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Part III - In which the captain arrives at his new home.
New Piano Day!! Hooray!!
In the door
I’m always amazed by this part of the job
The captain is home.
New damper felts
No more missing strings
Ready to play
Yes, yes, but how does the piano sound and play? To quote Gershwin, ‘S wonderful.
I’d describe as rich and even. It’s on the brighter side, but maybe not so much as a new Yamaha. I think the carpet underneath the piano may help. The low end is huge and this piano could easily overpower my double bass.
I did not splurge for new hammers or action during this phase of the restoration and maybe that will be a project an few years down the line. For this round, we focused on regulation and getting a reliable and even touch. The action is a little heavier than I’m used to, but I’ve been playing on a digital keyboard for the better part of the last decade, so that is to be expected.
All in all, there is consistency and quality of sound and playability that far exceeds my skill level. I feel very fortunate to have this piano in our home and to have such a supportive partner and family. And let's not forget to give credit where credit is due. Hats off to Frank Bidinger for the great work. I’m ecstatic.
Any chance we can hear in a video what the piano sounds like? 11K including the piano with all the work done thus far seems like a steal! One question I have for you is why does the pinblock have that reddish hue to it? Is that a stain?
Any chance we can hear in a video what the piano sounds like? 11K including the piano with all the work done thus far seems like a steal! One question I have for you is why does the pinblock have that reddish hue to it? Is that a stain?
Hopefully, I'll have a "real" pianist coming over to play it soon and will capture a recording. I'm not worthy of recording at this point although the courses on Open Studio are helping.
I wondered the same thing about the old pinblock but forgot to ask. It did have some other peculiarities in that it was extra large and needed additional custom work to replace it. Also, it had been chiseled along the edge of the bass strings when it was originally assembled, which was odd.
The Cap'n received his first post-move tune up today. Brian Lee gave it the once over and we spoke about the strengths of this piano, namely, its tone and voicing, hammers, and overall condition, as well as areas for improvement which mostly focus on the action. Some of the jack stop felts are worn and causing clicking if the note is played fortissimo and some repetition springs are weak.
Currently deciding if we will replace a few whippens for the most serious offenders, or bite the bullet and upgrade them all at once.
Aside from that, the tuning has two handed voices with all of the extensions sitting just how I like them. Clusters are also blending well.
I suspect that is jazz-speak for phobucket's satisfaction with the way chords with extensions (e.g. ninths, elevenths, thirteenths) are sounding when open-voiced in two hands.
I stopped by a piano store to level set my exuberance about Cap’n. I wanted to get a sense of whether I should continue down this path, and if so, what areas of attention should be the focus. (The short answer is keep practicing.)
At the store, I was able to play several smaller Yamahas and Kawais as well as a 6ft Seiler, a Kawai GX6 and a 1970s Steinway D. All three of these pianos were wonderful and unique.
The Steinway sounded lush with a delicate action. The Kawai had a strong low end and the action felt lively and crisp. The Seiler fell somewhere between the other two in sound and feel, although the low end was not quite as thunderous.
I rushed home to play my piano again while the touch and sound of the others was still strong in my mind. I’m satisfied with the tone. The sound just makes me happy. It’s not a 9ft Steinway, but it felt comparable to the GX6 and I favored it to the smaller pianos.
When it comes to the touch, the Steinway D was like a ballerina, and the Kawai GX6 an Olympic fencer. The Cap’n, on the other hand, is the barroom brawler. Notes strike with great force and then the action continues in motion, bouncing along until it regains equilibrium. He’ll need more work to reform his ways.
I’m going to get 100 hours or so of practice in before I make any changes to the piano. Hopefully that will help me refine my request and maybe I’ll even be brave enough to make a quick recording or two.
A few friends came over for a session last night and I got a chance to grab a quick clip of someone far more skilled than me playing the Captain.
I was super happy to have the first test run of “jazz trio in my living room” and equally excited to get some positive feedback on the piano from a better player. In short, the action is fine. I just need to practice the h*ll out if it.
Quick clip recorded on my phone. [video:youtube]1954 Kawai 750 [/video]
Someone once told me those Asian pianos would never be a candidate for restoration…..I don’t remember who that was. But, they were wrong. Sounds great so far!
I. Bruton Acoustic Pianos at home: Yamaha C3, Yamaha P22 Digitals at home: Yamaha P125, Roland RD-800, Kawai Novus N5S
Well that rebuilder was restoring those pianos.If Bill Getes wants to donate, for such a charity that would be great.I see no problem. 😊
My piano's voice is my voice to God and the great unknown universe, and to those I love. In other words a hymn. That is all, but that is enough. tre corda
Well that rebuilder was restoring those pianos.If Bill Getes wants to donate, for such a charity that would be great.I see no problem. 😊
This was meant for the Knabe thread, it sounds like I am being cynical here.They are both about older pianos and restoration.
My piano's voice is my voice to God and the great unknown universe, and to those I love. In other words a hymn. That is all, but that is enough. tre corda
I need to listen more carefully at home.I can hear a beautiful rich bass however.I have played a Kawai 500 model and yes it was a gorgeous sound.I have been reading this whole thread and yes it is fascinating.Your Captain is tough enough I think to last another 60 years.Congratulations on your wonderful piano!
My piano's voice is my voice to God and the great unknown universe, and to those I love. In other words a hymn. That is all, but that is enough. tre corda