Bought a 6' 4" Petrof Model III yesterday!

[Derek]

Welp we've done it. This Petrof is actually a different model from the one I mentioned in my other post. The other one was 5' 8" and had a much heavier action. My father found some sort of flaw in the bass notes.

This one however is 6' 4". sounds more powerful than the 7' Nordiska we tried, and we got it for the same price! Thats nearly 15,000$ US less than the retail price! We had to special order a Model III because the one we tried had already been sold.

But I mean, this Petrof is amazing! It just blew away everything else in the shop! me AND my father agreed that the Bostons and Steinways just didn't do it for us! They're all far too mellow, even a refurbished 9' grand from the 1860's! Now I know some Steinways sound good, they usually do in recordings.

To me it sounds and feels like my piano teacher's Bosendorfer, and at a fraction of the price! I guess the tone is a bit different, but I think I actually prefer the Petrof!

[Barbosa-piano]

 Great! Congratulations! You are lucky... As I said before, Petrofs are great pianos. And they are beautiful, they have beautiful tone and great touch. Great deal!

Mario Barbosa

[gkatele]

Let me be the next to congratulate you! You've made a fine choice with the Petrof and the III is really a sweet piano. It's full of power and I'm sure it will last you many many years.

As I shop, I have a short list of pianos that I like, and Petrof is on that list.

Again

     C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! !   

[etudes]

Congratulations!
btw i once played on stage with the longest petrof (i am not sure about size suppose to be 9') and the music went so bad because the piano is very very heavy (and i played la campanella and some of chopin ballade)
btw i would like to have it at home for practise i think that if i can control the heavy petrof well i can control every piano in the world lol.
enjoy your new baby!

[Appenato]

once again, very awesome, and congratulations are in order. the pic you posted a link to in the chat shows that it's a great looking piano and i wish i had it for my own.  what color is your piano going to be? and how much longer before you get it? ha... i'm as excited as if it were my piano. 

[quantum]

It is just a little over a year since I got my grand, and I know how excited you must feel.  Congratulations!!!

[Kassaa]

We bought a 1.73m (dunno how much ft that is) Petrof today. It has a bit heavy action, but the tone is beautiful, and very sensitive.

[Derek]

1.73 m is about 5 feet 6 inches. We tried a Petrof of that size, and it too had a heavy action. The Petrof Model III's action isn't quite as heavy, I'd say its a medium action.

My favorite thing about the Model III is the incredibly crystal clear, resonant bass, and the bright, singing middle and upper registers.

Its probably going to be about two weeks from last saturday that it will arrive in our local shop.

I'm really looking forward to the effect this will have on my improvisation. I usually improvise pretty well right after our little kawai spinet is tuned, then it sounds almost like a grand piano at least in the middle and upper registers. It's a nice little thing. But to have a GRAND PIANO to play on whenever I wish...wow. This is going to rock so hard.

[rockitman31]

From one new Petrof III owner to another,  congratulations on a very fine purchase.

I've had mine for over a month now, and it sounds wonderful.   I had issues with a sluggish action that have since been remedied and now can't wait to get home from work every day to dive into that beautiful glossy black piano and build my technique and repetoire. 

For all you piano owners,  if I can suggest a great investment on your piano, it would be to purchase an Edwards string cover.   They are made of wool and custom fitted to your piano and will prevent moisture from attacking the strings and causing rust buildup.  They also keep the dust out.   
They're not cheap, but the protection it offers will more than pay for itself  in the future.

[Siberian Husky]

once again, very awesome, and congratulations are in order. the pic you posted a link to in the chat shows that it's a great looking piano and i wish i had it for my own.  what color is your piano going to be? and how much longer before you get it? ha... i'm as excited as if it were my piano. 

damn you and that smiley obsession

[Derek]

From one new Petrof III owner to another,  congratulations on a very fine purchase.

I've had mine for over a month now, and it sounds wonderful.   I had issues with a sluggish action that have since been remedied and now can't wait to get home from work every day to dive into that beautiful glossy black piano and build my technique and repetoire. 

For all you piano owners,  if I can suggest a great investment on your piano, it would be to purchase an Edwards string cover.   They are made of wool and custom fitted to your piano and will prevent moisture from attacking the strings and causing rust buildup.  They also keep the dust out.   
They're not cheap, but the protection it offers will more than pay for itself  in the future.

