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Hi guys, I was just curious as to what pianos are famous for a very mellow tone.

I know yamaha are known for their slightly bright sound.

Bluthner for their romantic mellow sound.

Are there any other brand names that possess a characteristic mellow sound such as bluthner pianos?

I'm a sucker for mellow pianos.


Chinese piano suggestions are welcomed.

I have not yet heard these pianos personally, but recent "Piano Buyer" reviewers noted that the newly redesigned, 4'11"-long Hailun HG151 and Weber W150 pianos have a darker, "mellower" tone than most Asian pianos.


At the other end of the price spectrum, Bluthner and Bosendorfer pianos have mellow tones.

Among American pianos, the Charles Walter models are warmer and mellower than the competing Steinway & Mason & Hamlin models.

I think one has to be very careful with these generalizations. For starters any description of tone can mean different things to different people. Unless a piano is at an extreme end of the mellow/bright spectrum you will probably find much disagreement about how mellow or bright a piano is.

Bluthner may be mellower than some other European pianos(which is what I think Fine says),but this is not the same as saying it is a mellow piano in the entire spectrum of pianos. I think the description of the small Hailun's tone mentioned in an earlier post may have been from one of those review's(the one on small pianos?) done by a single person(not the more official descriptions/reviews done by the incredibly experienced Larry Fine who also used input from many technicians in at least his earlier reviews). If so, it is simply one person's opinion and not an absolute truth.

Here is the link for the "Piano Buyer" review:

http://www.pianobuyer.com/fall10/92.html

Larry Fine recruited the reviewers, and their impressive credentials are printed at the end of the article. The reviews appeared in Mr. Fine's own publication, over which he has editorial control.

Ok thanks. I'm looking for the dark and mellow sound.

Hailun hg151... Hmmmm.

I shall keep this piano in mind. Thanks.

Again due to my location I would have to order online and ship to my country so playing the piano beforehand to see if I like it would be a problem.

I know it is highly not recommended to blind order a piano but I have little choice.

Alternative is very old, cheaply made uprights alone in my country.

If only Rick jones carried Chinese pianos.
Thanks for the input guys

I haven't played or heard the HG151, but I wouldn't characterize the Hailuns I have played as mellow. Perhaps less bright than a Yamaha.

The newly redesigned Brodmann, Cunningham, Hailun, Ritmuller and Weber pianos have gotten very favorable reviews, and they all appear to be well-made, reasonably priced Chinese pianos. I am sure there are other nice pianos made in China or Indonesia as well. However, please don't buy any model of piano without first playing at least one sample!

You said you lived on Trinidad or Tobago. I have no idea what kind of piano dealers you would find in Venezuela, but there are many piano stores in the southeastern United States that you could try. A few good examples would be:

Euro Pianos Naples in Naples, Florida;
Nick's Piano Showroom in Bonita Springs, Florida;
PianoWorks in Atlanta, Georgia;
Ruggero Pianos in Raleigh, North Carolina;
The Piano Company in Leesburg, Virginia;
PianoCraft in Gaithersburg, Maryland;
Peter Collora Pianos in Dallas, Texas; and
Dallas Pianos in Dallas, Texas.

All of these stores carry both modestly-priced Asian pianos and premium-quality "performance-grade" American and European pianos, so that you can compare pianos at both ends of the price spectrum. Several of the dealers listed above carry Bluthner and Bosendorfer pianos, two high-quality brands noted for their mellow tone.

Good luck.

Interesting.. I'm thinking this is the route to take.. Will have to delay my purchase by a good few years but I should find the opportunity to visit the US eventually and would make it a point to visit the stores you mentioned above. Thank you very much..


In the mean time I shall bide my time with software pianos.

But the dream is to one day own a decent acoustic piano

Another option is to purchase a local used upright piano( usually very cheap, approximately 1500us) and use said upright untill I can travel and purchase the piano of my dreams.

It is easy to find older uprights locally. I know of at least 3 piano techs that refurbish local used upright pianos. And ship used uprights from away.

If I find a diamond in the rough I may just go with one of these.

Thanks for the advice.

