Schulze Pollman

The "pianos in question" are good. I remember the late Maestro Postiglione, a great pianist, unfortunately passed away at a young age, who was enthusiastic about his Schulze Pollmann grand.

Both uprights and grands, especially those "of yesteryear," are excellent instruments. Renner action and good design. One must see the state of preservation. I believe a Tutoria of mine has already been released where I give some advice on evaluating a piano. See if it has already come out. Otherwise, it is just a matter of a few hours.

let me know... maybe send some photos and/or an Mp3

Another news: The piano has a length of 1.60 m, and the serial number is 42***. How can I find out the year of construction?

I am thinking of going to see it anyway!

Thank you very much!

Lorenzo

It should be quite recent. The fact is that 160 is a somewhat too small measurement. You know, when we talk about "grand piano," people use the term loosely. But one must take the size into account. Shorter strings are thicker, resulting in an increase in inharmonicity. Below 180, some problems can arise and... one has to "settle." It's like thinking a good sparkling wine might be better than champagne... so on and so forth....... You will notice that at the string crossing, when transitioning to the spun strings, the timbre is discontinuous and that the bass is a bit too unbalanced and imprecise. You know, in the high notes, the fundamental prevails over the partials... like a body with almost no clothes on!! In the bass, however, the fundamental is reconstructed by the ear through the partials....... The invisible man only takes shape with a scarf and a coat!!! Therefore, you will notice that in short or low measurements, the bass notes, even if tuned with expertise, might result in imprecise timbral physiognomy... anyway, let us know your impressions.

I have just returned. I inspected the piano in question. The impression was not bad. We spent an entire afternoon playing, dismantling, commenting, and photographing. The person was very helpful. According to them, the piano is from 1974... it has its years, it has been played quite a bit and it shows.

The hammers need to be shaved or perhaps replaced (this is what worries me most of all). At least half of them show actual truncations due to wear, including the treble hammers where the striking point has gone to hell! The action (Renner) is quite heavy but not annoying (I am used to the Yamaha S90 digital piano); in some keys, you can feel a bit more of the click due to the felt bushings (I believe) being a tad flattened (the latter were inspected after removing the action).

The sound is warm and full-bodied but perhaps shrill in the mid-highs. A almost metallic sound can be heard, but perhaps it is due to the flattened hammers.

I noticed the difference in timbre when transitioning between the wound strings and the steel ones, as Paolo had already mentioned to me.

I played some strong chords and noticed that the sound sustains for a long time which, together with the inspection of the soundboard showing no lesions or cracks, suggests that the latter is in good condition. The strings do not show rust except in a few spots, and by turning only two tuning pins, they seemed regular to me.

It needs a thorough dusting of all its parts, tuning, and regulation of the action if one wants to bring it to perfection. The asking price is 3000 euros. Here are some photos!!

If I want, I can start studying and then perform the necessary maintenance over time. I know that a grand piano (half-grand or 3/4) would be better, but due to both space and budget constraints, I cannot ask for more, "I have to settle" 🙂.

Thanks in advance to Paolo and to everyone who wants to advise me!

Lorenzo

Overall, the piano seems to be well preserved to me.

Perhaps you can still play with that hammer rail. Try having it tuned a little. A good technician could also shave them while MAINTAINING THE SHAPE OF THE HAMMERS. However, you must plan to change the hammers and capstans in the near future. Keep in mind that the key lever is short, which does not make the entire action very easy. Try it for a few hours to dispel your first impression.

Thank you very much Paolo for the answer!

I would kindly like to know if the price is honest and the extent of the expense to be faced (an order of magnitude is enough for me: a few hundred euros, a thousand euros etc... 🙂 ) to replace hammers and shanks.

In your opinion, is it better to have a baby grand like this or a good upright, staying within the same price range?

Sorry for too many questions!!

Thanks again

lorenzo

The price is honest. About 2000 euros between hammers and styli. One needs to see which vertical and in what condition.

Thank you very much Paolo for the answer! I would kindly like to know if the price is honest and the extent of the expense to be faced (an order of magnitude is enough for me: a few hundred euros, a thousand euros etc... 🙂) to replace hammers and wippens. In your opinion, is it better to have a grand piano like this or a good upright, staying within the same price range? Sorry for too many questions!! Thanks again Lorenzo

Look: in my opinion you could opt for a good upright, if you want to spend around 3000 euros. I have a U3s and I am very happy with it. Of course it's not a grand piano, but I assure you that the bass kicks and the sound is well balanced across all hammers. You could evaluate this: it should be relatively close to where you live.

camy86 wrote:

Look: in my opinion, you could opt for a good upright if you want to spend around 3000 euros. I have a U3s and I am very happy with it. Of course, it's not a grand piano, but I assure you that the bass punches and the sound is well-balanced across all hammers. You could evaluate this: it should be relatively close to where you live.

Hi Camy86, thank you for the reply. I know the piano you recommended because I tried it at a friend's house. It had (the model tested) a light keyboard and reliable action, but it didn't convince me on many other aspects. When I tried it, I performed the usual tests recommended by the great Paolo, such as repetition and pianissimo, and I must say it didn't impress me. The same goes for the timbre, but that's a matter of taste! If I had to choose an upright (I also started a discussion some time ago), I would definitely go for the Kemble conservatory model! Here we are at around 7000 euros though 🙂 :)

The S.P. doesn't displease me overall, but what stops me is the slightly worn hammer action, that's all!!