Isn't closing the lid sufficient? Maybe I don't understand what this does. Also, how did you remedy the issue with a sluggish action, did you have it adjusted or did you simply get used to it? I didn't think the action was sluggish when I played it, I found Fantasy Impromptu easy to play on the Model III, however some finger replacement arpeggios such as in the intro passages to Moonlight Sonata Mvt 3 caused me to mess up when trying this piano. I suspect its because 1) I don't know that piece terribly well and 2) I'm not used to a grand piano action

[rockitman31]

Well, yes, I guess if you're diligent and close the lid every time you're not playing it you will avoid dust buildup.  But pay attention to your humidity in your room.  Mine is in the 50's and when my tech came to ease up my action, she took a cloth and wiped the strings and showed me the beginnings of rust buildup already, and this piano has only been sitting in my home for a month.
From what I've heard from others, Petrofs come in a wide range of action feels.  Whether it's due to lack of prepping buy the dealer or what, people who have tried many Petrofs always mention that one Petrof is different from the other.
The sluggishness that I had became very appearant on allegro play and like you, I am not a veteran of playing on grands.  I gave it a few weeks and then the dealer had a tech come over and she polished the capstains, (they really needed it), lubed the knuckles with some powder,  eased my keys, and the biggest thing was lubing the center pins for the hammers.  She pulled out a hammer and held it upside down and then lifted it to one side and let it drop.  It's supposed to make 7 swings before it stops and mine were only making 2.   After she lubed the pins, they swung 7 times and my action is much more playable now.  I still consider this action a bit heavy as compared to many other grands I've played but I think that's a good thing as I will become stronger from it and other pianos will seem like a breeze  when I play them.  I always said that I didn't want some kind of "lightning" easy action as that would not do me any good when playing other pianos. 
The Petrof sells itself with its tone though.  It rings like no other piano in it's price range and that is what I fell in love with.  With the heavier action, it also allows for more control of dynamics, which is a good thing.

[jeremyjchilds]

Tone is the reason to fall in love with a piano... way to go....

[Derek]

Well, yes, I guess if you're diligent and close the lid every time you're not playing it you will avoid dust buildup.  But pay attention to your humidity in your room.  Mine is in the 50's and when my tech came to ease up my action, she took a cloth and wiped the strings and showed me the beginnings of rust buildup already, and this piano has only been sitting in my home for a month.
From what I've heard from others, Petrofs come in a wide range of action feels.  Whether it's due to lack of prepping buy the dealer or what, people who have tried many Petrofs always mention that one Petrof is different from the other.
The sluggishness that I had became very appearant on allegro play and like you, I am not a veteran of playing on grands.  I gave it a few weeks and then the dealer had a tech come over and she polished the capstains, (they really needed it), lubed the knuckles with some powder,  eased my keys, and the biggest thing was lubing the center pins for the hammers.  She pulled out a hammer and held it upside down and then lifted it to one side and let it drop.  It's supposed to make 7 swings before it stops and mine were only making 2.   After she lubed the pins, they swung 7 times and my action is much more playable now.  I still consider this action a bit heavy as compared to many other grands I've played but I think that's a good thing as I will become stronger from it and other pianos will seem like a breeze  when I play them.  I always said that I didn't want some kind of "lightning" easy action as that would not do me any good when playing other pianos. 
The Petrof sells itself with its tone though.  It rings like no other piano in it's price range and that is what I fell in love with.  With the heavier action, it also allows for more control of dynamics, which is a good thing.

Is that sort of adjustment something that lasts a long time? I sure hope so, I wouldn't want to have to have a tech come in every few months to adjust the action. Tuning, of course. But I'll be disappointed if much beyond that needs to be done all the time...

Yes I too totally fell in love with the bright, singing tone of the Petrof Model III...none of the Steinways or Bostons in the shop sounded anywhere near as good. I've been told they can be voiced to be brighter, but...I'm not certain I even like the Steinways on recordings of piano music better than this Petrof. With the exception of concert Steinways in good care, I'm beginning to believe that the best reason for buying a Steinway is the investment rather than the quality of the instrument...

Wow, another thing about the Petrof that just blows away everything else is the bass. Everythign else in the shop just goes "thud," where the Petrof goes:
TOLLLLLLllllllllllllllll.........

Basically we concluded if it sounds good "out of the box" its probably a better instrument.