Help choosing a piano

Petrof has Renner action

Of all of them, I would be most interested in the petrof provided that it has the mechanics in good order and properly serviced, and therefore I would evaluate it with a veeeery competent technician who knows how to check it.

But why ivory keys in such a recent piano?

We are waiting for Paolo to clarify this ivory keyboard matter, but if I remember correctly, it was already forbidden to make ivory keyboards in 1990. Therefore, I wouldn't want it to be a Petrof restored in 1990...

The size is also very interesting... 225 cm. For a piano that you will practically use for a long time, I advise you not to look at the 3,000/4,000 euro difference. Maybe finance one more year, but get yourself a beautiful instrument; if it is a promising girl, it is good to invest in good instruments.

We await Pianoexpert to hear his authoritative opinion, along with, of course, the other authoritative opinions of the other technicians registered on the forum.

first of all, thank you for the answer.

From the serial number of the piano, if I remember correctly, the construction should be 1990, I reserve the right to check...

The 5-year warranty given by the dealer, shouldn't that be synonymous with good condition?

How can I find a competent technician?

The idea of financing one more year, even two, is something I have already considered, also because it is the only solution; the point is what to buy...

What should I ask during the negotiation to feel more at ease? regarding the price, he is not willing to go down...

Again, also taking into consideration the baby grand, what could I orient myself towards, staying within reasonable figures, as much as figures from 10,000 upwards can be reasonable

thanks.

Simone is right, Paolo can surely give you excellent advice as a true expert... there are his tutorials which are extremely useful and I recommend you watch and rewatch them... your ideas will light up watching them!

While waiting for his intervention, I can only tell you that the warranty is useful but it's not everything. Competence in the setup and regulation of an instrument can make all the difference...

What is strange is the fact that a Petrof from 1990 has Renner mechanics and ivory keys... it would seem like an older Petrof that was recently restored...?!?!

I'm speaking a bit biasedly because I don't know if Paolo is willing, but Nola doesn't seem that far from me. If you can reach an agreement with him, perhaps with a small donation as reimbursement for travel expenses, maybe he could come directly to act as your consultant. Try asking him; it doesn't hurt to try.

The 5-year warranty is something almost everyone offers, but you see, on a piano there are components that can be worn out but are still capable of working for a few more years. If the hammers are squared, they need to be replaced, but this doesn't change the fact that the piano functions well for a novice ear. The same goes for mechanical friction; if you don't know what the key weights should be, the piano works, but perhaps it doesn't work as it should. It's like if you had never tried a car: you find a bargain, go to test drive it, and the car is apparently in good condition—it drives and brakes correctly, the electrical system is fine—but due to an injector problem that you didn't know about and are unable to diagnose, instead of going 0-100 in 10 seconds, it takes 20 seconds. Not having a point of comparison, it's fine for you, but if you tried the same perfectly functioning car, you would realize that things probably aren't exactly as the dealer said. In instruments like the piano, especially if buying from private individuals, many don't even know what they are talking about and therefore say everything works perfectly simply because "the engine starts," and precisely because they are ignorant of the subject, they say it in good faith... A competent technician can delve into the matter and carefully evaluate the hidden issues of the instrument you are buying and perhaps save you from a bad purchase that would waste a lot of your money. Imagine if you bought a piano with a cracked soundboard! That would be painful. Perhaps a good technician could identify it and recommend another instrument, saving your money as well.

I would take this idea into consideration if I were in your shoes; after all, we aren't talking about a €500 investment where if you get ripped off, you just deal with it and move on; here we are talking about several thousand euros, and it seems to me worth proceeding with caution and carefully evaluating the instruments upon which we place our savings.

TheSimon wrote:

I would take this idea into consideration if I were in your place

i perfectly agree, it is precisely because I do not have the ability to evaluate, and the expense is significant, that I turned to the forum.

since I wouldn't want to mistake the user, who are we talking about, Paolo?

thanks as always.

...I spoke again with the dealer, who assures me that the Petrof is from 1990, verifiable from the piano serial number register, and that it is absolutely original since he was the one who sold it at the time; for this reason, he gives me a five-year warranty, so if something breaks—a key, a hammer, etc.—he will replace the part under warranty. Therefore, the piano arrived from the manufacturer with Renner action and an ivory keyboard.

The same applies to the Kawai, which is approximately the same age, and it is the KG1 model.

I spoke to him because he called me to ask which of the two I am interested in, because he has to give one to an association and, if I am interested in the Petrof, he will give me the Kawai so that I can think about it more calmly...

What would you do? By financing the expense, it is just a matter of extending the loan... from what I have understood, you really don't like the Essex...

thanks!

...but without trying them, it is practically impossible to tell you more! Every piano has its own characteristics and, above all, its own history... if I must generalize, the Essex pianos I tried left me a little perplexed because I would have expected more. The Kawai has the limitation of being a 160 anyway... a bit short. The Petrof 225 has a beautiful tail, it "should" sound good....but I repeat, in absolute terms they must be seen and tried!

Have you seen the tutorials by Maestro Paolo Ferrarelli...? You can find them on the site's home page

I would be in favor of the Petrov. Naturally, its condition must be verified. It is also necessary to check which interventions have been carried out over time and whether they may have altered, with the intention of making the piano look good, the geometry of the action.