Search found 53 matches

by helmllwyn
05 May 2007, 01:06
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Steingraeber 205
Replies: 3
Views: 6933

Steingraeber 205

There's no easy way to say this ,but .......I am the proud owner of a newly acquired Steingraeber 205!, and,yes, I did swop my lovely S6 for it!. I absolutely adore this piano, and have no aspirations for anything else . . . . Ever!, This piano is everything I ever wanted in an instrument, and altho...
by helmllwyn
28 Jan 2007, 16:55
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: U1/U100
Replies: 19
Views: 23276

Congratulations CJ ! May you have many years of pleasure from your U1, and remember ,you can always upgrade to a Steinway in the future! :wink:
Elizabeth
by helmllwyn
25 Jan 2007, 13:42
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Steinway Model B
Replies: 19
Views: 23115

Yes, the S6 is gorgeous,and I'm a very lucky Bunny!, but I would still be tempted by the Steingraeber if one fell into my lap (!) at the right price. . . .straight swop would be nice. The clients who moved to the US and Canada probably did so cos you kept insulting their piano! :twisted:
by helmllwyn
24 Jan 2007, 13:37
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Steinway Model B
Replies: 19
Views: 23115

IMHO, the Steingraeber 205 (especially the 205 Phoenix at Hurstwood Farm Studios in Kent), is the closest competitor to the Steinway B. . . . .I'm expecting a smack on the head from Piano Guy now! :wink: It is (at 29000 pounds) also half the price, but of course will not have the re-sale value it de...
by helmllwyn
22 Jan 2007, 22:16
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: U1/U100
Replies: 19
Views: 23276

Hi, I bought my piano from Coach House last year and would whole-heartedly recommend them (especially Jerry). Nothing was too much trouble for these guys (and I am a difficult customer believe me!). Very pleased with the preparation of my piano and the after sales care. . plus the price was great to...
by helmllwyn
14 Oct 2006, 00:25
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: C7 black keys
Replies: 5
Views: 8532

Yeah, but they are also on the S6 so what's going on here? . . . .took me a while to get used to them!
by helmllwyn
28 Sep 2006, 14:52
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Care of polyester finish
Replies: 6
Views: 9705

Hi,
I have just received a set of Cory cloths and polishes for my high gloss piano from www.pianocoversonline.co.uk. Seems to work fine. . and quick delivery too. they also have a few more interesting "knick-knacks" on their site, and a good selection of piano stools. Happy polishing!
by helmllwyn
24 Sep 2006, 22:03
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: YAMAHA U3 / U5 Review - please help me!
Replies: 33
Views: 91837

Hi Jerome, I just posted on another thread ,the number for Coach House Pianos in Swansea (01792 584 584). Give them a call and talk to Jerry before you decide. When I was there last week they had a number of second hand Yamahas in excellent condition, plus a beautiful restored Bechstein and they wil...
by helmllwyn
24 Sep 2006, 21:44
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Zimmermann Z1 / Z3
Replies: 12
Views: 16875

Just found the number for Coach House Pianos,. . . 01792 584 584 . Give them a ring, as they the most helpful people you could hope to meet, and if they have what you are looking for will do you a good deal. Best of luck with your search,
Elizabeth
by helmllwyn
24 Sep 2006, 21:36
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Zimmermann Z1 / Z3
Replies: 12
Views: 16875

I would try Coach House pianos in Swansea as well, They are very good on pricing and prep the pianos thoroughly before they leave the shop. I will find the telephone number for you as they are not on the web. (or do a search on this site)
by helmllwyn
24 Feb 2006, 14:52
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Best new upright money can buy
Replies: 15
Views: 23480

Steingraeber & Sohne 138 ! :D
by helmllwyn
24 Feb 2006, 14:49
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: To B or not to B.
Replies: 14
Views: 19414

