Search found 70 matches

by sirprize
03 Dec 2011, 08:02
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Care in the Community
Replies: 3
Views: 6365

Care in the Community

He's still not taking his medication......

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... SS:GB:1123
by sirprize
19 Sep 2011, 13:30
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: The Barless Club
Replies: 28
Views: 38065

Re: The Barless Club

I'm sure your appraisal of the barless grand is shared by many, Joe and it's one of the reasons I feel there might be a groundswell of enthusiasm for bringing these wonderful instruments back to the fore. Extraordinary to think they once retailed for more than equivalent Steinways and yet can now be...
by sirprize
17 Sep 2011, 20:43
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: The Barless Club
Replies: 28
Views: 38065

Re: The Barless Club

Ha ha Gill! Well, pass the word to any of your barless clients. I will be building a register of serial numbers/locations - bit trainspotty I know - but it will mesh with Broadwood's own celebrated archive of original sale details going back to Pérotin lol
by sirprize
17 Sep 2011, 18:24
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: The Barless Club
Replies: 28
Views: 38065

The Barless Club

Introducing THE BARLESS CLUB! Not a place for Alcoholics Anonymous to hang out in but dedicated to the Broadwood barless piano. The domain name http://www.thebarlessclub.org.uk has been registered but it'll take some weeks before the website and forum are up and running Broadwood first patented the ...
by sirprize
04 Apr 2011, 15:34
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: some thoughts on phoenix/steingraeber-phoniex pianos
Replies: 26
Views: 32850

Re: some thoughts on phoenix/steingraeber-phoniex pianos

A very interesting post! I'm due to go down to Richard Dain's for the first time during 11/12th April. And a concert pianist colleague will have gone there a few days before then. She's hoping to record an entire album on a Phoenix There are a number of people in the UK with an engineering and/or sc...
by sirprize
27 Jun 2010, 14:55
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: He's excelled himself this time !
Replies: 8
Views: 12954

Re: He's excelled himself this time !

pills......my pink pills.......

I

need

them

quick
by sirprize
21 May 2010, 17:24
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: WHAT THE **** ?!?!?
Replies: 5
Views: 8883

WHAT THE **** ?!?!?

Never has the silly season started with such panache as this prize posting from the Master of Mastication himself

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BROADWOOD-BARLESS ... 0436103179

my pills.......where are my pills...........
by sirprize
02 Dec 2009, 10:48
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: 'The Twallock Returns' (sounds like a book for Xmas)
Replies: 5
Views: 9278

Re: 'The Twallock Returns' (sounds like a book for Xmas)

More side-splitting stuff from The Master of the carefully crafted p**s take...... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GRAND-PIANO-TO-THE-PEOPLE-OF-BERGEN-BELSEN_W0QQitemZ290376648540QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_MusicalInstr_Keyboard_RL?hash=item439bcc075c I'd love to sample this stuff......then lay it over some Speed G...
by sirprize
02 Dec 2009, 10:10
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: 'The Twallock Returns' (sounds like a book for Xmas)
Replies: 5
Views: 9278

'The Twallock Returns' (sounds like a book for Xmas)

It's vintage stuff! What would life be like.......without the regular contributions of "my-real-passion-and-charlie-s-birth-of-erotica" to the well-being of the piano fraternity? Thankyou yea thankyou for bringing such joy, bewilderment and despair http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BECHSTEIN-GRAND-PIA...
by sirprize
04 Aug 2009, 13:07
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Ebay...He's at it again!
Replies: 11
Views: 16411

Re: Ebay...He's at it again!

Oh my oh my (hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha etc) I'm convinced this utter drivel HAS to be contrived and carefully crafted to take the mick out of us all..... "BECHSTEIN GRAND GENERL GORDON STEINWAY MAPLE about best The New Imperial Music Empire1880-1913 £50,000 new" The skewed pic...
by sirprize
04 Aug 2009, 12:59
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Ebay...He's at it again!
Replies: 11
Views: 16411

Re: Ebay...He's at it again!

It might be p***ing down with rain......no dosh in my a/c......no point in booking a holiday......and all the oil's running out.....but for sheer distraction-inducing delights there's nothing in this world to beat a posting by Mr ChelseaDollsHouse I just love the comment about him not getting out fo...
by sirprize
08 Jun 2009, 00:30
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: F.Doerner & Sohn, Stuttgart
Replies: 2
Views: 6847

F.Doerner & Sohn, Stuttgart

I've had to assess a large, very heavy and unusually deep upright of this marque which has to find another home within the next 2 weeks. This is about as solid an upright as I've ever come across. Serial in the 4000s. Unusual, ornately carved legs in a rustic style. Overstrung, underdamped. Probably...
by sirprize
05 Jun 2009, 16:59
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: What a complete and utter twallock
Replies: 49
Views: 46007

Re: What a complete and utter twallock

Having inoocently to started this incomparable thread some undue aeons ago I see it has achieved insoumantable greatest as the most-perused thread in here.......