Heartfelt thanks

Lorenzo

I would opt for the grand piano. Stiletti, hammers, and go for it! The mechanics of a grand are completely different from an upright and, unless you buy a piece of junk grand, in most cases it is always better to opt for a grand rather than an upright. Then, if you compare a destroyed grand with a good upright, obviously the upright is better!

TheSimon wrote:

I would opt for the grand piano. Styli, hammers, and go with the tango! The mechanics of a grand are completely different from an upright and, unless you buy a piece of junk grand, in most cases it is always better to opt for a grand rather than an upright. Then, if you compare a destroyed grand with a good upright, obviously the upright is better!

Well ... that's what I wanted to understand!! 🙂

Heartfelt thanks to everyone for helping me with this difficult choice!! 🙂 :)

Lorenzo

But imagine, anyway I would like to justify my choice of a grand piano over an upright. It all comes down to a simple example. It is true, a "short" grand piano has problems, if we want to call them that, regarding disharmony. This is because, as Paolo well said, the shorter the piano is, the more the strings, especially in the bass, must have an increased section. The increased section creates problems of disharmony precisely because the string moves away from the concept of an ideal string, having an infinitely small but very long section. The longer the string, the more precise the partials are because the internal resistances of the metal body that oppose vibration are smaller. This sensation is felt in pianos especially in the bass, precisely because the low notes we perceive are a mental reconstruction for us, since if we were equipped with a spectrum analyzer we would observe that many harmonics are present and very little fundamental. In high notes, instead, what we hear is a sound that is practically all fundamental, with very few harmonics, also given the shorter length of the strings. Another matter is the action, which in a grand piano fully exploits gravity since everything is oriented horizontally. In an upright it does too, but only partially, as true it is that once the key is struck, the hammer and the action return to position thanks to belts and springs that assist the gravity acting on the hammer, which has an angle very close to vertical. Therefore, the efficiency of gravity on the hammer in a grand piano is maximum because the cosine of the angle formed with the horizontal axis is almost equal to zero. In an upright, the hammer approaches the angle of pi over two (90 degrees) where the cosine is zero. In short, taste aside, there are also physical reasons for my choice. Obviously, exception proving the rule, a well-regulated upright can be better than a grand with many problems.

Regards.

Thanks Simone!! 🙂 I'll put the Schulze Pollmann on standby for now! 🙂

I found a Bechstein grand piano with original mechanical action (Swander), 1.80m long, located in Montemario, Rome

at the same price. I have requested some photos and more information, let's hope! It would be a bit inconvenient for me, but when I set my mind on something... 🙂

Does anyone know anything about Swander action? Anyway, it smells like an instrument from the early 900s!! But I'm curious... about the price 🙂 :) I don't want to overlook anything at this point!

Thanks

Lorenzo

We made the video specifically to evaluate the condition of a used instrument. I would say that the most important thing is the soundboard, which must not show any cracks! In any case, send some photos, and anyway, before purchasing, evaluate the piano in person because if it's a private seller, they might send you the photos they want, perhaps from certain areas of the instrument where flaws do not appear... The Bechstein is an excellent instrument but test it well, especially if it's from the early 1900s!

TheSimon wrote:

We made the video specifically to evaluate the condition of a used instrument. I would say that the most important thing is the soundboard, which must not show any cracks! In any case, send some photos, and anyway, before purchasing, evaluate the piano in person because if it's a private seller, they might send you whatever photos they want, perhaps from certain areas of the instrument where flaws do not appear... The Bechstein is an excellent instrument but test it well, especially if it's from the early '900s!

Thanks Simone!!

For the moment I haven't had any replies! 🙂 :)

Go around, go all around the internet, there are as many used pianos as you want... Don't get stuck on one model, keep looking because those who seek shall find... 😉

I know that type of instrument very well. That is an old Bechstein. It could be good even if it needs refurbishing. That action was mounted at that time.... perhaps the lever is linked to the key. Surely the hammer rail will have to be replaced and made, pay attention, specifically for that instrument which mounted it light..... In the end... if there are no problems with bridges and soundboard... and strings, you could have a fabulous instrument. Everything must be seen with great competence and caution. Do not lose sight of it. It is worth going to see. Just keep in mind that I am in Rome.

TheSimon wrote:

I would opt for the grand piano. Stiletti, hammers, and go with the tango! The mechanics of a grand are completely different from an upright and, unless you get a piece of junk grand, in most cases it is always better to opt for a grand rather than an upright. Then, if you compare a destroyed grand with a good upright, obviously the upright is better!

I have decided! 🙂

Regarding the Schulze Pollmann... It arrives Saturday morning! I feel like when I was a child and was waiting for the Befana!! What a strange feeling!

As soon as it arrives, I will share my joy with you 🙂 :) 🙂

Heartfelt thanks to everyone!

Lorenzo

Great, we look forward to it.