Hi, just thought I would add to this thread with my own 2-penneth worth. As PG will know, I decided on a Yamaha S6 back in October last year. I am thrilled with this piano. It has a silky smooth action, and a wonderful rich and mellow tone, but can really grunt in the bass when I want it to. It is s...
by helmllwyn
08 Jan 2006, 21:16
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

It has been a long and rocky road folks,but just to update you, I am now the proud owner of a Yamaha s6 piano (couldn't stretch to the Steingraeber in the end. . . it being 9000 pounds more 'n all!), but I am very very happy with the Yamaha. Lovely tone, lovely action, at a good price. Thanks to eve...
by helmllwyn
08 Jan 2006, 21:04
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler 180 (1986) vs new Yamaha C3 or C5
Replies: 30
Views: 36370

hi James, and a Happy new Year!. Yes,after much searching, (of the soul as well as the place sort),I have at last got my piano. I could not afford the Steingraeber 205 which would have been my first choice , but I am more than happy with what I eventually bought. I am now the proud owner of a superb...
by helmllwyn
27 Oct 2005, 00:56
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Piano Guy. . . . sometimes you're just . . EVIL!. :twisted:
by helmllwyn
07 Oct 2005, 00:21
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler 180 (1986) vs new Yamaha C3 or C5
Replies: 30
Views: 36370

Congratulations!, may you have many happy years with your new "friend"!.I'm glad that you finally found the piano that makes you Happy. I am still trying to do the same (think I've cracked it now though).
happy Music Making! :D
by helmllwyn
05 Oct 2005, 21:33
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Choosing a baby grand
Replies: 7
Views: 11479

With a budget of around £15K I would also try the Irmler range of pianos manufactured in Poland for Bluthner. Have Fun!
by helmllwyn
04 Oct 2005, 14:14
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Carl Konisch Piano's Value !!
Replies: 3
Views: 7863

Do you mean Carl Ronisch? could the K be an R?
Post the serial number (if you can find it) on this forum and I am sure that someone here will help you.
by helmllwyn
03 Oct 2005, 16:54
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Steve, I have sent you a private message. Let me know if you don't receive it. Elizabeth
by helmllwyn
28 Sep 2005, 21:19
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Gill, are you suggesting I might get more for the kids !. . . . good thinking. :D
Piano Guy, wash your hard drive out with soap and water, It never even crossed my mind!, thanks for the vote of confidence though :wink:
by helmllwyn
26 Sep 2005, 22:04
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

That's one of the options I'm considering,Gill, along with pawning the cat! :D
by helmllwyn
26 Sep 2005, 15:00
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

thanks PianoGuy, I'm learning!,I'm learning! :wink:
by helmllwyn
26 Sep 2005, 13:31
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Thank you James, that seems much more reasonable. I am spending the day looking at options, and will follow up on your information. Of course I shall also be buying a lottery ticket for Saturday!. I wonder if there are any finance guys out here who can contribute to this forum, and help us out? (out...
by helmllwyn
26 Sep 2005, 02:01
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Thanks for your reply Piano Guy. O.K I know you know a lot more than I do about "the Business". I am not disputing that. All I ever set out to do is find a piano that I would be happy to play for the next couple of years until I could get my "dream"piano,which has turned out to b...
by helmllwyn
25 Sep 2005, 21:28
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

It turns out that some piano dealers,mentioning no names,do not fully own the pianos on their shop floor!. They are owned by a finance company,rather like some car-dealerships,and consequently I have been told that there is "no margin for negotiation". the finance company tell the dealer n...
by helmllwyn
25 Sep 2005, 12:57
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Yeh, I know. But how do you explain a 10500 pound price difference between Bristol Piano Company and both Hurstwood Farm and Coach house,who both have it at 29000 ?! :shock: !!!
by helmllwyn
25 Sep 2005, 11:33
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Bristol piano company has the 205 that I loved,but with a very high ticket price on it,and wouldn't come down from that, (wonderful piano!), ..and yes ,I did go down there. . . 10hour round trip!. Also Hurstwood Farm Piano Studios in kent stock them www.hurstwoodfarmpianos.co.uk. Richard Dain down t...
by helmllwyn
24 Sep 2005, 14:29
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Money!. . . . . or ,more accurately, the lack of it! :( . I thought that I would be happy with the C3 until I had saved enough to get the piano I really wanted, but it was not to be. Will have to look at some creative accounting options ?! if I am going to go for the Steingraeber right now. But I wi...
by helmllwyn
24 Sep 2005, 12:57
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