.......not that it has stopped him from continuing to post acres of dog-dung
by sirprize
05 Jun 2009, 16:42
Forum: Idle Chitchat
Topic: Should traders be allowed to use an alias?
Replies: 14
Views: 19948

Re: Should traders be allowed to use an alias?

I want anonymity to remain. It's the only way to get frank comments posted up even if they offend people. I'm not a tuner/technician but a pro musician and principal of a music school. I want to see all shades of opinion posted in here without fear of intimidation. I want to see good as well as bad ...
by sirprize
13 Dec 2008, 23:03
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: "Restored" Bluthner 6'10 piano
Replies: 29
Views: 30285

Returning to Bluthner Patent Action - it's an action you absolutely LOVE or not. I don't have a Bluthner myself but the properly set up BP-actions I've played are simply marvellous for my playing style: silky smooth, ultra-light but totally controllable too. I've asked a highly successful piano teac...
by sirprize
13 Dec 2008, 22:44
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: What DOES one do about a rogue trader?
Replies: 23
Views: 24993

@ Vernon........mopping up tears......chewing the carpet......can't take no more piano-abuse
by sirprize
13 Dec 2008, 22:31
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: What DOES one do about a rogue trader?
Replies: 23
Views: 24993

Thanks everyone The owner is absolutely incandescent with rage about this and I can't believe they won't do whatever it takes to make life as uncomfortable as possible for the trader. And it would be as easy as pie to persuade another half dozen folk to submit their own experiences of piano-betrayal...
by sirprize
13 Dec 2008, 20:47
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: What DOES one do about a rogue trader?
Replies: 23
Views: 24993

PG, I couldn't possibly comment on this person's religious affiliations (though I'd be shocked if he actually had any!)

......*phew* this room's getting warm......must open the window......
by sirprize
13 Dec 2008, 20:05
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: What DOES one do about a rogue trader?
Replies: 23
Views: 24993

What DOES one do about a rogue trader?

We have one in our town and for years he's had a simply wretched effect on the local piano community. Typically he will buy dirt-cheap, put the piano on his website as 'reconditioned' (when it's had nothing more than a squirt of Pledge and a mediocre tune) then wait for some unsuspecting punter to c...
by sirprize
13 Dec 2008, 19:09
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Sostenuto pedal or Practice pedal?
Replies: 16
Views: 18498

The sostenuto option is a very nice resource to have - but it needs a lot of practice to get the most out of it, particularly when combined with the normal sustain pedal. Apart from the obvious repertoire of the late romantics & moderns needing it I've often thought Bach and the other contrapunt...
by sirprize
07 Nov 2008, 14:19
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: What a complete and utter twallock
Replies: 49
Views: 46007

What a complete and utter twallock

Even HE has outdone himself in this edifice of cack http://cgi.ebay.com/Bechstein-White-Gol ... .m63.l1177. Will someone - anyone - please him out of his misery?
by sirprize
19 Oct 2008, 21:18
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Triple piano stool
Replies: 3
Views: 6083

Triple piano stool

Anyone know of a source of FULL-WIDTH piano stools? Full-width meaning a THREE-seater as long as the width of a standard 88-note keyboard. Teachers among you who teach in a hands-on fashion - like I do - know what a pain it is to be constantly repositioning the stool for accompanying the pupil one e...
by sirprize
07 Aug 2008, 14:05
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Glenn Gould obsession latest...
Replies: 16
Views: 19996

Well, I've seen it all now.......GG's replica chair for sale through a dedicated website!! http://www.glenngould-chair.com/

GG also made some wonderfully quirky (non-musical) films
by sirprize
15 Jul 2008, 13:36
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Glenn Gould obsession latest...
Replies: 16
Views: 19996

I share your interest in Glenn Gould: if only there were more free-thinking musical personalities like him nowdays instead of all this bland and predictable conformity Here's another quaint story about GG: apparently he only ever used one seat during all his performances and recordings. This was an ...
by sirprize
20 Jun 2008, 20:40
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: METRONOME
Replies: 11
Views: 14780

Openwood wrote:If you insert it into your mouth it's fair to say you have a facial tick.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
by sirprize
20 Jun 2008, 20:36
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: METRONOME
Replies: 11
Views: 14780

Openwood wrote:If you insert it into your mouth it's fair to say you have a facial tick.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
by sirprize
20 Jun 2008, 20:31
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: HEIGHT
Replies: 5
Views: 8588

