PRICES SPECIFICATIONS RATINGS HOW TO BUY
LARRY FINEALDEN SKINNER
PIA
NO
BU
YER
.CO
MAco
ust
ic
& D
igit
al
FALL 2009 Supplement to
THE PIANO BOOK
PIANO BUYER
The Definitive Guide to Buying New, Used, and Restored Pianos
Editors
Altogether different. Totally familiar. The YamahaAvantGrand hybrid piano forms a physical bond with you, a visceralconnection that vibrates through your fingers, feet, and soul. This essential acoustic
sensation has completely eluded digital pianos—until now. To reproduce it,
Yamaha pioneered breakthrough technologies that deliver a completely
professional performance. With its elegant compact design,
expressive acoustic touch, natural concert piano tone, and
genuine soundboard resonance, playing the Avant-
Grand is a thrilling experience. Feel it at
a local Yamaha Pianos dealer.
www.avant-grand.com
Giving out good vibrations.
KAVG003 AvantGrand Piano Buyer:Layout 2 4/28/09 4:50 PM Page 1
Welcome to the premiere issue of Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer, the new supplement to The Piano Book. For readers unfamiliar with it, The Piano Book, of which I am author, has been the principal consumer guide to buying an acoustic piano in the United States and Canada since 1987. The current, fourth edition was published in 2001. An Annual Supple-ment has been published each year to keep the information on brands, models, and prices of new pianos up to date.
the “Model & Pricing Guide” sec-tion of the online edition.
As longtime readers know, one of the hallmarks of The Piano Bookand the Annual Supplement has been their editorial indepen dence, which was possible in part because they were entirely supported by book sales, not advertising. Why the change, then, to an advertising-based business model? How will it affect the edito-rial direction of the new publica-tion? Fair questions, both.
The Internet has brought changes to many businesses and activities, none more than those related to the dissemination of consumer informa-tion. The change there is that, now, consumers all too often expect in-formation to be provided free of charge. Unfortunately, to publish this infor mation with the integrity and accuracy that my conscience de-mands requires several months of my time each year and thousands of dollars’ worth of staff time, which the revenue from book sales does not suffi ciently cover. This is made ever more diffi cult when others ille-gally copy the material and publish it for their own purposes on their own websites—another by-product of the Internet. In order to continue publishing, therefore, it has been necessary to seek out another, more viable business model.
When I began publishing more than 20 years ago, so many brands and models of new piano had so many defects in design and manu-facturing that it would not have been possible to accept advertis-ing and still tell the truth. Over the last ten years, however, that situa-tion has completely changed. Due
The publication you are now read-ing, Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer, replaces the Annual Supplement. The new publication differs from the old in the following ways:
� Piano Buyer will be published twice a year, in spring and fall.
� Piano Buyer includes informa-tion on digital pianos, and on used and restored acoustic pianos, in addition to new acoustic pianos.
� Piano Buyer is partially sup-ported by advertising.
� Piano Buyer is available free in digital form on our website, www.pianobuyer.com. It can also be purchased in print through the website or from any bookstore.
Piano Buyer is a hybrid book/magazine. The “book” part consists of a collection of how-to articles on the many aspects of buying a piano. Because piano buyers need this in-formation all at once, not over a long period of time, most of these articles will remain relatively unchanged from issue to issue. Our aim is to provide you with only the most useful and important information, succinctly stated, and to address the topics of broadest interest, so that you can be on your way to enjoying your piano as quickly as
possible. For those readers desir-ing more, there is plenty of inter-esting material of a more technical or specialized nature in The Piano Book and, from time to time, on the PianoBuyer.com website.
The “magazine” part of the pub-lication consists of articles of more temporary interest, model and price data for new acoustic and digital pianos, and advertisements, all of which will be updated as necessary with each issue. Be sure to check out the free, searchable database of new acoustic pianos accessible from
Aco
usti
c &
Dig
ital PIANO
BUYER THE PUBLISHERLARRY FINE
A MESSAGE FROM
Our aim is to provide
you with only the
most useful and
im portant infor-
mation, succinctly
stated, so that you
can be on your way
to enjoying your
piano as quickly as
possible.
to globalization and the comput-erization of manufacturing, truly defective pianos have become things of the past. Virtually all new pia-nos now sold in the West are at least acceptable for their intended au-dience and, more often than not, they are quite good. As a result, my role has been gradually—and happily—transformed into more that of a guide than a critic, point- ing readers toward great products instead of warning them away from bad ones, and this new role is much more compatible with advertising.
Truth be told, a critic can be cor-rupted by many things other than ad revenue. I’ve resisted those for over 20 years and see no reason to start being tempted now. Besides, in my new role as publisher of an
advertising-based publication, I’ll be under much greater scrutiny than before. I’m sure my critics will keep me honest.
When one is completely new to a subject, as many readers undoubt-edly are to the world of pianos, advertising, far from being a nec-essary evil, can be highly informa-tive and educational. It can expose one to many more products and services than can editorial content alone. In the online edition of this publication, clicking on an ad will take you to the advertiser’s website. I invite you to use this additional resource to enhance your piano-buying experience. (Also, text in red is hyperlinked in the online edition.)
