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Snoopycar: Aircon should be set to normal 'cool' mode. In dehumidifer mode you will die from suffocation!

Dedicated standalone dehumidifers are generally not a good idea in the tropics because the room becomes very stuffy and you have to empty the water container.

By the way, while writing the previous post, the aircon techs were here to do their quarterly servicing of the aircons in my flat. The aircons in the living/dining area were on for about an hour and the RH has dropped to 55% already. The temperature is at a very comfortable 27 degC.

Thanks for all the useful feedback. Mine is probably an exceptional case. Not sure if it helps if I turn the heater on during days when the house is empty, and turning it off when I am around.

I also notice that the Sauter has a little meter device fixed inside the grand, is that used to measure the RH? Where can I get one of those for my RX?

Ben,

I read you post with a smile. Everything is relative. FOr you 27degC is comfortable, but nearly 81 is too hot for me. My house is normally 68-70 (20 or so). My humidty runs about 45% this time of the year without A/c.

Last night's outside air temperature was about 46 (about 8)

Regards,

Gene

Is that living room airconditioned? If yes then I think it is far better for you to program the aircon to turn on for an hour or two a day. How long exactly you will have to establish by using a RH meter with min/max memory. Since the living room is closed up for the week (and assuming you don't have windows and doors with poor seals) then you should be OK.

You can also put the heater bar on a timer switch and have it turn on for 2 - 3 hours a day.

The device you see inside Sauter grands is indeed a factory fitted RH meter.

What you need is one of the wireless min/max RH/temp meters made by companies like Oregon Scientific. They are OK to start with. The only problem with them is that you don't know how well calibrated the RH sensors are. That's why I also run a similar thing from Radio Shack and a cheapo unit from HandyFix, and take the average.

RH sensors have to be calibrated at least once a year. Being a somewhat uhhh an*l person I am investigating getting industrial-grade wireless RH/temp sensors with logging capability. Costs $$$ though.

Gene:

The human body adapts!

When I first came back to Singapore after living in a temperate climate for almost a dozen years, it took me about 6 - 9 months to get my body reset. The quickest way to do it is to go do exercise in the evening heat, take a cool shower, and then sit down under or in front of an electric fan with a cool one in hand.

Actually the relatively hairless human body is not made to live in cold climates. The tropics are best!

* double post deleted *

Good Tone and touch recommendation!!

I went to cristo last afternoon sunday to shopping. Wow, so many people, like truely great singapore sale. So many ppl crowding around pianos, but i wonder why nobody discover a gem.

There is only one piano that struck my piano sense!!! The first one when you enters. No, not the illustration grand piano..

Tada... it is the PearlRiver131 , joint venture with yamaha. Only this piano awe me, i help myself with a stool and play some nice song, it more dynamics and magic tone. Try it and verify my opiniion

Hi Digitus, my experience is quite different. The difference in RH between my piano environment and inside the cabinet (just below the keyboard) is quite high nowadays. The enviroment's temp and RH is about 30 degrees celsius and 74-76% while inside the cabinet it is around 33 degree celsius and 61-62% (sometimes even lower at around 58-59%). It could be due to the piano not having sound vents that lets air to pass through though.

Do you think such a large difference will do harm to the soundboard?

forget to mention, its the bedok cristo branch

indigo123:

I believe that you don't have anything to worry about, particularly if those conditions do not vary much.

I once asked Fazioli (through their dealer) for clarification about whether or not their warranty would still be valid in the tropics. This is because on their website I read that the warranty is valid only for conditions that are very hard to attain here in Singapore: Fazioli wrote back:
Well, the only part of the D-C that would ever be running are the heater bars. And in a climatically uncontrolled room (such as yours, for example) the heater bars can only take the RH inside the piano down to about 65% or so.

So if your piano is from a manufacturer that knows how to make 'tropicalised' soundboards (moisture-resistant varnish on soundboard, modern glues for ribs), what you are seeing in your environment looks to me to be perfectly fine.

Thanks, Digitus.

Side track a bit: I just bought an antique-style table fan from Robinsons which I'm placing on top of my piano...looks very nice.

Where is jarjar huh ??

potpot looking for you

Hi, everyone!
snoopycar brought me here.
Has been trying hard to read this whole thread but in the end, i mess up all the things.
Anyway, i am in search of a piano in Malaysia, in Negeri Sembilan or Selangor.
most probably is an upright, but may get a grand if the price is very reasonable.
i have not set any budget but generally it won't go more than RM10,000. Thus, chances of a grand will be very low.
As the budget implies, very high chance i will get myself a used piano.
I am particularly interested with the European brands discussed in the forum.
Nonetheless, I have not even met one and thus don't know whether it will be great or not.
it is known that european brand has no second hand value in our market.. thus i might get a good piano at a lower cost, compared to the dominating brand (yamaha and kawai) in malaysia.
anyone can help me locate any great seller near my region (negeri sembilan or selangor will be great), possibly that sells european brand.
thanks in advance..