Re: HEIGHT

you mean the smaller the piano the smaller the sound???? :?: Yes.............but...... ........ some people like a 'smaller' sound......especially in a smaller space Difficult to know who in here is taking the piss......who is being witty.......and who is being merely patronising/rude......(and all...
by sirprize
18 Jun 2008, 23:03
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: The Curse of The Broadwood Barless (cue: creaky piano lid)
Replies: 0
Views: 4457

The Curse of The Broadwood Barless (cue: creaky piano lid)

What is it about the poor old Broadwood Barless which attracts weird sellers and mad buyers like me who seek these unique instruments out? In the last half a dozen years I've met and negotiated with many Barless owners & restorers - 95% of them strange but none wackier than the latest. I've even...
by sirprize
20 May 2008, 23:31
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Bechstein Rebuilders
Replies: 12
Views: 14929

Very sensitive subject.....dyselxia perhaps?.....is Phil aware of his spelling etc?......and its possible effect on his potential customers? I wish he'd give his content to someone else to proof-read. Phil, if you're reading this please don't take it the wrong way. Your work is obviously held in hig...
by sirprize
17 May 2008, 07:02
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Bechstein Rebuilders
Replies: 12
Views: 14929

Without a doubt Phil Taylor http://www.pianos4me.co.uk/. I think he still has a Model C and an E both of which he has restored from scratch. I haven't tried the E but his 'C' has one of the very last UK-made Langer actions. Phil makes his own bass strings. He DID have two Cs and I put a deposit down...
by sirprize
29 Apr 2008, 09:45
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Broadwood pianos
Replies: 14
Views: 17277

This is most interesting news! If he concentrates on making top-quality barless pianos (and restoring vintage barless ones) he might very well succeed. 'Barless' was always the true USP of Broadwood and Alastair is a great enthusiast for the concept
by sirprize
13 Mar 2008, 15:46
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: The British Piano Manufacturing Company
Replies: 26
Views: 29330

Re: British pianos-Broadwood barless

I beleive the Laurence and nash pianos were very well made and that the BBC bought some of them . I wonder what quality the Broadwood barless made by them was ? Labrookes took over production of them when Laurence and Nash went out of business , they even made a barless grand , what happened to it ...
by sirprize
12 Mar 2008, 22:29
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: The British Piano Manufacturing Company
Replies: 26
Views: 29330

Yes I visited http://www.cheltenham-piano-centre.co.uk/ last year (Spring I think) and they had 3 or 4 Knight Savoys which were the last ones at the point of liquidation of BPMC. You would have to ask Cheltenham about their precise history/provenance but I believe they were bought either as parts or...
by sirprize
06 Feb 2008, 15:23
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Kemble vs. Broadwood
Replies: 7
Views: 9510

Nibbio - I would wait and buy a mint-condition s/h English-built piano of the 1970s/80s/90s PRE-amalgamation era and consider also ones which go back a considerable number of years if they've been properly restored. There are some beauties around for less than £2000 and some have hardly been used - ...
by sirprize
23 Jan 2008, 10:42
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: I have 500 GBP for a piano - what will it buy me?
Replies: 25
Views: 23134

abc1337 you're a jammy *b........d* and a lucky *o*. A Roland A90ex plus ear-irons for £600!!!! Those things were built like tanks. A bit sluggish in the key-return for my taste but the build-quality! Congrats to you My own bargain last year was a 1997 Reid-Sohn SU131 in hardly-played mint-condition...
by sirprize
23 Jan 2008, 10:36
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: I have 500 GBP for a piano - what will it buy me?
Replies: 25
Views: 23134

I have a little theory. There are now hundreds possibly thousands of mint-condition 1960s/70s/80s uprights lying idle in domestic environments. These would have been bought new and remained with the original owner in the same place all these years. Usually two scenarios: 1) someone close to retireme...
by sirprize
28 Sep 2007, 21:35
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: 5000 to spend and no clue where to start!
Replies: 5
Views: 9641

From what you say you're looking for an upright? First decide on the HEIGHT and generally buy the tallest (131+ cm) you can afford New..... at around £4500 or less you can buy a Brodmann 131 which is not a well-known marque YET in the UK but they are stunning for the price http://www.brodmann-pianos...
by sirprize
28 Sep 2007, 20:40
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Valuing a 2nd hand piano
Replies: 3
Views: 5894

"........I need to sell my piano due to moving house and would like some advice about pricing it. It is a modern style upright Challen in what I think is a beech finish. It was purchased new in the early 80s for around £1,800.00 (if memory serves correctly) and I imagine, judging by the modern ...
by sirprize
28 Sep 2007, 20:06
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Rameau pianos
Replies: 11
Views: 24290

