the action do cause many enthusiastic pianists to embrace what Brodmann has been doing in their combined approach to produce a very musically desirable yet affordable piano.

By all means consider it with confidence and let us know what you think!

Thanks,

Nick

Hi Almaviva, anything to do with Le Nozze di Figaro?

I service a pair of Brodmann CE-175's every week at a dueling piano bar here in Sandy Eggo. i have a thread about it in the Tuner Technician's forum: The Shout!House

I agree with what everyone else here has said. I think, for the money, they're well worth it. The pianos at the club take an unholy beating every night, and I think they're holding up well.

As dealers we have only experience with the PE and Artist series pianos, especially the 5'4, 6'2 and 7' grands

Among the many owners for these pianos we have a number of local teachers, some performing at concert level.
The pianos are also used in several church and school setting, all with great success.

Brodmann is not only a very decent, but actually outstanding piano which is regularly picked by those visiting us, often having a much more expensive piano in mind.

Perhaps that's why some dealers are reluctant to carry the brand.

Once in same showroom and side by side with certain others, they can easily "screw up" a possible deal on a much more expensive piano for which client came and actually had funds...

Norbert

Almaviva doesn't count here!

Rich, that's Leporello who can count.

Now, we have only 20 to go. Twenty one if the lost score for Die Entführung aus dem Broadman is ever located.

I would groan... but I started this, didn't I?

LOL.

Yes, Rich, you did start it! When I chose that handle, I was wondering how long it would be before somebody started cracking puns along these lines. I've enjoyed it!

"Le Nozze di Figaro" is my favorite opera, but somebody else had already chosen "Figaro" as their handle. So Count Almaviva was my second choice.

Yes, OperaTenor, it does. "Figaro" is my favorite opera of all, but somebody else had already chosen "Figaro" for their handle. So the Count was my second choice.

Thanks, guys. This is the first time I have ever posted anything on this forum, and I'm really impressed by the speed with which I received replies, and how informative the replies were. I enjoyed the puns, too!

I get the impression from your replies that, while the Brodmann is good value for the money, it is NOT "a Sauter for the price of a Samick". Oh well, that was wishful thinking on my part. I guess I'm still reeling from sticker shock over the prices of new performance-grade grands. We hope to audition the Brodmann for ourselves in the near future.

The Richmond area isn't exactly overflowing with high-end piano dealers - Bechstein, Petrof, Schimmel, Schulze Pohlmann, Steinway, and Charles Walter are the only first-tier brands represented here, and the local dealers have very limited selections in their inventories. We plan to go to New York within the next few weeks, where our budding virtuoso can audition all the first-rate brands either side-by-side in the same showroom, or at another dealer next door on "Piano Row". There is at least one dealer in New York that carries Brodmann pianos as well as established first-tier brands like Bechstein, Mason & Hamlin, Steinway, Yamaha CF, etc. We'll let you know how Brodmann stacks up against the high-end "usual suspects".

Thank you again.

I have owned a Brodmann BG 187 for four years. I cross shopped it with Yamaha C series and Kawai RX series (among others). I preferred the sound of the Brodmann and it was significantly less expensive.

It still sounds great and I have had absolutely no problems with it.

I for one am glad your first experience here went well.

FWIW, if you're going to NYC, Philadelphia's on the way, and if it was me, I wouldn't pass up a chance to visit Cunningham Piano. Also, as Rich mentioned earlier, the Cunningham is on par with the Brodmann, so it might be worth checking out.

Just a suggestion.

I'm a big fan of the Cunninghams. It's definitely worth a check out.

My experience with Brodmann pianos has been thoroughly mixed.

Yes, they sound good and yes, they feel good. At first.

Sadly, my piano has developed some problems a few years (4 to 5 years) down the line - the strings are breaking under the capo like nobody's business, and the action is not resilient to heavy practice loads. The keyboard bushings wore out after a little over a year. The quality of the action parts is not high, the bushings are not great and some of the glues used in my particular piano are atrocious.

Look, it's a good enough piano if you're not going to put it through too much work. It is NOT the same quality as the Yamaha C series or Kawai RX - in my opinion and experience. If you plan to use it as a piano to get you through grade exams, pre music college, and perhaps even through the first few years of conservatoire, then yes, it's good.

I'm trying to remain as balanced as possible. I chose the Brodmann because of it's sound and touch, but it's longevity under heavy use is a problem. If you want something that is going to be used a lot for concert level preparation and practice, you should look at something in the higher price range.

In my experience the bomb-proof pianos are: Steinway, Yamaha, Bluthner, Kawai, Boston, Bechstein. Bosendorfer are also pretty robust. All of these instruments cost more than the Brodmann, and the Brodmann's strength is that it is a very good sounding piano built to a price. But, a price it is indeed built to.

In fairness to Brodmann, I have been assured that there have been improvements to the pianos in the last few years. However, it is still of the opinion that Yamaha and Kawai are a better option as a professional workhorse. There are reasons why a Yamaha CF series, Steinway and Bluthner build six feet pianos for £50 to 70 000, and a Brodmann 187 costs £12,000 and it's because you simply can't build a piano of exceptional quality for that price. I'm happy to say that what they've done for that price is surprising, but caveat emptor.

Thanks, operatenor, we just might do that.