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I was having a lesson last Friday at my local Petrof dealer last week and noticed a piano on the show room floor with the name August Forster on it. Directly under the name was "Czechoslovakia".... STRANGE!!! I assume that this is some kind of knock-off of the German brand made in the Petrof factory.

I sat down and played the piano for a while and really liked it which surprised me as I'm really NOT a fan of the Petrof sound.

Can someone provide some information on these instruments. The Petrof web site doesn't appear to have any information. Are they essentially the same as a Petrof, or completely different design and materials?

Thanks in advance,

Rodney

Rodney :

The Czech August Forster is in no way related to the German piano of the same name. It is a piano manufactured by Petrof and sold on the Canadian market as well as in some countries in Europe. It is not sold in the United States.

I know nothing of its reputation. I have practiced on one in summer school (Victoria, BC) over the past three summers, and while it's no more than a 46" it had surprisingly good tone and adequate action. I was a little put off, however, by the fact that the sharps are considerably narrower than on all other pianos I have played on. That got some getting used to.

The whole history of Czech pianos is often [still] leaning strongly onto certain famous German piano names which has left a bad taste for many [German] people or businesses [like August Foerster, Loebau] originating from that particular part of the world.

There is nothing "German" about the present Czech built *August Foerster* and I would humbly suggest that also *Bohemia* - a company that should well be able stand on its own by now - would be well advised to perhaps delete those passages in their website that show a "strong German background", original documents written in German, etc.

This is not the time of the *Sudentenland* any longer - but one of a proud and free nation:
the *Czech Republic*,a fine and modern European member state.

They shouldn't have the *need* of an earlier German connection or reference to it any longer.

Something that other countries like Estonia for example, have long abandoned to do.

Oh, I forgot, their company was also once founded by a Baltic-German called Ernst Heiser......

Something the modern Estonians happen to be least interested to propagate or feel the need to advertise.

Norbert

Now that I understand that these piano's have NOTHING to do with the original German brand, I would still be interested in knowing if this is a decent instrument. My understanding is that it is manufactured by Petrof which seems to have developed a good rep with many of the PW members. As I mentioned before, I'm not fond of the PEtrof sound, but this instrument didn't sound like a Petrof (more clarity of tone) and the action appeared to be different.

I'm curios if these instruments are manufactured to a different design and specification, and if so, what would the general consensus be on quality/workmanship/playability and durability?

Rodney

They are very decent instruments.

Not being an expert on them - nor having seen any of the more recent models myself - people here with specific product knowledge were earlier asked to come on line.

Unfortunaletly not many specifics had been presented.

Any dealers here for them??

Norbert

I have never quite figured out if they are rebadged petrof IIIs, or AF190s of current or older design built in the Czech factory, or something entirely different.

Did you notice if it had single hitch stringing?

Chris:

Re Bohemia:

I can assure you - and I think it would be fair to say - that they have nothing to do with either current or older design German made August Foerster.

I'm not saying they are *worse*.

Anybody playing them side by side would simply find them to be entirely different instruments.

[at least from my own impression and others playing them at NAMM.....]

And: of course they are much less$ than the Loebau made Foersters - which can give them the edge!

Since, to the best of my knowledge, they are again a family owned company - as opposed to apparently Petrof itself - they could be the next great success story from a manufacturer of a previous Communist country.

Anybody out here who had the chance to compare them or know more about them?

norbert

If it said "Made In Czechoslovakia" and not Czech Republic it can't be a new piano. It's been years since they changed the name of their country.

Good point!

Norbert,
What am I missing? You keep on referring to Bohemia Piano, but the original poster was discussing August Foerster (made in Czech Republic). Are Bohemia and the Czech AF the same company?

I live in one of those European countries that receives the Czech August Foerster, but I've never seen Bohemia for sale here...only in the US.

Really confused now...

You could check their website www.bohemiapiano.cz
and see if any of their names are being distributed in the Netherlands - but I don't think that the European distribution of the brand is especially good (we don't get them in Denmark either) - I've always thought that the Czech August Förster factory (which was a sister factory to the German company until 1945-46) was part of the "Tovarna na Piana" company (which, afaik, also included the Rösler and the Scholze brands) which Petrof bought in 2001 - and my thoughts are confirmed on the German August Förster website: http://www.august-foerster.de/Englisch/geschichteenglisch.htm

"In 1945, the Czech government nationalized the branch factory in Bohemia. To this day, pianos with the name August Foerster are being produced in the Czech Petrof factory. These pianos cannot be compared to the design and quality of the original and traditional AUGUST FOERSTER pianos made in Loebau"

OK... We've established that these Pianos are made in the Petrof factory in the Czech Republic which is what I suspected since it was being sold by a Petrof dealer. We have also established that they have nothing to do with the German Piano of the same name.

Now back to the original questions....

It seemed to me that the piano I tried was not simply a Petrof III or IV with a different name on the fallboard since it had a different feel and redically different sound. Are these Petrof made instruments a good quality, durability, playability, etc., etc..

As I said before, while many people here like the Petrof instruments, I do not (I practice on various Petrof instruments on a regular basis and haven't found one yet that I like), BUT this piano really felt and sounded appealing to me.

Does anyone know anything about the design/manufacturing process/materials used in these pianos and how do they compare with other brands?

Rodney

If it is a new piano, it should be the same as a Weinbach.You can check this yourself.Look inside and see what the action is.Petrof uses Renner,their other brands do not.By the way, is it a upright or a grand?

Sorry, I should have mentioned that it's a grand.

Are you saying that if it isn't using the Renner action then it is less of a piano? I actually found the feel (very subjective) of this piano to be superior to anything else in the showroom. Of course this doen't address issues of durability and maintainability.

No,I did not say that.I was answering your question "is it the same as Petrof" They are made side by side. The quality will be the same as Petrof. And your right,action feel is subjective.
Renner actions cost a little more,but some people like their other action as well.
I'll let others comment on the over all quality, as I would have a bias because of a past good relationship with Petrof.