I have been studying piano for many years and, since it is the career I want to pursue, I would like to take a step up in quality by getting a grand piano to replace my old upright which is now feeling a bit too small for me. I have my eye on a beautiful Coblenz from the mid/late 1900s with ivory keys; the sound is fantastic even though the action will be repaired before shipping.
Now some people have advised me against the Coblenz in terms of its action (I don't know for what reason), what do you all think?
I feel I should warn you a bit about such old pianos. This is also considering the fact that you want to pursue a career. You must find a piano that meets professional needs ...and that does not cost much. Perhaps we are looking at a Yamaha again, maybe a C3 which works quite well. It is evident that the condition of the action and the age of the instrument must "weigh" on this choice. Then it will be the perfect regulation that allows you to enjoy its qualities. Naturally, a European piano is preferable. If it were a Steinway, even if refurbished, it would be the ultimate. You need to carefully inspect the soundboard to ensure it has no cracks or bulges. The state of the strings and the pressure on the bridges. Afterwards, one evaluates the hammers and the rest of the action, whether to refurbish or replace. The sound must have a certain duration before decaying. Therefore, an immediate test to perform is to play a chord loudly in various areas of the keyboard and verify its duration and the uniformity of that duration. Naturally, as Ettore already observed, for very old instruments, it is advisable to ensure that the action is not "single-action," meaning without repetition lever (improperly called "double escapement" action). Let us know
I feel the need to warn you a little about such old pianos. This is also considering the fact that you want to pursue a career. You must find a piano that meets professional needs ...and that does not cost much. Perhaps we are looking at a Yamaha again, maybe a C3 which works quite well. It is evident that the condition of the action and the age of the instrument must "weigh" on this choice. Then it will be the perfect regulation that allows you to enjoy its qualities. Naturally, a European piano is preferable. If it were a Steinway, even if refurbished, it would be the best. You need to inspect the soundboard carefully to ensure it has no cracks or bulges. The state of the strings and the pressure on the bridges. Afterwards, one evaluates the hammers and the rest of the action, whether to refurbish or replace them. The sound must have a certain duration before fading out. Therefore, an immediate test to perform is to play a chord loudly in various areas of the keyboard and verify its duration and the uniformity of that duration. Naturally, as Ettore already observed, for very old instruments, it is advisable to ensure that the action is not "single-lever" (a spillo), meaning without repetition lever (improperly called "double escapement"). Let us know
Thank you for the response. Checking the action carefully, it is not single-lever; as far as the soundboard is concerned, it is completely intact. The sound has perfect duration, and the strings show no signs of rust. I performed all these checks with my trusted technician, so I am sure. Only a few details would need to be reviewed, for example, whitening the keys of the keyboard because ivory keys yellow quite easily. According to my technician (and also according to my ears), the piano is perfect despite its age, as it has not been played very much. Only a few scratches on the cabinet would need fixing, which unfortunately has lost some paint in some places (nothing major), but I believe that is the least of the problems. I will keep you updated in the coming days, thanks again!