For mellow tone, check Graf and Pleyel 1820 and 1830 period!

Hello Mta88,

I agree with musicpassion - go on YouTube and type Hailun grand and you will see several videos with decent sound quality showing Hailuns with a not so mellow sound. They have an interesting sound and quality for the price, but I would say "mid-way" between bright and "mellow" (or dark). Hailuns are not as bright as small Yamahas or other entry-level grands like the Cable Nelson, but there are other affordable grands of excellent quality for the price (mentioned above) with a darker tone.

Of course, a good tech can voice a grand to sound darker or brighter, in the event that you absolutely must buy sight unseen.

The most important is to take your time - happy shopping !

mta88,

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned Kawai yet. I thought that was the "pat" debate between a Yamaha and Kawai that being; the Kawai has a "mellow" tone and the Yamaha bright.

That statement is usually followed up by the next sweeping generalization; therefore, the Kawai is better for classical music!

I will stand with pianoloverus in that semantics is a tricky thing when the subject is piano tone. I don't know what mellow means to the next person (especially after reading Grand Obsession)!

I think my piano is mellow though compared to the Yamaha I had and the Bechstien sitting here.....blob

What would be the chance in Trinidad and Tobago?

The classic "mellow" Bluthners are pre-war models. Modern Bluthners sound very different (to my ears); I am not sure that I would class them as "mellow".

As far as I can see the comments in the PB article linked above(and in
other similar special articles in the PB)are clearly presented as the views of those single reviewers. In some other special articles in other issues of the PB, each individual reviewer's comments are presented as a separate article/section with the reviewer's name mentioned. Some of those reviewers(I'm talking about all these special articles and not just the one mentioned)are very advanced or professional pianists/teachers and some are not.

I don't believe these special articles are meant to be considered as Fine's views, although I assume he wouldn't just quote anything a reviewer wrote him about a particular piano if he didn't think it was at least a reasonable assessment. The reviews/descriptions of pianos in the part of the Piano Buyer and in the older Piano Book that discuss each brand are, as far as I know, Fine's views based on his own observations and input from an extensive list of industry professionals. That is why, at least for me, some of the reviews in these special articles carry less weight than the reviews in the other part of the PB.

Even when the person quoted in the review is a professional pianist or industry professional or a person with great experience with many pianos, it is just a single person's view. As I understand things, that is not generally the case in the other section of the PB I mentioned.

Distance means nothing for those who love.

music

Well At least that is some good news..

Lots of info pouring in on this post..

It's good to know that Kawai are generally considered mellow..

I'm thinking, If i absolutely have to buy sight unseen, It would be wise to purchase from Rickjonespiano.com due to the fact that he rates the tone of the pianos .
These guy play and sell pianos for a living so i would assume that they know what a mellow tone sounds like and a bright one.

Many have strongly advised me to not buy sight unseen
And I understand the reasons why. But In the end, If i wanna get a decent grand piano i may not have a choice..

Travelling expenses, in addition to time off to search for a piano in the US + the ridiculous amount of money that must be spent to ship the grand piano here... it adds up.

Hence the desire to buy sight unseen..

I will wait it out and see if something pops up locally. Or if the opportunity to travel eventually presents itself. But i'm not holding my breath.

This is only partly true IMO. Ricks Jones' perception or description of a piano's tone may not match your own. The only way is to listen to the piano and decide what you like. Descriptions on a dealer's site or at PW are of some help but I think they can only go so far. If you can find accurate YouTube videos and can listen with good speakers, that may be an additional way to help you decide.

Please provide a link to this "other section of the Piano Buyer I mentioned." I don't know to which section you are referring.

The section that includes reviews and news about all pianos. In the Piano Buyer it's called Brand and Company Profiles. It's in every edition of the Piano Buyer and every edition of the Piano Book for more than the last twenty years. The special articles by guest reviewers are quite new.

Here is a link East German grand piano Blüthner the late 60's. It is made in Leipzig. Now located in Kazakhstan in the children's music school. For my taste this piano sounds a little screeching in the treble. A tenor range have some velvet sound.
What do you think about sound this grand?
http://youtu.be/_5AfeXFmuHs