~well, i don't know my entry will be weird or not. maybe this is not the way to post in this thread, but i seriously need help LAH~~

sorry i don't know KL piano shop well enough.

Can anyone help out?
Try newspaper, hang around kawai or yamaha music class, chat up with students, make friends
Look out for PianoShop banners

Ask JarJar Lah, think ah jar from KL too...

hi guys. halfway through my piano decision

but i just wondering if anyone know where i can try the bossie 225? i tried searching all my contacts but none seem to know where i can even smell one

Hi everyone.

I hope you all don't mind me coming in here to seek advice.

I don't play the piano but my girl is starting on it. I am looking at buying a piano for the family. As I know nothing much about piano, I do not have the confidence of getting a used one. I am actually thinking of a new kawai k3? Any comments on it? I have not decided as I think the price is rather high and my girl is just a beginner. I have heard the piano and I like it - but then again, I am a novice at this.
On the other hand, I am hoping to get a good piano, once and for all, that will last a long time... hopefully, my other younger gal will also get to enjoy it. I am even thinking of attending adult courses so that I can play on it myself!
Another brand on my mind is Bohemia. Is there anyone here who can comment on this too? I have not been to the showrm to hear this but I heard some good comments from a friend and some trs. If you were me, which would you choose?

I would appreciate any help or advice you can provide.

Thanks!

In my opinion, since you are buying it for your daughter, it will be safer if you go for a used one. you can always hire a technician to check on the used piano you are interested with.
the reason i think buying a used piano will be more suitable because there is a chance that your daughter will discontinue learning it (just maybe).
Furthermore, i think there will be no big difference for you and your daughter between a new and a used one. (sorry for being bit realistic)
When your daughter has the ability to distinguish the difference between the two, then it will be suitable for you to get her a new one. For her to be able to do something like that, probably she is very serious for her music already.

For now, buy a used piano under advice of a technician/piano tuner etc. when your daughter is serious on it, then getting her a grand piano isn't it a great idea if it's within your budget.

just a thought by a piano shopper though..

"good" is a huge word, and "last a long time" is a long time, and I see "Singapore" and think "apartment / flat dweller" and wonder about neighbors and have you considered digital?

Someone else on this board was considering buying a piano in the vicinity of $43,000 USD. Suspect you may not yet be in that price range. OTOH, you may also not be anywhere near the ability to know what you really like or want.

Are you in a position to borrow or rent?

+1 on the idea of finding something AFFORDABLE for the first year, until you and your family discover whether this is indeed the instrument for you. (I am reminded of my mother's experience with stained glass, which she loves, but discovered she can't abide the sound of cutting glass.) What if it turns out you are raising cello players?

Back to digital: headphones allow practice at any time of day. Presuming you do live in an apartment or have neighbors to consider, or even other family members, will your life allow three people to get their practice time in during "public" hours?

Hi. thanks for the comments.
A digital is out for me as I am considering a piano. My girl has completed her two years of junior course at a music sch and is asking to continue with piano learning. we have been using a portable keyboard for the past two years.

Yes, a used one can be good enough. but we are think of getting a new one. two girls will be learning. in the event of them really not wanting to play, then i will prob sell it off.

Hi AnX,

I have faced exactly the same dilemna as you. I have a son (8 years old) and daughter (5 years old) now. When we started them on piano and music appreciation classes about 1 year+ ago, we didn't know whether their interests would sustain, which make the decision of buying a piano a difficult decision. Moreover, my wife and I do not play the piano and we have the salesman at Cristofori, where my children are learning to play the piano, pushing us to get one. They said it is better to get a proper piano as this would help them progress. Although I have no doubt about that, the "hard sell" could be quite disconcerting.

What we did is take our time. I think you should too. As have been advised numerous times in this forum, audition as many pianos as possible and let your children have a feel on those you are considering.

Depending on your budget, there are many choices out there. If you want a new piano and do not want to spend too much, you could consider pianos made in China, Korea or Indonesia. Although there are many pianos made in China nowadays, not all are of the same quality.

One of the piano you would like to consider is the Hailun. If you have the time, do a search of "Hailun" in this forum and you can get quite a lot of info. It seems to be one of the better-made Chinese pianos and have recently been upgraded in Larry Fine's Piano Book in the latest update (by the way, I got this info from this forum). You can view the piano at PianoMaster at Geylang East. They also carry other brands, like the Wendl & Lung 122 Universal that I bought eventually. This piano is made at the same factory as Hailun, but it is wholly Austrian-owned, and cost about 10% higher than a similar Hailun. We made our decision after auditioning it for close to 3 hours and also let our son try it. They also sell used pianos but I did not check them out as I am "not confident" of getting one due to my lack of knowledge and experience.

You can also veiw a wide range of pianos at Cristofori where they carry Pearl River, Samick, Young Chang and many established brands that may be out of your budget. They also sell used pianos at their Bedok branch. If you are looking for a new piano, they also have a branch at Funan Centre, which may be more convenient for you to visit.

Hopes this helps.