Pearl River

[asuhayda]

Oh my Lord is this an awful piano!  I was in the piano shop yesterday and I'd never heard of this brand before... surprisingly, they are the largest piano manufacturer in the world.  I suppose they are so focused on quantity that they are not so interested in quality.  Played on all three in the show room and they were ugly, slow and dead.. yech!

Conversely,  I went to the Steinway gallery and played an Essex EGP-155.  Usually I HATE Essex with a burning passion.  But WOW, this one was excellent. Afterward I came to find out that Essex is also made in the Pearl River factory.  Suddenly, I can't get away from Pearl River (it's like a Twilight Zone episode). All this time I thought Essex was made by Young Chang. Sounds like Young Chang lost their contract with Steinway. 

Anyway,  what is up with Pearl River?  How is it such a huge company and I've never heard of them before?  What is with the ugly Orange-ish Brown plate in the belly!?  And the sound is only something a zombie could love.. good Lord.

[richard black]

Watch it with Essex - in my experience (several of them in a college near me, over the last year) they don't wear at all well.

Pearl River makes instruments to a budget. I'm sure they could make a good instrument if they put their collective mind to it.

[hbofinger]

Every piano is different. No matter what they say. I have had Bluthner, a recent Bosendorfer, and now a Yamaha. Guess which is the best?  The C7 Yamaha is the best. While shopping, the only one (in the US) that beat it was a C. Bechstein. I could not wing it right now ...
Each piano is different.

[asuhayda]

Every piano is different. No matter what they say. I have had Bluthner, a recent Bosendorfer, and now a Yamaha. Guess which is the best?  The C7 Yamaha is the best. While shopping, the only one (in the US) that beat it was a C. Bechstein. I could not wing it right now ...
Each piano is different.

Agreed.  As I said earlier, I usually don't like Essex.  But, the one I played on was pretty special.  I was pleasantly surprised.

I'm sure that there is a good Pearl River out there somewhere.  But, it has probably been gutted and rebuilt with S. Kawai parts! LOL 

[richard black]

But part of the quality of a piano - quite a large part - is how it stands up over time. You don't get any impression of that by playing it in a showroom, unless you know a helluva lot about pianos (e.g. if you are a very experienced piano technician). Which is why it's ultimately pointless to say 'I played piano X in the shop and it's a way better instrument than piano Y'.