German upright or Yamaha C1/Kawai GE30?

[bellebelle]

Hi everyone,

i'm thinking of acquiring a baby grand...really plonging my life savings on this hope to get good advice on the best I can get out of my budget of S$15-20K. I'm looking at the Yamaha C1, Kawai GE 30 and a Steinberg upright 131 cm.

Find the yamaha C1 sound doesn't quite come out, maybe coz it's in the shop room not seasoned yet. not as bright as yamaha would be expected to be.

Have not try Kawai GE 30 will be trying soon. As a reference find Kawai's GM10 sound rather muffled and keys quite sticky.

The steinberg upright is just perfect. Nice touch, nice osund but unfortunately i've always wanted a baby grand and plus I am afraid german wood will warp in a humid climate like singapore...

any comments pls, anyone?

[Axtremus]

1. Go play that GE-30 like you plan to. (I don't get it though... if you're already looking at the C1, why stop at the GE-30 and not go to RX-1 or even RX-2? The RX series is the one usually compared to the C series, and might be cheaper than the C series anyway.)

2. See if you can talk to other Steinberg owners in Singapore and see if they have any problem with their Steinberg pianos. (Though I've read that there's the Wlhm. Steinberg brand and some other Steinberg brand... make sure you're ferring to the right Steinberg brand.) If these Steinberg owners in your local area don't have humidity problem, then you can be assured that you won't have the problem too. Singapore is a small island, so I assume the climate for all parts of the island are basically the same.

The rest is a simple matter of getting what you like best.

Good luck.

[Rich D.]

I'm not familar with the Yamaha and Kawai pianos you mentioned but I have played the Steinberg 131 a number of times at a local piano shop that I visit often.  It really impressed me with it's tone, and the action had a nice feel to it.  Workmanship first rate.  I would seriously doubt that the humid climate in Singapore would affect the Steinberg any differently than other pianos but I agree with  Axtremus that checking with other Steinberg owners is a good way to find out.  Only you can decide if you want to stick with a baby grand or go with the upright.  If you go with the upright the Steinberg 131 would be a fine choice.  Good luck.

Rich

[bellebelle]

Thank you very much for responding

Did look at it but in Singapore, the GE 30 and Yamaha C1 is about the same price as compared to the RX  series which is way out of range of my budget.

Yup! I'm talking about the Wilhm. Steinberg. Don't know of anyone with a Steinberg. But my teacher has a Steingraber and she keeps it in an aircon room so not v accurate.  Have seen a not properly maintained Steingraber go bad though not sure why it became like that. What's the diff between a German upright and a Yamaha C1 in terms of quality? can you advise pls.

 I agree that it's about what the individual like best and I want a baby grand but I just hope I won't regret it yeras down the road.

[willybilly]

the thing about baby grands is that the bass strings because of their shorter length does not produce the required oomph.  it might sound alright when new, but a few years down the road, it just falls apart.  the saddest piano I tried was actually a steinway baby grand that had seen better days.  the bass was just dead.  not just this one but other older baby grands as well.  but to be fair, I have also played on a reconditioned petrof baby grand that sounded wonderful.  be careful of humidity.  I've heard a horror story of an american steinway (which was not treated for humid climates) that warped and expanded beyond repair.

[bellebelle]

WillyBilly:
I totally agree with your point on humidity which is why I'm wary of German pianos here. I can't afford to install  aircon in my living room, what more a dehumidifier. That's why I thought I'll just stick to a Japanese piano, which is more reliable than any Korean or China one. China and Korean piano may be improving but they're still not there yet. Well, I guess the condition of any piano will depend a lot on how well you maintain it and the environment it is in.

[Axtremus]

Well, I guess the condition of any piano will depend a lot on how well you maintain it and the environment it is in.

Yes, that is absolutely correct.

I suppose folks who have not lived in the tropics except on vacation sometimes just cannot comprehend just how highly humid a place like Singapore is year round.

Since you cannot directly get users' feedback about Steinberg, I guess a fall back plan would be to look around for used German pianos kept in un-air-conditioned places in Singapore and see how well they have withstood Singapore's year-round high humidity. Then compare that to a bunch of used Japanese built pianos of comparable vintages, and see how well those old pianos stack up. It may be a bit of an over-generalization, but given the lack of Steinberg-specific info you can gather, this might just be the next best approach.

Good luck.

[bellebelle]

Hey Ax,

that's precisely what I did. Saw one german piano wood warped. Not sure why it's like that probably didn't maintain well. But also shows that this is how it can become if not well taken care of, which is why I am wary of german pianos.


THanks for your advice! 

[bellebelle]

FInally tried the Kwai GE 30, touch and tone not up to expectation but not too fair a comment I must say since that piano hsa self-playing mechanism.

Wonder if anyone here knows if there're any diff in touch and tone between a self-playing piano and one which is not? Wuld be most grateful!