If you were to visit a piano dealer, what would you like to see?

[willvenables]

I'm curious to know what most of you on here would like to see from a piano retailer.

In terms of the pianos for sale:

Price range, upright / grand sizes, tone characteristics, finishes...

And, does our bespoke preparation service confuse or enlighten?

Perhaps the recent 'pianoporn' post has triggered one's thoughts on, realistically, what should we as piano dealers be offering to you.

[49410enrique]

usually when i go to a dealer, i like to see at the minimum (assuming you can handle the carrying and inventory costs of doing so) of 2 repesentative example of each model offered by a particular builder of a line. that is if you are a kawai dealer for example i'd like to be able to play two or more well prepped instruments from each model of say the rx line if that is offered, or the standed models, or the bargain line.  if you are large enough to offer it i'd like to be able to play say the starting piano in the shigeru kawai line and see how it performs next too (i.e. back to back) with a top end rx black in the same size.  as for finishes i like to be able to see both satin blakc and polished ebony avaialbe, the fancier finihses although pretty and fun are not usually a deal breaker for me.

environent, i'd like for the pianos to be in an acoustically freindly room but it doesn't have to be a recital hall, just something taht allows my ear to pick up on subtle colors and tonal variances.

i'm not big on fru fru stuff, that is, even at a high end dealer i don't care if there's lush/plush furnishings, modern decor, etc. just a clean well lit place is fine, no free cappuccino /espresso bar, or ther luxury nonsense is necessary (i.e. like you see offered and mercedes, bmw, and lexus car dealers). a nice bonus would be to have a very proficient artists on board that could perhaps help with demonstrations of pianos with a variety of reperoire in case i want to hear something i dont' currently have under my hands.

just one poor dude's wish list. but i'm probably in minority, i would think many people are making this as an investment in both an instrument and a furnature show piece or status symbol obvously the rich ones with money to burn will want more, and if they will be a big part of your normal revenue source then i think catering to their needs while trying to accomodate folks like me would be fine. at the end of the day are you honest, deal with integrity, and sincerely want to help me buy the right piano vs sell on x or y instrument.

[enjru]

I'm curious to know what most of you on here would like to see from a piano retailer.

In terms of the pianos for sale:

Price range, upright / grand sizes, tone characteristics, finishes...

And, does our bespoke preparation service confuse or enlighten?

Perhaps the recent 'pianoporn' post has triggered one's thoughts on, realistically, what should we as piano dealers be offering to you.

1) Good acoustics so I can hear what the piano sounds like. One dealer of the famousest and recognizablest and ubiquitousest-in-concert-halls piano brand that I went to - the floor was thickly carpeted and felt luxurious to walk on (my shoes felt really pampered, hugged and snuggled), but together with too much clutter (around 20 pianos in the same room parked like cars in a used car dealership, together with their office and work area being in the same room), the acoustics were terrible and the pianos just sounded dead. Even WITH the experience of having played above-average, reasonably good pianos from this famous brand in the past, it still left me in shock as to how bad they sounded (chopped-off sustain, absent harmonic colour, no punch even when played fff, no boom in the bass, etc) that for a long time afterwards, I found myself holding a very unfavorable prejudice against this brand. Actually, having written these comments just now, I think I STILL feel some kind of residual resentment at this brand. So, please have uncluttered and uncarpeted rooms, with about 3 or 4 pianos only in each room, spaced reasonably widely apart, that may appeal to the same buyer, so that the buyer can hear what each piano actually sounds like (in the same room), in order to compare them and be able to make an informed judgement.

2) I'm not going to put a lower limit on my price range, hahah! I'd say my budget is flexible depending on the quality of the piano, up to $150000, and then it'd be your job to tempt me to spend more on something REALLY special.

3) Grand piano

4) Size: 7 or 8 ft

5) Deep, dark, growling bass, clarity in the middle octaves, brilliance at the top. Long sustain. Rich cycling of harmonic overtones. Wide dynamic range.

6) I would have said black in general, but for the right-sounding piano, I'd be open-minded about the finish. It was exciting to see some very unusual woods while I've been piano-hunting, including 2000 year old Huon pines and blackhearted sassafras.

7) I had to do a Google search to find out what you meant by "bespoke preparation service". Please do NOT scare a potential buyer by saying you'll change how the piano sounds to suit his/her room. if you HAVE to mention your service, PLEASE make sure that you explain carefully that this is only a service that you include IF problems arise concerning the acoustics in the buyer's room. OMG, right now, I am just about ready to fully commit to purchasing the piano of my dreams, but I read on the internet about the need to voice down a big-sounding piano for the average home and I became very troubled by this! I thought, "What's the point of falling in love with this piano's voice if it's just going to get dumbed down?!?" Using the piano porn analogy, it was like hearing, "Thank you for choosing Cha Cha. You've got really good taste! Cha Cha is certainly expensive, but you'll find that she's worth it! Unfortunately, you'll be overwhelmed by her 40DD breasts but we will downsize them for you. She'll come in size 24B for you in order to suit your level of experience. Enjoy!" I was completely devastated! Thank goodness people later actually explained to me that voicing down is only an option if I find that there is a problem with how this piano sounds in my place, rather rhan this process being absolutely imperative and necessary because it is a foregone conclusion that this piano's sound is going to be too big for my place. I'd have been far less traumatised if what I had read on the internet had explained it like this in the first place.

Hope this helps!

[marlonsamules]

Well I am not a good piano player, but yeah it's my hobby. Thanks for giving this info.