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perna83 · New Member Joined: 29 Apr 2008 Posts: 1 Location: Leeds

Are the only 'mellow' sounding pianos around European makes? I knew Yamaha have a brighter tone, but when playing a few makes at a dealers today I found they all were very light and bright in tone. Perhaps older pianos are typically more mellow? unfortunately the japanese pianos appear to be the only ones in my price range.( Up to £3000). I actually liked the yamaha pianos, but would enjoy a mellower sound.

I am looking to buy an acoustic silent piano, having considered digital because of being able to practice more frequently and easily, but was won over by the silent series as I didn't really want a digital anyway having used an acoustic for years. However if I'm spending more money now I don't want to compromise on other aspects just to be able to play in silence. I found the Kemble silent range the same (with them being sister company with Yamaha), and am not aware of any other piano make that does a silent range. I'm also not willing to just use a 'practice pedal' of a normal acoustic piano.

Is is possible to slightly adjust the tone of a Yamaha on tuning to less bright, if the tuner knows what they are doing?
Thanks for anyones help!

mdw · Persistent Poster Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 277

Barrie Heaton

Openwood · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:20 pm Post subject:

sussexpianos · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 4:11 pm Post subject:

The Irmler P118 is a very nice mellow tone and the K3 has a rounded Euro tone. The Samick WSU121 is nice and mellow but Samick use German hammers and they're German scaled so they tone nicely.
But a good tuner/technician can tone a piano down but remember when you come to sell it that toning a Yamaha down removes the tone that Yamaha owners like, bright and clear.

mdw · Persistent Poster Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 277

Heres a controversial idea. Try lots of pianos and buy the one you like. If you dont like it dont buy it and then try to get it changed into something it isnt!

You wouldnt buy a volvo and then get your local grease monkey to turn it into a bmw so why do people want to do it to a piano. If Yamaha wanted it to sound a certain way they would make it sound that way.

sussexpianos · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 5:27 pm Post subject:

what a great idea, Ive been trying to get my transporter van to do 180mph, I should have bought an M5 BMW! ( and a trailer)

Barrie Heaton · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 7:29 pm Post subject:

Openwood · Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 9:17 pm Post subject:

sussexpianos · Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:22 am Post subject:

Brighton is a bit of a nightmare, and parking, and parking wardens.
Im more of a county tuner, driving through the green countyside making pianos sound better and killing wool eating moths.
Is it me or is moth damage on the up?? I've had to re-felt 5 piano keybeds this year due to moth and overhaul 2. Rental kill shares will be going up !

sussexpianos · Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 11:58 am Post subject:

more moth damaged pianos this month. got to clean 2 pianos this week. everyone should get moth paper!

Jazzer · Regular Poster Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 35

The thing about toning down Yamahas, as I have found, is that it needs to be done incredibly gradually and with lots of consultation. I recently played a C6 which everyone was very excited about because it was mellow, but I found that I couldn't make it sound exciting at all ... it was just mellow throughout (rather like having a "practice pedal" permanently down on an upright). The owner was thrilled, so that particular tech obviously did a great job - but I would have hated it! My own C7 is on the bright side, especially for the size of room, but when I can eventually afford a day's work from a tech I will ask her/him to take things very slowly...

mdw · Persistent Poster Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 277

Try mucking about with the acoustics of the room first, it might be cheaper. If you have lots of hard surfaces, wood floors, no curtains and no soft furnishings stick a big thick rug on the floor and see if it changes the sound.

Jazzer · Regular Poster Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 35

I have a very thick rug underneath the C7 at the moment, and lots of furnishings in the room, but it's still "bright": much rather bright, as far as I am concerned, than muffled. But I have read posts elsewhere raving about C7s (and other Yammies) which have been toned down...

mdw · Persistent Poster Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 277

Barrie Heaton · Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 11:39 am Post subject:

PianoGuy · Persistent Poster Joined: 21 May 2005 Posts: 1529

The certainly don't sound c**p out of the box. The preparation that they need (as does *any* piano) is more to do with regulation. An initially bright tone can be voiced down, but an initially mellow one is far more difficult to make brighter. There is therefore no 'right' sound to be obtained at the factory, and since all examples of any piano are subject to sample variance, it's always the best idea to find one you like the sound of generally before getting tonal tweaks carried out.

Many people are very happy with a brighter sound anyway.

mdw · Persistent Poster Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 277

I reallse its much easier to make it more mellow rather than brighter but you never hear anybody say oooooooooooh my yam isnt bright enough do you.!!!!

Barrie Heaton · Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 2:07 pm Post subject:

mdw · Persistent Poster Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 277

Never been to the US but tuned the odd Baldwin so I know what you mean.

vernon · Posted: Sun May 25, 2008 7:12 pm Post subject: piano tone

For goodness sake buy a piano whose " tone" you like and don't try fiddling with it after.
Tone is all in the head. It's produced not by the resilience of the hammer felt but by the whole animal--case,string quality, scale,hammers , tuning and it's environment.
What we hear from a piano is the sound of a bit of wire quivering in a column of air.. This is modified by all the above into " tone."
vernon

mdw · Persistent Poster Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 277

Openwood · Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 3:55 pm Post subject:

PianoGuy · Persistent Poster Joined: 21 May 2005 Posts: 1529

mdw · Persistent Poster Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 277

Jazzer · Regular Poster Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 35

Openwood · Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 7:19 pm Post subject:

MA. CECILIA M. DE MESA · Regular Poster Joined: 30 May 2008 Posts: 37

for all i know........ yamaha's "patent" is a bright tone sounding piano......... don't be afraid to buy other brand/s..... try the Kawai..........

Jazzer · Regular Poster Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 35

Yes, indeed: I would say that they are generally bright. But I love that! On Friday I played a second-hand Steinway B in Steinway Hall, and I preferred my C7! And one of the model Ds had been voiced down, and I may even have preferred my C7 to that one...!

Barrie Heaton · Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 2:53 pm Post subject:

vernon · Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 6:40 pm Post subject:

First I must apologise for using the word "fiddling!"
However, I think purchasers must be made aware of certain truths.
As a gross generalisation, I have always suggested to pupils the following and wonder what others' observations are, given that the piano is properly regulated and tuned before you start.

Can you make the piano louder-- No
Softer? - Yes, for time
(That is a job for the pianist- Signor Cristofori spent quite a while building in that feature( ie pianoforte))
Can you make it brighter--Yes
Mellower Yes
Can you make the "tone" more even--Yes
Can you improve the Break--Often
Can you make the "touch" heavier/lighter- Not safely without massive retro-engineering.
The purchaser should have these questions attended to in the showroom and if he/she is not happy, then don't buy it.