PianoGuy, You must be absolutely psychic!. How did you know that my "dream" piano would turn out to be a Steingraeber?! :o I played a 205 last week and was absolutely blown away by it, but the price tag was hefty. I am going to try the Stubby shaped 168 next week to see how different they ...
by helmllwyn
24 Sep 2005, 00:17
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Thanks Chris, yes, it is a very even,but ultimately boring sound. If you are playing the piano for up to four hours a day,as I am, it really can get on your nerves. Previously I had only played Yamahas at some concert venues,and was usually relieved that the instrument in front of me wasn't a total ...
by helmllwyn
17 Sep 2005, 23:28
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Sorry to disappoint you PianoGuy,and I really did do as you said and tried the piano in different positions,(the lotus made pedalling difficult :lol:) , This whole experience has been educational,and I know that it was my impatience to get a new piano without finding out what I really liked that has...
by helmllwyn
17 Sep 2005, 02:03
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

O.K I've now had time to think and I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong to go down the Asian piano route, not because of anything inherently wrong with these pianos (in fact they are superbly built), but simply on aural preference.At the end of the day the choice comes down to: 1. do I lik...
by helmllwyn
14 Sep 2005, 01:10
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

O.K, you are all wonderful on this forum. and I am just an "idiot savant" * picking your brains!. Right then, Barrie......I did pick the sweetest sounding Yamaha in the room on the day that I went,but I did not spend very long as H.(bless him ) was encouraging me to demonstrate lots of oth...
by helmllwyn
13 Sep 2005, 19:45
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Hi there PianoGuy, I was hoping that you would post your view here. I know ,I know, I am panicking, and yes ,it was a lot of cash to part with, so I want to make the best choice I can. The C3 is the same one I tried in the showroom,and I can't remember feeling that the sustain was lacking then. It i...
by helmllwyn
13 Sep 2005, 18:19
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Thanks Stuart,
some people in the States absolutely rave about these pianos, so perhaps you should have put yours on an American web-site!, hope you aree happy with the Danemann now. I appreciated your input, :) Elizabeth
by helmllwyn
13 Sep 2005, 12:57
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Yamaha C3 niggles!
Replies: 54
Views: 58968

Yamaha C3 niggles!

Oh dear, I may have done the wrong thing,and I am going to have to eat humble pie!. Right ,the new C3 arrived last week,and it is a very nice piano,BUT . . it does not have that singing tone I have been looking for,and short of going out and buying a Bluthner or Bosendorfer,which I can't afford, I a...
by helmllwyn
02 Sep 2005, 21:24
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: new C3
Replies: 7
Views: 10331

O.K Gill ! ! ! (it was 1 o'clock in the morning!) :lol: :lol:
by helmllwyn
02 Sep 2005, 01:18
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: new C3
Replies: 7
Views: 10331

It's arrived ! ! !

