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What a powerful - and completely unsubstantiated statement. How so you define "best quality" and how does Schimmel excel as compared to other manufacturers?

I think that was the pre-Bluthner era ... Bluthner sells the Haesslers and the Ronisch pianos for exactly the same price and the same cabinetry from what I was told , the only difference being the name,

I noticed something ...none of you recommend me to go for the A228 which is already there with my dealer . In most other cases I will have to place an order ( unable to go to the factories due to time constraints) .

The Konzert Schimmel's might be nice , but over here in London after trying out the Schimmel C189 and the similarly sized Bechstein A190 , I would be inclined to stick with the A190 .. though I can't be sure this would be true for a larger piano.

Hi everyone.

I went to Peregrine'sonce again (as suggested by one poster) , and am now thinking of stretching the budget a bit to accomodate the August Forster/Schimmel Konzert or even a Yamaha S6X/S7X. How do these brands (especially the semi concert grand models) compare with the other ones I am looking at? (I do know that Larry Fine classifies August Forster as Renowned and Schimmel Konzert as Distinguished , as compared to the Haessler/Bechstein Academy/Yamaha SX series which are Notable Performance Grade).

Another problem is that my August Forster/Schimmel dealer is not willing to negotiate the prices , though I must say they appear to be quite reasonably priced as compared to other brands like Bosendorfer or Bechstein.

Unless one has consciously played a recent Bechstein and taken a look under the hood, very few people are aware of Bechstein's complete redesign of their concert and academy series with a capo bar and a duplex scale. There is kind of an assumption that the traditional Bechstein sound with its clarity still lacks richness in colours and harmonics in the treble section.

If I had to replace my 1887 Steinway B with a modern instrument, it would either be an A228 or C234. Both pianos have an action that simply blew me away and I found something similarly responsive and precise only in a Yamaha CFX. The Bechsteins, together with the Fazioli 228 are a lot closer to a real, full-size concert grand than a Steinway C or a Yamaha C7 in my opinion.

The Yamaha SX series are among the best pianos being produced these days both in quality, action, and in sound. The S7X is amazing and it should not be compared to the older C7s, since it has an entirely different tone and origin. I'm sure the S6X is also wonderful, but I have not played one yet. The CX pianos are also great pianos and any accomplished player would likely be happy playing one due to the consistency of tone and action. With Yamaha purchase of Bosendorfer, I think they are creating the best new pianos available - both under the Yamaha name and the Bosendorfer brand. For your purpose, it removes a lot of uncertainty to go with a brand like Yamaha. Just my opinion. If choosing a piano for yourself, then the options can lean more towards personal preference and the appeal of something unique.

Peregrines has a wonderful K230T which came in this morning for around 53000 , its a Konzert series model. I loved it , and considering the price , a steal.

So now I think everything boils down to the A228 vs the K230 ... the Schimmel is 10,000 pounds (12,000 dollars) more but seems to be a much better piano ..... In this situation what would you recommend?

This is something only you can decide. Only you can decide how much difference you hear/feel between the pianos and only you can evaluate how much the extra cost will mean to you.

I do think you should only choose among pianos you can play before purchase unless you can work out some arrangement with a dealer that doesn't commit you to a piano they special order.

If your choice is beteween a Schimmel K230 and the A228, I would go with the former, since I prefer the tone more. It also has a very nice key surface.The Schimmel K230 and K219 are wonderful instruments. Very robust, and keep their tuning very well.

The new design of C. Bechstein Concert is, in my opinion, a significant improvement over the previous sound. I have tried the new A(previously M/P), B, C and D with the new felt, and all are wonderful, albeit costly. Over the Academy line I prefer other makes in the same price range.

My personal taste would however be the August Förster 215 mentioned by AronSF. This instrument is built like a tank, and should suit the purpose very well. It has a warm, mellow sound that is pure joy to play on, and listen to. The new AF 215 is in fact 219cm long,

Thanks. The issue is that both the K230 and the A228 are in stock and on display , so I know exactly what I am buying. Unfortunately this is not the case with the AF 215 . The dealer had one in a practice room , but it was no match for the brand new Schimmel . Looks like I need to plan a trip to Germany , eh?

Nah, just pick the floor model you prefer, taking touch, tone, appearance, price, and dealer service into account...in whatever order that matters to you.

I have played recent examples of Bechstein 228s and Schimmel 230s (I own a K230 now, and had an Academy series Bechstein, two pianos ago) and I would go based on personal preference. Both are really nice, and no two pianos are exactly the same.

53 000 £ for the K230 seems like a good price. I was offered a K219 for 50000 £ that I seriously considered for a while. However, that was before I had tried a new August Förster, and before something came up and I had to postpone the buy for a few more years :-(

As far as I know, August Förster is only open to visit if you have decided to buy something, but since Peregrine retails both Schimmel and August Förster, you might pursuade the shop to visit both factories with you. From what I have enquired AF would normally have 3-4 215 to choose from.

The simple path would of course be to pick the K230 since you liked it. Some of us have probably tried too many models and makes, so it is mostly a question of how much time you are willing to spend. You could end up with the K230 either way, or not :-).

If you are thinking about buying from Peregrine’s- i would recommend you ask to see the pianos in the practice rooms.

They have A forester (don’t remember which model) and a Schimmel Konzert in the other. Both rooms are comparable to a typical living room in size.

The difference is that the practice rooms will give you a better feel for what the piano will sound like when at your house than the show room.

He tried the AF 215 in the practice room, and it was no match for the K230 apparently. It is not for a home, but a charity.

I think, then, it may be hard to beat the A228 you're looking at. I really like Bechsteins a lot. I'm sure it's a great piano. So if no one else on this forum is encouraging you about the A228, I am.

I'm sure the K230 is also a fine piano, being from their Konzert series, though I am not as fond of the Schimmel sound as others on this forum are.

Would that be the actual instrument you'd get or would they order a new 230 for you?

They are selling the display instrument . The new one (built to order/from the factory stock) is 10,000 pounds more.

I understand your sentiment , but this is an academy series model , not the concert series ......