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Hi, has anyone played the new 2017. Fazioli models?
I played them next to the 2014. models and the new ones sound different; IMHO they are a bit darker and "rounder" sounding, yet maintaining their clarity.
Thanks
Zed

Oh have they changed things? It's possible that the particular 2014 models you'd played were a bit more played-in.

Hi Joe,
It is quite possible that the 2014 were more played and hence brighter; if hammers are new and softer in the 2017 model I would expect slightly less clarity which was not the case, but again Fazioli prep is second to none.
I heard that Fazioli is researching new soundboard technologies and to me the 212 2017 model sounded differently - more complex, rounded- intriguing.
Just sold my NY Steinway B and in the market for a piano with same sustain/ power but more transparency/ clarity.
In 2 weeks will be sampling F212 and F228 next to each other - both 2017. models. Also in contention Hamburg B.

Have you read the Piano Buyer Fazioli review that was recently published?

No, in fact I must be honest I don't read it often

I have to agree that the new 2017 Fazioli 212 has a more complex tone, which is certainly more pleasing to my ears than the older models I heard in 2012-2013. I have been tracking how the tone of this particular 212 has evolved since it arrived it my dealer early this year. I wouldn't exactly describe the tone as "darker" straight out from the crate. It was actually very bright, which combined with the light and responsive action, made for a very "live" piano. What made it very attractive to my ears was the greater variety of overtones which resulted in a greater complexity of tone than the earlier models, which resulted in it in much fuller sounding tone, even when played loudly.
That same complexity allowed for a still beautiful, if darker tone, when voiced down. In contrast, I felt that an older model Fazioli 212 from 2007-2008 had a more straightforward, clean, but clinical tone, which did not respond so well to voicing down - merely became duller tone. Of course, the clarity and sustain that is the hallmark of the Fazioli tone has been retained even *with* the greater complexity of tone.

A recording of that particular 2017 Fazioli after voicing down can be found here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By8_i5xJaKA

Not sure I agree with or maybe just cannot understand some of your points.

I think all notes on any piano have the same overtones. It's the relative loudness of the overtones that make pianos sound different. Also, at least as understand it, clarity of tone and loudness/variety of overtones(what some people call complexity) work mainly against each other. If a piano has greater amount of louder overtones almost by definition it is less clear than a piano with less audible overtones. So I don't see how one can increase complexity without decreasing clarity.

Maybe I need to rephrase - the new Fazioli 212 still manages to sound very clear with strong sustain despite the greater complexity of tone. Of course, you are right that there is a trade-off between complexity and clarity. Within that spectrum, the new Fazioli still clearly leans more towards the "clear" end of the tonal spectrum (if less so than earlier models), as compared to the "complex" side which Steinway leans towards. Put differently, the new Fazioli 212 appears to have moved closer to the centre of that tonal spectrum .

OT:
Zedd01, I like your username: was it inspired by the EDM musician Zedd? If so, are you a fan of his? I certainly am! Listening to his music right now as I type!

There was a lovely display of Fazioli instruments at the recent Messe in Shanghai. The new Fazioli booth was a welcome relief from the noise, in that it had plexiglass (or maybe glass) panels enclosing the booth. Since they were one booth away from Steinway, which also had a large display of instruments including a D, and Schimmel, it was nice to be able to listen to the pianos in relative quiet. Certainly, the quality of these pianos is impeccable, and I have always loved the feel and control of their instruments. However, to me, the pianos retain what some of you have labeled "clairty" but to me sounds a bit overly brilliant. I didn't notice any significant change in tone from the models I played last year or the year before, and to me, with the success they have had in the marketplace, that's probably a good thing.

Thank you Wzkit1
- your experience described is very similar to the one I had - more complexity with all the other known Fazioli traits.
I will have a second opportunity to try the 212 and 228 in 10 days and see how it goes.

I was lucky to play at the Fazioli Concert Hall in Sacile this summer and the 278 on stage was the most perfect piano I've played so far - action/ responsiveness was not so surprising as I expected them to be exceptional. What surprised me was the tone - far from the clinical, cold tone often described when it comes to Fazioli - this was one complex - it was easy to create different types/ qualities of tones - it was not as brilliant and clear yet it maintained a very transparent soundscape. Of course another factor was the small hall that has near perfect acoustics.

Interestingly, I had a chance to try the F183, F212, F228 and F278 at the local dealer. This particular F212 had by far the most complex tonal character that suited my tastes, but the F228 and F278 in particular had the cleaner (but by no means colder) tone that one has tended to associate with Faziolis. I am wondering how much of that difference is a deliberate feature of the different scale designs of different models, and how much it is due to that particular piano in question.

Isn't that always a question that's very difficult to answer? Is that not, also, why one is invariably told not to buy the model but to buy the particular instrument?

Could the differences also have to do, in part, with prep of the individual pianos?

Regards,

Perhaps voicing played a part, but I sensed something more inherently "structural" in the differences in tone that one would not usually attribute to voicing or regulation. Over the course of the past decade, I have noticed subtle (or perhaps not so subtle) changes in the new Faziolis that hae been delivered. What was once (to my ears at least) a somewhat loud (or clinical?) pianos a decade ago have evolved into something more complex, whose tone I find now far less easy to describe.

I think it's unlikely that Fazioli would design one of their pianos to be tonally different from their other models. I think most manufacturers want a pretty standard signature sound across models. Perceptions of sound are pretty personal so it's also possible that other pianists wouldn't hear the Faziolis the way you do.

Hi, neighbor!

I too had the pleasure of visiting Sacile this past summer, and the F278 aka merlin aka smeriglio was indeed a magnificent instrument perfectly matched with the room.

The F212 and F228 you may be trying across the bay may not be 2017... look at the serial number. However, I wonder how many of the new pianos with the laminated (!) soundboard are in the US, though. However, I've tried several with double-layer board, and a friend just purchased an F212 with triple-layer board, and I've heard it's really spectacular.

I also had the pleasure of playing a Fazioli this past summer. It was a first time for me playing one, so I can't compare to earlier models. At normal volume levels it had a complex sound, but was very responsive to small changes in weight. If I really dug into the instrument it produced a sound that was very bright and incisive. Owning such an instrument would probably make me a better player, but might also leave me very frustrated at my inability to control it. It would be like driving a race car on city streets.

That's an interesting development: a tier 1 piano sporting a laminated soundboard - is that a first? Have any other tier 1 makers ever done a laminated board?

We're used to cheap asian pianos having them, but to have a first class brand doing it might break the prejudice against the laminated board - which is all the more important given the growing scarcity of quality timber for soundboards. It's important we manage our resources better. I wonder it that is one of the aims of Fazioli with this change, or whether they are laminating purely for the reasons of consistency, durability and stability.