Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum My new Frederick Adjustable Concert Series Tufted Bench!

Thanks for the review, shaolin! I just added this to my wish list on Amazon (you can add anything to that wish list - sold by Amazon or not) which is the default place my family goes to look for gifts for me!

Now if only my birthday or Christmas were coming up sooner....

You are welcome and I hope someone picks it up for you!

I have had this same bench for about 6 months and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Very sturdy, but (bad for me) also very heavy. Facing back surgery in July and having to sell it. If you live in Eastern NC, look it up on Craigslist. Hate to part with it, but I will not be able to lift it after surgery and for some time afterward.

Just out of curiosity, why are you lifting your piano bench? Mine stays put pretty much all of the time. I might give it a nudge here or there, but no reason to ever lift it off the ground.

My ex-girlfriend's violin is always in the box, I think that it is better for the violin which is much more weather sensitive than the piano.

nice bench! i want one too

They are also available on eBay with an "or best offer" listing. There are a number of color and finish variations to choose from. They are marketed from Jim Laabs Music where Shaolin purchased his bench. Me too.

I think that in a true comparison, it would be nice to have an inverted view of the Jansen side by side with the Frederick. The engineer in me says that there is a world of difference between the two benches in terms of the mechanism itself. Other than that, wood is wood and vinyl is vinyl. I hope it serves you for a long time.

Your room is looking so nice now, Shaolin. I particularly like the new artwork on the stair walls!

made you smile

haha thanks Steven!


Yeah that would be nice to see how it looks. Never seen one of those.



Thanks, I stole them from my HT room I must get some that match the rest of the decor soon, just wanetd to make sure they made a difference..and yes they do!

Just wanted to revive this thread to thank you all for starting it.

I just received my Frederick Concert Series Ebony Polished bench today. I was looking for a substantial adjustable bench for many hours of daily practice. However, I'm in no position to spend $650 on a Jansen. While searching through the forums here, I came upon the thread to which Minnesota Marty refers above.

He tells the truth: people gave him all kinds of friction for mentioning the Frederick benches. Basically the sense I got from a lot of folks on that thread was this: if you are going to get a good bench, you should either get a Jansen or not get anything at all. Well, a lot of folks just cannot spend that kind of money on a bench. The Frederick bench is sturdy and beautiful at a fraction of the cost. No, it's not a Jansen; and no, the mechanism underneath is not exactly the same as a Jansen. But it's a real artist bench with a very sturdy mechanism, and it's sitting in my piano room right now.

I think I saw in another thread some musings on the fact that the address of the Frederick piano bench company is the same as that of Jim Laabs Music in Stevens Point, Wisconsin--the dealer that sells the Frederick bench. Some folks thought that was weird, and that the Fredericks must be sub-standard because they're a Chinese-made house brand.

I have no problem with this at all, and here's why. My daughter, who is now in her mid-20s, studied violin rather seriously during her middle-school and high-school years. At some point it came time to upgrade her instrument from the beginner model she used in elementary school.

We went to a very well known violin shop in the Virginia suburbs of DC and inquired. They demonstrated--and eventually sold us--their "house brand" instrument. It's a fine violin, albeit not a Stradivarius. We couldn't spend tens of thousands of dollars on an instrument for an advancing student. So we spent $1,600 on this shop's house brand. My daughter is perfectly happy with it, and she plays it still.

Thanks, Marty, for mentioning these benches. I had a good experience with Laabs Music and I'm happy with the bench.

Hi Shepdave,

I still like mine and have no complaints at all. I think that Shaolin likes his, too. I'm sure you will enjoy yours, also.

Glad that the threads have been a help to you.

Do you want to show it off with a photo?

I have to say, Marty,

That at that price, it's almost too good to be true. If it lasts longer than 3 years, you came out ahead.

the last time I bought a bench 20 years ago, it cost $600. Yes, I still have it, and I weigh about 200# at 6'1".

look shaolin, they linked this thread lol
http://www.jimlaabsmusic.com/piano-benches-chairs/cat_19.html

Never mind the bench.

Let's straighten out the piano casters first, then look at bench again.

Plus piano - "gorgeous"

Norbert

That's hilarious. But they asked you for permission first, right?

I'd like to see a photo taken with the bench turned upside down. What does it look like inside?

See the photos Shaolin posted along with the original post of this thread. He has one of the mechanism with the bench upside down. I took a careful look at that photo before deciding to buy.

Basically the mechanism is like a scissor-jack, such as you might use for your car. It seems quite sturdy to me.

Shaolin,
Great looking room, great looking piano, and the bench just looks it belongs to this piano.
Congrats on finding something that matches perfectly your piano.
I bet you even enjoy more your piano playing. (yeah, we tend to do that by enjoying little or big things that look nice in or around our piano).
I wish someday I will find such a bench that matches this good my own piano.

I sure do love mine indeed and thanks again for your recommendation. I have not been posting as much and missed all this comments..Dont have as much free time so I try to use it to play more than internet now


OMG how did I miss that?! They used my pics and quoted me, cool.



Thanks!


I provided them the link but nobody mentioned they will use my comments or pics for the website. I dont really mind it thought


That is so true..like those small details around me somehow create a sense of balance of peacefulness or whatever you want to call it that just makes it more inviting to play longer and longer.
I hope you find one soon.
Thanks!