New mid-range vs higher quality restored?????

[starstruck5]

I have played many upright pianos which are all shining and new, including Yamaha, Kawai, Petrof and Kemble.   Also some beautiful old instruments, such as Steinways, Bechsteins, Bluthners and Grotrian Steinweg -

The thing is, if money was no object I would buy a new Schimmel or Grotrian - or Bluthner - all these pianos totally had the wow factor for me - not so much the more expensive Yamahas and Kawai's -

What the restored pianos had was something I feel modern society is lacking - and that is true craftsmanship. We witness so many corner-cutting mass produced rubbish, packaged to look like it has quality, when it doesn't at all - It's a wonder they haven't tried selling us self assembly pianos, with hardboard or mdf soundboards -

The old Bluthner I played, was full of character - I felt there was a bit of uneveness in the tuning - yet it had a crying tone almost, very suited to romantic music especially - a very warm rounded tone. Similarly the Becshteins and the very powerful Steinway. I felt the new, more expensive Yamaha U3 was very cold and harsh in comparison. Maybe I am swayed a bit by the grandness of the German / US brands - associated as they are with great composers and pianists of the past -

Anyhow for roughly the same money as a new Kawai K3 , I can have a restored Bluthner - for me there is no contest!  I don't think I will keep my old Gors&Kallmann once it is reconditioned -but at least no one  will be justified in scrapping it either.

Has anyone else been faced with this choice/? and how did you decide?

[john90]

I would go for restored. The only risk I see is that you buy something, unrestored, and the restoration goes wrong while in progress at your expense. 10 years ago I bought a pre-restored upright. The restoration was about 5 years prior to my purchase, everything was stable and bedded in. I must have tried about 100 pianos. It cost just under 1000 pounds. I go first for a nice feel and action, having been spoilt by a mid 50s Hamburg Steinway early on. If it doesn't feel right I move on, as the feel/feedback is not negotiable for me, unless I am buying it for Honkey Tonk. I gave it away to close relatives (great decision) when I moved to Switzerland, and it has suffered, me, plus 2 kids learning to play on it. I tune it when I am over. Very little work.

[pianoplayjl]

Yes keep the Bluthner because they themselves ain't a bad piano brand at all. Sometimes it is good to play on something new for a change.

[john90]

For some crazy reason, Bluthner grands can be picked up for 1k unrestored back in Blighty. Restringing, new hammers & felts, keeping the old battered patina, plus a couple of days work with beeswax, and you will put anything to shame. I love to see an unrestored case, peek inside, see decent strings and felts... If you are not into ultra modern apartments, well, even if you are  & are minimalist, a battered old looking piano, and nothing else is about as cool as it gets in a new building.

[starstruck5]

I would love to have a Baby Grand - but I have been outvoted on it - declared a lunatic even suggesting such a beast should take pride of place in the living room.  I have no other space for it anyhow!