Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Digital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths & Keyboards Valdesta brand

Does anyone know anything about this brand? My sister-in-law is wanting to buy a digital piano and is interested in the Valdesta GX5 or the Classico 750. I've tried finding a local store that sales these...however, the only dealers of this brand I've been able to find are online stores. I, personally, wouldn't buy a piano before trying it. Anyone have any information?

Thanks,
Michelle

Valdesta is a stencil, at least as far as the acoustic pianos go. I suspect the same is true of the digital.

The acoustics are made in China. Dunno where the digitals are sourced from.

Classico sounds like a moded name used by Viscount. Decent digital pianos.

Ok...pardon my ignorance....but what is a stencil? Larry, are you saying Vicount is a decent digital piano? or Valdesta?

It means that another company makes the keyboard and puts the Valdesta name (stencil) on it.

First, read SteveY's explanation of a stencil. There is no manufacturer named Valdesta, they buy their products from someone who builds them for them with their name on them. For instance, let's say you wanted to start the Michelle Piano Company. You could build a factory and build them yourself, or you could find someone who already builds them and simply buy from them and have them put the name Michelle on everything you buy from them. Now you have a line of product to sell - the Michelle Piano - but you didn't have anything to do with it. I start the Larry Piano Company, and buy the same stuff you buy from the same factory, only I have my name put on what I buy. SteveY is the one with the factory, so he naturally sells his own pianos, the SteveY piano. Jolly walks into a store which carries all 3 brands, the pianos are identical except for the names on them. Your and mine are stencils, SteveY's are not, since he built his himself. There may be clues as to who built your and mine though, such as a logo or model number, or model name that is the same on all of them.

This is why I said the Valdesta may have been built by Viscount. I have no proof, having never seen one. But we know Valdesta digitals are stencils and built by another company, and I knew the model name "Classico" is one I've only seen on Viscount built products. These two things led me to believe the Valdesta is built by Viscount. It is a stencil with a Viscount model name on it.

Now - the Valdesta may not even be built by Viscount. It may be that they came up with that model name all on their own, and they're infringing on Viscount's trademark. But my thinking is that this is not the case. The pianos Viscount builds are decent quality - bearing in mind I'm talking about construction, design, stuff like that. You're the only one that can say if the touch and tone is right for you. Because I hold this opinion of the Viscount product, I naturally assign the same impression to a brand name that I think is one of their products with another name on it. But - it might not be built by Viscount, which is why I made my positive statement specific to Viscount.

Does that explain it?

Thank you very much for that explanation. I completely understand now. I, personally, have a yamaha ydp223 and LOVE it! I was a piano major in college....and have never been one who wanted a digital piano. We live in a condo right now...and just didn't have the room for an acustic piano, so my husband did some research and found this one. I went and tested it....and LOVED it. My sister-in-law isn't a "pianist". She has her masters in music (trombone), but is wanting to start teaching piano for beginners. I'm just trying to help her make a good choice. She really wants a piano with all 3 pedals...full 88-key weighted keys. However, I believe her high end is $850 or so.
Do any of you have any recommendations?

I'm really not up-to-date in the consumer digital market, but I always thought Viscount was a stencil. I thought GEM made them. Larry, did you sell Viscount?

If you knew me, you'd know how funny this is!!! It would be the world's worst digital piano!!! I can't build anything!!! You shoulda seen me putting up a curtain rod last week!!!

Gem, Viscount, Schulze Pollmann, Ahlborne Gallante pipe organs, are all trademarks owned by General Electro Music in Italy. There are two brothers, and I'm not exactly sure where the lines get drawn as to who owns what. But while Viscount is under that G.E.M. umbrella somewhere, it is a brand in and of itself, separate from the GEM brand.