Rameau pianos

Can anyone cast some light on this please? Rameau pianos: these have been stocked by Harrods (certainly up to 6 years ago) but I can't find much about them on the web. There seems to be a link with Pleyel. Were/are the two marques made in the same facility in Alès? I know Pleyel is no longer manufac...
by sirprize
26 Jul 2007, 14:53
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: match tomorrow again
Replies: 14
Views: 16349

Spamming

How can ANYONE - criminal or otherwise - tolerate such a catastrophic collapse in THEMSELVES as to persist in this utterly worthless, pointless, brain-dead activity?
by sirprize
15 Jul 2007, 17:04
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler - heavy touch
Replies: 2
Views: 5164

I meant to add.......

I've read a number of postings in piano forums which mention the LIGHTNESS of touch of the Seiler 132 SMR.....so I'm baffled why this particular 132 should have a distinctly heavy touch

Suggestions......thoughts......contra-indications?

THANKS
by sirprize
15 Jul 2007, 15:52
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Seiler - heavy touch
Replies: 2
Views: 5164

Seiler - heavy touch

Does anyone have an intimate experience of the response characteristics of the Seiler 132 Konzert SMR upright with its patented Super Magnet Repetiton (SMR) technology? I have committed myself to buying a recently-built model - a lovely sounding piano - but have reservations about the heaviness of t...
by sirprize
11 Jun 2007, 10:51
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Steinway Model K & 'Vertigrand'
Replies: 3
Views: 4508

Thanks PG but is the K a better bet than the older Vertigrand? There are two amazingly expensive Vertigrands online: http://www.forsyths.co.uk/Rebuilt_Pianos/Secondhandrebuiltpianos/SteinwayVertigrand2.htm http://www.forsyths.co.uk/Rebuilt_Pianos/Secondhandrebuiltpianos/SteinwayVertigrand.htm I do w...
by sirprize
09 Jun 2007, 23:41
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Steinway Model K & 'Vertigrand'
Replies: 3
Views: 4508

Steinway Model K & 'Vertigrand'

What's the connection between the Steinway Model K and the 'Vertigrand' descriptive? Are they one and the same? Or what? Has anyone got any experience of these? I notice Piano Auctions have 3 Steinway uprights of these types in the sale this month. Any comments very gratefully received I'm looking f...
by sirprize
27 Apr 2007, 13:07
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Weber
Replies: 2
Views: 4625

Weber

Ok, now a similar question about Weber pianos.....comments anyone? Is it the same tortuous story of various Chinese provenances with certain amounts of European input?

Do any of these Chiman makes have a full height (131cm) upright in their range?

Cheers
by sirprize
25 Apr 2007, 09:59
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Petrof. Reliability?
Replies: 11
Views: 17226

Bri, I spent 3 years trying Bluthner vintage grands of the pre-1914 period and they are excellent instruments built to last. I too think highly of the patent system which is very fast and light but as PG says not many technicians are practised at regulating them. There are a lot of vintage Bluthners...
by sirprize
19 Apr 2007, 08:15
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Perzina
Replies: 8
Views: 12539

Dependable as ever PG - thanks a mill! I've only ever played one Perzina and was very impressed I must say. I take it then that the 'right' Perzina is a better bet than a Gors & K? I just can't keep up with the byzantine world of oriental pianos. Maybe Barry should run a special page on the whol...
by sirprize
18 Apr 2007, 23:08
Forum: Piano Advice
Topic: Perzina
Replies: 8
Views: 12539

Perzina

Anyone got any comments on Perzina pianos? (A pupil is considering one). Cheers
by sirprize
05 Apr 2007, 14:24
Forum: Learning & Teaching Piano
Topic: Accompanying - how much?
Replies: 7
Views: 11757

I charge my normal hourly teaching rate £34 for 1) 30 min rehearsal 2) 20 mins round-trip and parking 3) a few minutes in the exam room Otto, I LOVE that Poulenc 2-piano concerto. I hope one day I'll be able to play it in public (piano costs notwithstanding). My 60th birthday treat? Ever hear Poulen...
by sirprize
05 Apr 2007, 13:58
Forum: Learning & Teaching Piano
Topic: Accompanying - how much?
Replies: 7
Views: 11757

I charge my normal hourly teaching rate £34 for 1) 30 min rehearsal 2) 20 mins round-trip and parking 3) a few minutes in the exam room Otto, I LOVE that Poulenc 2-piano concerto. I hope one day I'll be able to play it in public (piano costs notwithstanding). My 60th birthday treat? Ever hear Poulen...