Finally, I’d like to welcome Alden Skinner to Piano Buyer as editor
of the digital piano section, and as all-around technical guru for the pub lication. Alden comes to us with more than 20 years’ experience in the piano business, several years of techni cal product management, and many years of serious study of digi-tal pianos. In the brief time we’ve worked together, I’ve been constantly amazed at both the depth and the breadth of his knowledge, and at his ability to explain complex technical concepts in layman’s terms. I know that Piano Buyer’s readers will ben-efit greatly from his expertise.
Especially as this is a new publica-tion, readers’ comments, criticisms, and suggestions are very much appreciated. Send them to me at [email protected].
Larry Fine, Publisher
Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer is published semiannually, in January and July, by:
Brookside Press LLC 800.545.2022P.O. Box 300168 617.522.7182Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 USA 617.390.7764 (fax)[email protected] www.pianobuyer.com
Acoustic & Digital Piano Buyer copyright © 2009 by Brookside Press LLCAll rights reserved
“The Piano Book” is a Registered Trademark of Lawrence Fine
ISBN 978-1929145256 (print)ISBN 978-1929145263 (ePub)ISBN 978-1929145270 (Kindle)ISBN 978-1929145287 (PDF)ISBN 978-1929145294 (Sony)
Distributed to the book trade by Independent Publishers Group,814 North Franklin St., Chicago, IL 60610(800) 888-4741 or (312) 337-0747
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form whatsoever without prior written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles and book reviews.
Reasonable efforts have been made to secure accurate information for this publication. Due in part to the fact that manufacturers and distributors will not always willingly make this information available, however, some indirect sources have been relied on.
Neither the editors nor publisher make any guarantees with respect to the accuracy of the information contained herein, and will not be liable for damages—inci-dental, consequential, or otherwise—resulting from the use of the information.
Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, and Acoustic Piano EditorLarry [email protected]
Digital Piano EditorAlden [email protected]
Advertising Director and Contributing EditorSteve [email protected]
Design and ProductionJulie Gallagher, Harry St. Ours
Acoustic Piano Technical ConsultantDel Fandrich
Research AssociateBarbara Fandrich
Other contributors to this issue: Steve Brady, Ori Bukai, Sara and Irving Faust, Russell Kassman, Mike Kemper, Lewis Lipnick, George F. Litterst, Robert Lowrey, Alan Merriam, Dennis Saphir, Mary C. Smith, Chris Solliday
See website for more information.
1329 Gateway Drive - Gallatin, TN 37066 - (800) 592-9393 - [email protected]
The American
The craftsmanship that makes the Knabe the world’s best piano is not the acquisition of one generation but a
pedigree of skills that have run through more than three hundred years. Making a great grand piano starts with the determination not to compromise in any aspect of the design, materials, or craftsmanship
This piano’s inspired conception was created by Knabe’s exclusive American instrument designers, and its design and key components are crafted by Knabe’s select artisans in the United States of America.
WKG90 shown
MTM Knabe 12-08.pdf 12/22/08 8:56:48 AM
Inside This Issue
ACOUSTIC PIANOS
A Message from the Publisher
The Prodigious Power of Piano Playing
Acoustic or Digital: What’s Best For Me?
1 | 7 |11 |
13 | Piano Buying Basics
35 | The New-Piano Market Today42 | A Map of the Market for New Pianos
(Ratings)
47 | Buying a Used or Restored Piano61 | Rebuilder Spotlight
David Andersen: A Reliable Catalyst
65 | Buying a High-End Piano65 | The Best Piano: A Story
71 | Piano Dealers Speak About Their High-End Brands
79 | Buying Pianos For an Institution84 | Piano Maintenance in Institutions
86 | Sales Talk
89 | How to Make a Piano Room Sound Grand
95 | Caring For Your Piano
99 | Benches, Lamps, and Accessories
ONLINE Guest Review: Chinese-Made Grands An Attractive, Affordable Option
ACOUSTIC & DIGITAL PIANO BUYER FALL 2009
102 | Buying a Digital Piano
109 | Digital Piano Basics, Part 1 Imitating the Acoustic Piano
115 | Digital Piano Basics, Part 2 Beyond the Acoustic Piano
126 | My Other Piano is a Computer: An Introduction to Software Pianos
ONLINE At Home On Stage: Professional Stage Pianos Come Home
129 | Hybrid Pianos
133 | Buying an Electronic Player-Piano System
HYBRID & PLAYER PIANOS
DIGITAL PIANOSA Message from the Publisher
The Prodigious Power of Piano Playing
Acoustic or Digital: What’s Best For Me?
PIANOBUYER.COM
ACOUSTIC PIANOS
145 | Brand & Company Profiles
188 | Model & Pricing Guide Access to Searchable Database
272 | Advertiser Index/Photo Credits
NEW-PIANO BUYERS’ REFERENCE
DIGITAL PIANOS
252 | Brand & Company Profiles
257 | Specifications & Prices
