Petrof grand pianos 6'4"

[Ron56]

Hello
I have a student who is considering the purchase of a 6'4" Petrof grand (new) and also considering a 20 year old Steinway L the 5'10" model.  Does anyone have any opinion about the Petrof. I was very much impressed with it, more so than the Steinway, but I must let him decide.  I would like give him some other opinions other than mine.  Thank you!
Ron56

[Axtremus]

I played Petrof II, III, and IV before, most recently I played Petrof II and II two months ago.

Subjective opinion: Beautiful sound overall, and quite a powerful sound too! (I played Petrof in Fall of 2003, and thought them too "metalic" at the time, more recent experiences with Petrof no longer give me this impression.)

Other observations on the Petrof II and III played most recently: The Petrof II's top few notes sounded "wooden" with sticky key on the highest note, also a faint, high-pitched "zing" that I couldn't find the source -- all this in a dealer's showroom. The Petrof III had the same "wooden" top few notes, doesn't have the high-pitched "zing," but more sticky keys -- all this in another dealer's showroom. (The other pianos in the aforementioned showrooms do not suffer similar problems.)

So my current impression of Petrof is this: BEAUTIFUL SOUND, but may require a little bit more maintenance at first (e.g., loosening up sticky keys, trouble shoot faint strange noises occasionally) than your typical Yamaha C-series or Kawai RX-series grands. That said, there's no lack of happy Petrof owners from what I've read on other Piano-centric message boards. (And Petrofs may be had cheaper size for size when compared to the C- and RX-series.)

Suggest referencing the Petrof entry in Larry Fine's "The Piano Book" and it's latest Annual Supplement (might get it from your local library or online at https://www.PianoBook.com/ ).

Good luck.

[Goldberg]

Although I'm an owner of a new-ish Steinway M myself, I keep up to date (more or less) with quite a range of piano brands and whatever happens to pop up here. Just recently, I went down to one of the stores to see what they had in stock, and ended up doing a sort of comparison between the lower-to-middle-ranged pianos (based on price), including: Petrof, Estonia, and Yamaha. Now, of those I've only OWNED a Yamaha, and I had it for a considerable amount of time (so I can comment on its durability and sturdiness) but from first impressions, I must say the Estonia grand that I played on, which was approx. the same size as the Steinway L, was really great compared to the others. Petrof has always fallen a little flat with me, with an almost "wannabe" sound. I dunno how to describe it (I think it's because I've been spoiled with a lot of Steinways lol)...I'll admit that Petrof makes a GOOD piano, but definitely have your student look into the Estonia, which will probably match it for price. Though I typically have liked Yamahas in the past, they really don't appeal to me much anymore except for their sheer durability (excellent for regular students). European pianos typically have a good, earthly sound and even touch, but will require a little more maintance. I think it's worth it.