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mdw

I've heard they are now starting up again (this will be the third time). For legal reasons the name will be slightly changed (now Biggars of Glasgow). The outstanding debts will be written off and they are continuing with Steinway. Well it beats working for a living! Bunch of amateurs!!! This sort ...

mdw

Ask 3 local companys to make you an offer. A piano is only worth what somone is willing to pay for it now when they hand over the notes. So perhaps your tuner/teacher/any one else giving you a big estimated value when they have no intention of buying it is a load of tosh. People will offer different...

mdw

And we all gladly buy from who ever is the the lowest price.

mdw

Because the numbers of grands sold in the UK new every year is tiny and you all want to buy YAMAHA. The sheep mentality means that nobody wants to try anything different so you would have to be barking mad to want to set up to make a new concert grand piano in the UK. My guess is that less than 100 ...

mdw

It's 13 years old and has a 5 year warranty and piano is in mint condition with all loops and bushings just done. Not much wear at all on the leathers etc It might be worth asking the dealer why at only 13 years old it needs rebushing and the loops doing. I know the the net dealers seem to use this...

mdw

With those big school danemanns if you cut 11/2 " off the front of the toes and move the leg back and flip it upside down it can make them look halfway decent ( along with a nice med walnut/ oak colour change). If its for home use reducing the depth wont make it to unsteady as the toes only cam...

mdw

You have got to admire his sales patter. He had a Paul Newman tribute model out earlier this week.
A true nutter.

mdw

[Here's a quick guide to a real piano for the price of a meal for four at Claridge's. Including wine. Clardges!!!! :o I obviously work in the wrong part of the piano trade!!!! :lol: :lol: Teak can be amost imposible to sell for a dealer as it screams 70s. I used to buy them in at a price which allo...

mdw

Just make sure you change it as soon as you are sure hes going to carry on with the piano as an honest point of view from a tech and probably most teachers is they are grotty pianos. I did think about making this statement but decided that its more patronising to be nice about it than to tell you t...

mdw

Just make sure you change it as soon as you are sure hes going to carry on with the piano as an honest point of view from a tech and probably most teachers is they are grotty pianos. I did think about making this statement but decided that its more patronising to be nice about it than to tell you th...

mdw

Oooooooooooooooh what a supprise......... NOT. Looks like they found out the hard way that some kind of a profit is a requirement of staying in business !!!!

Their accounts were on hold with some manufacturers a year ago so it was only a matter or time I guess.

mdw

I think hes refering to the US not Estonia and the fact that although they ( Estonias) may be rated in the US its not nessesarily a good recomendation for the rest of the world. The US also rate Kimballs and Baldwins which are grim when seen over here.

mdw

I suppose as a tech you see lots of joannas and some are better set up than others. I personaly dont rate Bostons, out of the 7 or 8 grands I tune I would say 4 are rubish straight from the London dealer. The Kawais are much better but from the same maker ie Kawai. Now that may be because the Boston...

mdw

PianoGuy wrote:I have a slight mistrust of a nation who voted in a warmongering prat for a second term and bought Kimball spinets by the thousand.

Only slight mistrust!!!! Both scare the living **** out of me.

mdw

The RX2 is better than all the others. It just needs a tech to look at it. Is it new or 2nd hand.

mdw

Has anybody seen motheaten hammers in the last few cyears/ Not really, in fact it tends to be just cushion felt for moths and the odd mouse thats eaten hammer felt etc. I had one job where the mouse had gone along and very neatly chopped off every tape and made a nest. Leaving all the leather ends ...

mdw

I detect an anti Yamaha backlash in the trade, and there are many dealers who laud Kemble and slate Yamaha. This is terribly unfair on a handful of Yamaha dealers who prepare their pianos nicely and sell without the crippling discounts to which some dealers stoop. It's these dealers who should be a...

mdw

Go with the Kemble, it will last as long as the Bluthner. How long they last will be dependent on how you look after them ( excluding crapy cheap junk ) Thats a lot of extra money for something that only a bit better.

mdw

sussexpianos wrote:My boss at the time sent it back, couldn't afford me to spend a day on it.

And he was right to do so . What other industrys expect their retailers to finish half the job when they supply the product.

mdw

Didnt they import the casework for the smaller models as well.

mdw

Just remember that your piano is stuck together with animal glue. You could have the best restoration job in the world done costing thousands and if an animal glue joint opens up 1 year later its not great news!!. Its with heavy heart I warn customers of this but I am seeing more and more glue joint...

mdw

Both stools are good kit. A million times better than the bolt on leg disposable junk available. You should have sorted the stool out when you bought the piano as thats the best time to squeeze the dealer.

mdw

And remember that it wont sound exactly the same as it does in the shop due to the acoustics, unless you have a great big sitting room with 40 pianos in it at home!!!!!!

mdw

Right, that is useful. It seems prices are going up for all models, but I guess there is not much I can do about that. Buy a British Kemble then you wont be affected as much by the falling pound plus you will have a nicer styed piano. It should hold its value better as its resale value wont be as a...

mdw

I get hacked off with the dealers who won't let anyone but their tuners attend pianos. I have customers who have bought from a dealer, prefer my tuning but are held to ransom by the dealer saying the guarantee only covers their tuners. Either the piano's guaranteed or it isn't; as long as the tuner...