I can barely contain myself !. At last I have got the new Yamaha C3 piano in my house, and it is wonderful. I am jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas eve. . . . not really appropriate for a 40 year old, I know. I feel that it is a stepping stone to even better things in a few years time, and ...
by helmllwyn
31 Aug 2005, 21:48
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: new C3
Replies: 7
Views: 10331

Thanks very much for your reply,Barrie. Yes,as you say, the Yamaha is arriving tomorrow! and I am looking forward to it very much. I too liked the C7, but unfortunately couldn't stretch to that at the moment. I will definately be looking to upgrade to either a Bosendorfer 185 or (although I haven't ...
by helmllwyn
30 Aug 2005, 23:02
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: new C3
Replies: 7
Views: 10331

new C3

This is a message for Barrie really, but it is just to ask whether you have seen the Yamaha C3 that is going to be delivered to me from Music Box on Thursday, to replace the Seiler grand mentioned in a previous post. The question is, how long should I leave the piano to 'settle' before it's first tu...
by helmllwyn
20 Aug 2005, 21:25
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler 180 (1986) vs new Yamaha C3 or C5
Replies: 30
Views: 36370

Yamaha

Hi James,sorry to hear that you're having a problem part-exing the Seiler. Just a thought. . have you got a branch of Dawsons near to you,as when I went in there (Chester Branch) 2 weeks ago I noticed that they had Seilers,both upright and Grand models. The salesman I talked to said that they had ju...
by helmllwyn
20 Aug 2005, 01:37
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Is your piano too small?!
Replies: 3
Views: 5602

hi Barrie, fascinated by this "piano", I too have played the organists' practice pianos with the single sound board and attatched pedal board. I have never heard of these Italian instruments before. Sounds very experimental,but could be interesting to watch in a way. Certainly I am thinkin...
by helmllwyn
19 Aug 2005, 00:50
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Is your piano too small?!
Replies: 3
Views: 5602

Is your piano too small?!

Hello all my fellow piano buddies out there. Just found this on an American website, (what else!). Just in case you thought that your piano could do with supersizing, think again . . . . have a look at this:
http://www.borgato.it/doppioborgato.htm :lol: [/url]
by helmllwyn
13 Aug 2005, 19:39
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler 180 (1986) vs new Yamaha C3 or C5
Replies: 30
Views: 36370

Hi James Sounds like you had an interesting day! If it's a choice between the Welmar(1935) and the Yamaha, I would definitely go for the Yammy. I never thought that I would be a Yamaha convert either,but they really have got their act together in the last few years,and realised that our delicate eur...
by helmllwyn
13 Aug 2005, 15:10
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler 180 (1986) vs new Yamaha C3 or C5
Replies: 30
Views: 36370

O.K . . forgiven!. :wink: I only went for a new instrument because I am intending to upgrade it in 2/3 years time.What piano do you currently play?
by helmllwyn
13 Aug 2005, 14:59
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler 180 (1986) vs new Yamaha C3 or C5
Replies: 30
Views: 36370

horses for courses piano guy.different things are suitable for different requirements.Thought you might know that! I was trying to help James with his search.
by helmllwyn
13 Aug 2005, 12:47
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Used farm tractors
Replies: 11
Views: 14335

do Yamaha make tractors now?, or maybe Fazioli!
by helmllwyn
13 Aug 2005, 12:43
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Handmade Piano
Replies: 18
Views: 22165

see Seiler vs Yamaha post

Hi James ,
I have just posted a reply to you on another thread. Sorry to mess up your thread here. didn't see this till afterwards!
Elizabeth
by helmllwyn
13 Aug 2005, 12:38
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler 180 (1986) vs new Yamaha C3 or C5
Replies: 30
Views: 36370

Welmar Model C

Hello James again, By the way my Welmar (1977),is now with Harry at Music Box pianos (see link above). It is a lovely insrument, which was chosen for me by the piano tuner at the Royal College of Music at the time,when I was a student there. It is in a satin Mahogany case in very good condition for ...
by helmllwyn
13 Aug 2005, 12:24
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler 180 (1986) vs new Yamaha C3 or C5
Replies: 30
Views: 36370

hi James, Thanks for telling me about your experience with your Welmar and Seiler pianos. I have always found the Seiler uprights to be excellent, in some ways even better than their Grands. I had a Welmar model C upright for many years,and only recently part-exed it for the Seiler Grand which I am ...