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Author Topic: piano  (Read 5030 times)

Jake

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piano
« on: July 23, 2008, 02:20:01 PM »
I want to surprise my wife with a piano this coming Christmas - she used to play when she was younger, and we talked about buying one, one of these days when we have kids.

We don't have enough room for a grand piano, so I am interested in an upright one. I need some advice and recommendations about what is nice. I will definitely buy used (there are a ton on craigslist) - I'm planning to match its color to the color of the furniture in the room were it will stand.

So what do I look for? what questions should I ask? Do pianos need tuning?

Thanks guys.
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Steve

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Re: piano
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2008, 02:26:25 PM »
>>Do pianos need tuning?

yes.
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Perspective

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Re: piano
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2008, 02:52:05 PM »
once every couple years is fine for the average user, and it generally has to be done by a professional
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hans

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Re: piano
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2008, 03:04:05 PM »
My dad is a piano tuner now, I'll shoot him a note and see what he recommends for brands. I'm a bit out of the loop but if I remember right, Yamaha, Boston were some pretty good budget pianos.
As for tuning, once a year should be enough, but it depends on the environment it's kept in and how much it's played. If you play more, 6mo intervals are better. Keeping it in a humidity controlled environment will prolong the tuning issues. Changes in humidity will shrink/expand the soundboard causing intonation issues.
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Jake

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Re: piano
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2008, 04:48:44 PM »
thanks guys.

TGM any more info you can get would be appreciated.:)
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micah

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Re: piano
« Reply #5 on: July 23, 2008, 10:27:57 PM »
The debate is pretty hard core on this issue and, if you weighed all the facts and still want a "real" piano, that's cool...

...but have you looked into a good quality electric piano?

The sound engines in them nowadays are amazing, as are the touch sensitivity controls.  They sound and feel as good or better then the "real" thing with many many perks (like headphones for one  :D )

no recommendations, but here's a link to what I'm talking about:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-YDP-223-Digital-Piano-with-Bench-101909463-i1154113.gc
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Govtcheez

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Re: piano
« Reply #6 on: July 23, 2008, 10:32:24 PM »
Get a Keytar
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Stephen

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Re: piano
« Reply #7 on: July 23, 2008, 10:47:17 PM »
Mhmm, digital pianos can be beautiful. Good weighting, no intonation worries, midi/audio out, etc.

I want one.
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Jake

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Re: piano
« Reply #8 on: July 23, 2008, 11:00:18 PM »
Quote from: micah on July 23, 2008, 10:27:57 PM
The debate is pretty hard core on this issue and, if you weighed all the facts and still want a "real" piano, that's cool...

...but have you looked into a good quality electric piano?

The sound engines in them nowadays are amazing, as are the touch sensitivity controls.  They sound and feel as good or better then the "real" thing with many many perks (like headphones for one  :D )

no recommendations, but here's a link to what I'm talking about:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-YDP-223-Digital-Piano-with-Bench-101909463-i1154113.gc

that is an option. However, I would prefer something with a more classical feel to it.
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Mike

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Re: piano
« Reply #9 on: July 23, 2008, 11:02:55 PM »
Wouldn't be surprised if there were digital pianos that looked like a regular one ;)
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Jake

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Re: piano
« Reply #10 on: July 23, 2008, 11:24:37 PM »
Quote from: Mike on July 23, 2008, 11:02:55 PM
Wouldn't be surprised if there were digital pianos that looked like a regular one ;)

the one that micah linked to does look like a traditional piano, but I guess i WOULD HAVE TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK...oops caps.
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Mike

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Re: piano
« Reply #11 on: July 23, 2008, 11:38:18 PM »
Vs the artistry and craftsmanship that it takes to design the circuitry and create the code that runs it all?
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Mike

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Re: piano
« Reply #12 on: July 23, 2008, 11:53:00 PM »
My code is art
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hans

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Re: piano
« Reply #13 on: July 23, 2008, 11:57:25 PM »
I really like the sound of a Clavinova. A guy I used to work with at Schmitt Music made them sound wonderful (he owned a grand and a clav). And you can get a pretty much top of the line one for the same price as a decent piano. If I were to get a piano, I'd definitely go with a Clav (and they don't tuning). Mostly because you can make it sound like many more pianos than a traditional one.
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jkim

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Re: piano
« Reply #14 on: July 24, 2008, 12:35:06 AM »
You can buy my piano.  My mom's been thinking about getting rid of it since no one plays it at home anymore.

But then, I guess we'd need to get some sort of table to hold all the crap on top of it right now.
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