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Congratulations I think you knew it was going to be a GX
grand somewhere inside of youself from pg 1
Here is something to show the grand action of a very
ordinary French piano (an upright )
Sorry I should say the grand action of the pianist ?


https://youtu.be/ez_X4em2f9M

Lisitsa playing that liszt on what appears to be a public or 'street' piano - - Rameau pianos aren't the usual public 'beater' instrument. before they went bankrupt, they were connected at various times to Pleyel and Schimmel, and usually regarded as an upper-middle grade piano.

Valentina is excellent!

Perhaps about the same level as the Bechstein A124 then ?
In the Music Instruments Museum in Paris they have various
18th and 19th century instruments ,Forte Pianos and Pianos
The last item was a typical Yamaha baby grand and a Rameau
upright.(no doubt to represent common 20th century instruments
in contemporary France.)
We had visited a piano store the day before and there we had seen
a Rameau upright .,no doubt that was a stencil.(2018)

Except that particular Rameau has something wrong with it. There are some keys that don't make a sound. You can see her press but there isn't any sound. (I've watched that video about 10 times. And I know every note since it's my favorite piece )

I do not see anything at all what you see ! How odd?

We all know it is a street piano and not a concert grand .,I do not have the music here and unlike you I am not that fond of Liszt.The pianist does have mannerisms where she seems to wave her hand over keys’😊
Perhaps that is what you see ! Discuss in the pianist forum. This is OT.
I would say Valentina is too committed to bringing music to everyone to deliberately deceive!

This is not OT: there have been recent posts on this forum which could have been posted on another forum ‘ your brain.on piano’ posted by Frank, a Gregory Peck Suspense, link to the ABF recital and many others. No one cares or calls out the post as OT.

No one is saying Valentina deceived: she played a public piano with possibly some non functioning keys. No deception was suggested and no big deal. This should not be made an issue.

Why don't you just calm down ! I did not know what exactly he meant.Go and practice or something
and stop being so absolutely nasty !
The Youtube movie is quite unclear to see perfectly.What does he expect a perfect street piano.
Educate yourself look at some of the other Youtube videos Valentina uses ,some really awful street pianos.
You should ask yourself why this makes you so very angry ?
Why I said it is OT is because I was hoping to hear more from the OP not from you!

If the op is anything like me (which looks like) he has no choice but to buy the Estonia 168. Chances are super high you buy twice and pay much more after all like I did: went from NI Komplete 64 to Kawai MP11 SE to Yamaha N1X to Yamaha C6X SE2 within months....

Your heart beats clearly for the 168 Estonia right from the beginning and it sounds like you can afford altho barely. I would check that one again.

Yes, my heart beats clearly for the Estonia 168, and in previous years I would've purchased the Estonia without batting an eyelash.

This time around, I've decided to take the practical approach. I think I'm going with what many people here have recommended - the K-500. I didn't want to post this until I was sure. I think I'm now pretty sure.

My reasons for this are:

1. I love the Estonia 168, but I can't get myself to pay that much money for a first time acoustic piano for a beginner (i.e., myself);

2. The Estonia will put a strain on my finances for a couple of years - while doable, it won't be carefree;

3. The GX-2, although less expensive than the Estonia, was still quite a bit more than the K-500, and I didn't love it like I loved the Estonia; if I got the GX-2, it would be because it was an instrument with great value (i.e., you get a lot of piano for the price, that kind of thing); it would be a compromise, and an expensive one at that;

4. I decided that the higher end/more expensive uprights (e.g., Boston, C. Bechstein Academy, YUS5) were too close in price to the GX-2, and if I were to get one of those, I might as well get the grand action in the GX-2;

5. I concluded that the K-300 and K-500 were the most practical for me as an adult beginner; these were significantly less of a financial burden; they have great resale value and resale prospects; and although I didn't fall in love with them like I did with the Estonia, I still enjoyed their sound and action. I decided I could splurge on the K-500 instead of the K-300 for the added height and Neotex keys. Plus, I was already spending several times less than an Estonia, so I thought the splurge was warranted. LOL.

As for upgrading in the future? Yes! Absolutely! My husband and I agreed that if I get to RCM grade 5 (not a firm grade level, just something we threw out there during discussions), I could upgrade to a grand of my liking. The rationale is that by grade 5, we will both be sure that I'm in this for the long haul and that I'm serious about piano. And by then, I would be a more experienced pianist and have a better understanding of my wants and needs.

I want to thank everybody who helped me get to this decision, and there are lots of you! Thank you! Everyone's opinion helped in one way or another.

Beautiful. Congrats on your decision. I was a returning adult student and found a used K5 in great shape and felt similarly. If things take off I'll invest in the grand, but felt the K5 had great sound and had a few premium qualities to it that would make me happy and encourage me to play. I really love the K5. Hopefully you'll love the 500!!

Best of luck to you!!

This is a beautifully thought out, rational decision. You clearly understand the balance between what you want and what you need. Congratulations on the new piano! Enjoy and wish your playing technique quickly advances!

Congratulations, and best wishes for much enjoyment!

Congratulations, and enjoy your new piano!

WeakLeftHand,
Have you actually bought the K500?

Thank you for the congratulations everyone!



Haha, no, not yet.

Currently in final negotiations with the dealer.

Good ! just keep calm ! (me too!.)

Breathe in, breathe out....

Yes, in...out...in...out...

Now that I’ve made my decision, I feel so at peace. Weird, huh?

Now I’ve gotta go figure out where in my piano/yoga room I’m going to put it...and how to furnish that room with a rug and fabric stuff! And I gotta get my husband to do some minor renovations in that room before the piano arrives!