Grand piano suggestions

[lighthand045]

I've never owned a grand piano, just an upright of brand Haines(i think) for about 2.5-3 years and i'm thinking of buying a grand piano.

I live in Mexico, so there very few good piano stores. I found a store which has a Bechstein(from 1927), Baldwin and a Yamaha.

I'm not looking for a big fancy Steinway Model D. I also searched the model S which is the smallest(150 cm long).

The problem is that i don't have a big house, i would have to build a new room to put the piano there.

I love the Bechstein sound, don't know about Baldwin, and I hate Yamahas.

Please reply with suggestions, thank you.

[lukediv]

A few suggestions

Firstly, you need to try more pianos than just 3. Yes i read the part about not being many good stores, but that just means you need to travel. Im from a part of Australia where there is 1 music shop, i live about 2 hours from Sydney so every couple weekends over the period of about 6 months i drove to and around Sydney piano shops, just looking/playing different models/brands etc. You need to try more so you find exactly the right one for you, its a huge investment. Also, its peace of mind, knowing you spent the time researching (not just in shops, on the net reading reviews/experiences, comparing prices, looking for online sales) instead of making a quick decision because you really want one, then one week later you look in the local paper and theres the perfect model for you at a cheap price (didn't happen to me but it was my worst fear! haha)

Secondly, i don't think you can hate brands. I personally don't LOVE Yamaha's but i almost bought an older G3 because the tone was magnificent, very mellow, so different from the C line, and i did like it a lot, so there are pianos more suited to your preferences even in the brands that you don't think are for you. I used to think i hated Kawai because i played bad on a Kawai piano at a competition one time about 8 years ago so that must mean its a bad piano. Lucky i didn't write them off because i now own a GE30 and its perfect for me.

So theres my advice

[hfmadopter]

If the Baldwin is an older model and in great condition it could be a very worthy consideration. At least worth a play and see if you like it yourself. If it's a 2001 model or newer, I personally wouldn't bother, that's about the time the grand piano manufacturing of Baldwin Grands went overseas. Also, I know nothing about smaller Baldwin grand pianos, under the 6 ft size, so research that.

The Steinway S is a sweet little piano considering it's small size as long as it's kept well tuned and regulated..

Some Yamaha grands can be very nice sounding and have decent action, at least play them before you blow them off. Most models are well made.

You already know that you like Bechstein pianos but do you know why ? Is it a Bechstein or C Bechstein, if the later it may have been built by Baldwin FWIW.

[lighthand045]

Haha, i got rough with the Yamahas there, i don't actually like the C ones, i did tried them at some school and i found that it doesn't fit my playing style, maybe it wasn't well regulated, had only chance to play it 1 or 2 minutes, didn't ask about it. Sorry Yamaha.

The concert hall where i live has a Steinway model B which i believe it's a tad smaller than the D; i have used that one a lot, i found it had a warm sound and the action was satisfactory(relying on memory here).

Seriously I don't know about Baldwin at all, school has gotten hard lately and the closest piano store is about 10 hours by bus so i am going to get a chance in vacations to do all the research possible.

About Bechstein, i think it was a C Bechstein i saw and i like it's sound, haven't played them actually.

[hfmadopter]

About the Baldwin Piano Co. :   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldwin_Piano_Company 

[lighthand045]

Thanks for info hfmadopter, apparently Baldwin was bought by Gibson on 2001 when filed for bankruptcy and they have moved ther factory to China, and they seized production in 2008.
If the piano is an older model, i'll keep that in consideration.
BTW, the Baldwin piano they had there was about 5 ft(155 cm) long.

[hfmadopter]

Thanks for info hfmadopter, apparently Baldwin was bought by Gibson on 2001 when filed for bankruptcy and they have moved ther factory to China, and they seized production in 2008.
If the piano is an older model, i'll keep that in consideration.
BTW, the Baldwin piano they had there was about 5 ft(155 cm) long.

I would take a longer Baldwin but as I mentioned I don't know about the short ones. I mean literally, I never encountered one so I know nothing about them. Most original Baldwins though, had decent build and action, that much I do know. Even their uprights had decent action. It's a matter of condition and your view of playability.

[quantum]

Not all Yamaha C's are alike.  They have gone through several revisions in design.  The revision may be printed as a letter beside the serial number.  Yamaha doesn't market much info about the revisions, you do have to ask.   If the Yamaha you played was a school instrument it may have been beat to death, and not finely voiced.  They can take on a whole different character when a tech does good work on one.  

Old Baldwins can be awesome.  I've played a few and they are an entire world apart from the recent instruments.  If you see a deal on an SD 10, you may wish consider making room for a slightly larger addition to your house   .  You like Scriabin don't you?  Listen to Ruth Laredo's Sonata disc, that was recorded on an SD 10.

[awesom_o]

What is your budget range?