mdw

2-3 times in the first year or 2 and the 6 monthly. Normaly the guarantee states 6 monthy tunings at least. They move in and out of tune due to temperature but mainy humdity changes. For example in the last 6 weeks Ive tuned loads which have been very very sharp simply because its been chucking down...

mdw

Bizzare re them not covering the sticky note but maybe the sticky letters!!!!! WTF is the guarantee for then if not for sticky notes and the like. How many tuner techs on here have had major structural failures on a piano an how many get the odd sticky note to sort out on a new piano. To be honest s...

mdw

I dont see why the lettering should be excluded. Otherwise where do you stop. Ive seen veneer start to peel off the fall or some very expensive german pianos. It doesnt affect the playing of the piano but it takes a massive chunk off the resale price as it very very expensive to repair properly. Sti...

mdw

If you bought a new BMW and the badge fell off would you expect it to be replaced? Piano is no differet to a car its just another big ticket product. Treat it as such. Unless you have caused the damage and you could say that snaging the letters on a duster has caused it, then they are liable. If the...

mdw

Yes they are responsible . The reason they have not come running is they are looking at 3 hours to come , do the repair and go home. BUT THATS NO YOUR PROBLEM. They took your money knowing where you lived, now they should provide the service ie the 5 year guaratee. If they dont, hassle Intermusic w...

mdw

Even if you did buy it as a bargain basement clearance it should still be covered. Only if sold as a trade sale sold as seen with no guarantee either given or implied written on the invoice should you be left hanging in the wind. However there does seem to be a run of posts with " I paid naff a...

mdw

Drop actions and short strings make for a 2nd rate set up in my book!

mdw

1. Get your piano tech to do it.
2. No throw it away they are grotty pianos.

mdw

You need a nennette duster. Looks like a brush from a dustpan and brush set but has string instead of bristles. The string is wax coated and when you glide it over the case the dust sticks to it rather than scratching the case. Plus the dirtier itgets the better it work. Years ago I got mine from Ro...

mdw

(a) The supplier-dealer is 2 hours travel away ... (b) I suspect that the supplier-dealer is more interested in 'supplying' than after-sales service - so I am not sure if I can trust anything he tells me with 100% confidence (maybe I am being unfair to him) Given this I prefer to get the expert opi...

mdw

crispin wrote: I will get our tuner to come and inspect it.

If its a new piano your first stop is the supplying dealer.

mdw

Put it on ebay with a £1 start and take what ever it gets. They are grotty as pianos but i guess sell on their small cases. With a compromised action and string length they were a 2nd rate gimic when new and now they are tired and worn out 2nd rate gimics. Sorry im not being very up beat a...

mdw

Try putting but on a clean cotton cloth. Rub over the mark a bit then wipe off with a clean cloth. If you can see marks that were not there before then its time to call in someone with the right kit. If not carry on and see if you can get the marks off. HOWEVER I have no idea if the solvent in brass...

mdw

Openwood wrote:So would I need to add anything to the Brasso, or just put it on 'neat'?

No idea never tried it as Ive only ever used the specialist materials. I suppose it depends on how corse the abrasive in brasso is.

mdw

The polyester is normaly a couple of mill thick. What ever you use needs to have a VERY VERY VERY fine abrasive in it ( something like TCut is far too rough you will just add more scratches ). Remember with black you are looking at the reflection in the surface of the poyester, not through to the ve...

mdw

Depends how deep. If its very light it may buff out but if its too deep then its a 2 visit job as the repair material needs to set over night or it will sink. Im doing a small repair on a fall top next week about the size of a half pence piece ( for those of you who can remember them). Cost for that...

mdw

joseph wrote:why is a soft fall important?

Its not. Ive never found it hard to close the fall on piano quietly!!!! and I close 5 a day most days of the week, but the perhaps ive had lots of practice!!!!

mdw

F & N do one. Its not pretty but it does the job.

mdw

I have since discovered there's also a W102 and a few other numbers. I was told it's very rare and the piano shop told me they will be able to sell it very easily if I didn't take it. It was almost like a threat! How does it compare to the U1? Any information very much appreciated, thank you. Sound...

mdw

who told me they can't imagine how even highish humidity would lead to polyester coating cracking - there is no obvious rust on the strings and the keys are not sticking. Methinks this may not be caused by the humidity alone. It is also interesting that none of the furniture in the room has been af...

mdw

Youve got to wonder what sort of mind come up with that c**p, almost like he sits at the keyboard disconnects his brain takes a load of drugs and starts to type.

mdw

Hi Barrie, Where can I get a copy of the 'manual' you are referring to ? I have a Schimmel 125 DN and have been having problems that Schimmel say are because the room is too damp. And so my problems are not covered by the 5 year guarantee. I never had a manual with the piano. My dealer has regularl...

mdw

I don't see many 4-5m on eBay Selling on ebay gets you the lowest possable price for you piano. Its a bit of a generalisation but most of what I see on ebay is there because you couldnt sell it anywhere else. Ive used it to get rid of px pianos that were too good to scrap but I wouldnt want to sell...

mdw

I had to take a Baldwin Monarch in once as a PX to get a sale. To try and make it saleable I stuck new hammers on it which improved it a lot but it was still a pile of junk. So much so that I scrapped it in the end as I didnt want to sell it and be associated with it. LESSON LEARNED!!!!

mdw

As the bean counters have such a big say in most institutions I would guess that pound notes ( or lack of them) have most to do with the selection of which piano is used. Even more so when you consider the quantity being purchased at any one time.

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