Used Schulze Pollmann piano — Pianoconcerto Forum

Member

Posts: 6
City: Busto Arsizio

January 20, 2017, 16:28

Hello everyone,

despite having joined only a few days ago, I would already like to get your opinion on a purchase I am about to make. I found a Schulze Pollmann baby grand at a truly excellent price and I would like to replace my Yamaha UX-1 with it. According to the seller, the piano is about forty years old and was kept in the home of a lady who probably took up studies for pleasure, playing occasionally. The state of wear on the piano is indeed very minimal; in fact, one could say that for its age it seems like new (and I am certain it has never been refurbished or restored). It has two pedals and an ivory keyboard. I have had the chance to try it four times already and, from the first time, I was struck by the sound, which is very round and full considering it is a baby grand, and by the action, which seems truly excellent to me. Being naturally suspicious and having trust issues when it comes to important purchases, I asked my teacher (who has been playing for about 55 years and knows a lot about pianos) to try it with me, and he also gave me the same positive impressions regarding the sound and the action that I had. Wanting further confirmation, I also asked my technician to check the piano (especially the action and the pins), and he confirmed that it is truly an excellent piano. Furthermore, the hammers are very little indented by the strings, and in fact, some seem to have never been used (they are still the originals).

Given that I have already read everything readable on the internet, I have a few questions for you, hoping to find answers.

1. I would like to know the exact age of the piano (I am not satisfied with the approximately 40 years I was told, also because in my opinion it is a few years older), but I cannot find anything resembling a serial number, except for a 5-digit number (42***) engraved in the wood, but this numbering does not correspond to SP's serial numbers. Would you know how to decipher this number?

2. Being a model from about 40 years ago, can I be sure that it was produced in Italy and is part of a good line (Masterpiece) of SP products, or is there a risk that even back then some models were produced in China? If so, would you be able to recognize the model and tell me which one it is (the length is between 150-160 cm but I don't know the exact measurement)?

3. For two consecutive times that I tried it, I heard a very annoying vibration on B-flat, which then moved to C and then to G. In my opinion, the vibration is inside the piano and I suppose it is where the strings are attached, but it could very well be resonance from the environment where it is located. Could it be a totally random vibration (even at home on my upright, an annoying vibration occasionally appears due to the environment or the keyboard cover screws)?

4. Speaking of my upright, Yamaha UX-1, is it a good model? I cannot find any information on this model!

I am attaching some photos of the Schulze Pollmann hoping they may be useful for answering my questions.

Thank you in advance and I apologize for the length of the post!

Lucascozzys

Member

Posts: 6
City: Busto Arsizio

January 20, 2017, 16:52

Here are some more images that I couldn't manage to upload:

marcy63

Member

Posts: 38
City: Casaletto Lodigiano

January 21, 2017, 18:09

Hi Luca, personally I would never buy the quarter grand piano but obviously it depends on the space and the budget.

I'm linking an interesting ad:

http://www.mercatinomusicale.com/mm/a_yamaha-c3-pianoforte-a-coda_id4750728.html

Lucascozzys

Member

Posts: 6
City: Busto Arsizio

January 21, 2017, 21:55

Unfortunately, I have huge space problems, so even with a quarter grand is at the limit, and furthermore the budget is very tight! If it weren't for the fact that the C3 is 186 cm long and I really wouldn't know where to put it, I would have certainly already called the number in the link you provided because I believe the C3 is a truly well-built piano! (I tried a C3 and a C7 side by side and the C3 won hands down)! Thank you so much for your answer!

Andry

Member

Posts: 86
City: Roma

January 22, 2017, 14:40

I see that no one is answering you, so I propose a solution for what you marked as point 3; I believe it is the most delicate question.. Let's start with a question: Why don't you point it out to the seller and ask them about it? If it's because you think it's in bad taste or because you think the price is advantageous so it's better not to ask for more, well then, just use tact and cunning. Ask for information about the tuner of the shop where you tried the piano, perhaps using the excuse that you want to evaluate the condition of your upright; introduce yourself, make them understand that in the future you will need a tuner for the Schulze & Pollmann, and using that as an excuse, ask if it is possible to tune it to better hear its potential; if they answer no, explain the reason why you made the request!

P.s. it is a fantastic thing to know what we don't like about our piano! Imagine it is already in your home and while studying a piece for an exam you noticed these notes that produced this resonance, or buzzing, or whatever it is; ask the tuner and you will be satisfied!

PPS and if you are not satisfied, change tuners! Anyway, at least try to identify if the buzz comes from the copper bass strings or the 'bare' steel ones; the hypotheses for resonances can be many and not immediately identifiable, so it is good to reconstruct the cause!

Lucascozzys

Member

Posts: 6
City: Busto Arsizio

January 23, 2017, 13:51

Thanks for your reply Andry! I had pointed out these vibrations and indeed their technician, who is also my own technician and also from my same music school, so he is someone I know works honestly and very professionally, is working to fix this thing. The SP is tuned and in fact that's why I had the chance to test it properly to truly understand its potential. I believe the purchase will go through because my sixth sense tells me it's a real bargain!

Ps: another thing that struck me enormously is the una corda pedal which works truly great, in the sense that you can achieve a truly ppp sound, something that on a Yamaha grand, I believe a C7, which I occasionally have the chance to play, I have never been able to hear.

Andry

Member

Posts: 86
City: Roma

January 23, 2017, 22:21

Please, if you want one last piece of advice, know that when it is at home, you will find yourself playing the piano 'closed' more often, so try it in that mode as well; otherwise, happy music!

P.s. choose carefully, besides the place, the position with which you will orient the tail of the grand piano; the acoustics will change a lot since for now you are used to an upright one!

Lucascozzys

Member

Posts: 6
City: Busto Arsizio

January 29, 2017, 19:29

The grand piano will take the same position as the upright, with the keyboard perpendicular to the wall, the left side of the piano against the wall (obviously with a few centimeters of space) and the grand will open up to the rest of the room where there are rugs, curtains, and wooden furniture that give my living room good acoustics!

I have updates on the SP, in the sense that the technician is working on the vibrations and is also tuning the piano. I asked not to dampen the sound too much because I like a more open and roaring sound in the bass!

I had the chance to check the action installed on the SP and it is a Renner; besides Andry, whom I thank again, does anyone want to try answering the other questions about the SP that I had posed?