[Allegro Con Brio]

Whether you play seriously, as a hobby, or just use it as decoration, I'd be curious to know which make/model and kind (upright, spinet, digital keyboard, baby grand...concert grand???) that you own. Was it passed down? Did you buy it new or second-hand? As for me (it's really my family's but I'm the only one who plays it), I have a beautiful Kawai upright from sometime in the 21st century, but not sure exactly when (it was bought used). I have played several other uprights, and I have not found another that matches it in touch and tone. It has a "brighter" and more bell-like timbre than many other uprights, but I like that. Kawai doesn't seem to be as popular as Steinway and Yamaha, but this instrument is very high-quality and has never let me down. The only downside is that, instead of a middle (sostenuto) pedal, there is a "practice pedal" that just lowers a felt pad over the hammers to mute them (supposedly, so one can practice without disturbing others).

 

[Animal the Drummer]

I have a 1925 Bechstein upright (manufactured the year before my dad was born) which I picked up years back for far less than it was worth from a local music shop which, while it had a fair few pianos in stock, was more orientated towards the electric keyboard market even then. It's a truly lovely piano, outstanding in every register, and deserves the lion's share of the credit I've sometimes received for my supposedly nice tone when I play it.

P.S.The guy who tunes it has his own piano shop, is the Kawai stockist in this area and swears by them too.

 

[mikeh375]

I have a Kawai grand. I prefer the gentler sound of my model to the likes of Yamaha whose ubiquitous use in recording studios because of their brightness, put me off them for good.
Thing is, it's sounding like a honky tonk at present because it's not be professionally tuned for over a year thanks to cv19 and I'm not sure when it will be tuned as of yet. Chopin never sounded so bad.

 

[ahinton]

1896 Steinway Model C.

 

[Taggart]

1970's Zender upright. British piano with a medium weighted action and a nice mellow tone.

We were having a walk in town just after I retired and saw a music shop we hadn't seen before. So I popped in and bought a piano on impulse, as one does.

Haven't looked back since.

 

[Guest]

I have a 1968 Steinway D 9' piano. It will do until I can afford a Fazioli F 308!

 

[NoCoPilot]

1896 Steinway Model C.

Wow. Must be a story there. Family heirloom?

 

[Manxfeeder]

I have a Huyandai baby grand that I bought new back in 1992 for the house (never had a problem with it) and a Medeli keyboard that my wife plays in church. I keep my old Casio CT-650 by my computer in case I need to write music.

 

[Festus]

Had a Kanabe baby grand that belonged to my parents, for years. My wife learned to play only one song, "When The Saints Go Marching In". I learned nothing. Gave it away to a local music program for kids, waited a few years and purchased a Kawai keyboard.
Hoping for either a Fazioli or a Bosendofer this Christmas.

 

[Sonata]

Knabe upright. We bought it new in 2012. Took us two years to pay it off, but worth every penny. I don't have a great ear so I can't tell you much about it's tone or anything like that. All I know is it's all mine! (Well, my husband's too!)

 

[pianozach]

I grew up with a Baldwin baby grand, and hauled it around with me for many years as an adult. The tone and action was superb. It had an excellent volume spectrum, and could be both bright and mellow.

But I lived a bit too close to the epicenter of the Northridge Earthquake, and it went dancing. It was HERE, bashed in the wall over THERE, then triangulated to a new spot. The action was never the same, and the tone was crap. I think it warped the harp.

I now have an upright Kincaid spinet (or is it a "console"?) that I acquired for the price of transport . . . someone had donated it to the church I'd been working at, and as they didn't need it, gave it to me as a permanent "loan" years and years ago. I think it's from the 60s or 70s.

 

[ahinton]

Wow. Must be a story there. Family heirloom?

A story, maybe - but not quite a family heirloom!

 

[perempe]

a Petrof upright piano

 

[Sonata]

I grew up with a Baldwin baby grand, and hauled it around with me for many years as an adult. The tone and action was superb. It had an excellent volume spectrum, and could be both bright and mellow.

But I lived a bit too close to the epicenter of the Northridge Earthquake, and it went dancing. It was HERE, bashed in the wall over THERE, then triangulated to a new spot. The action was never the same, and the tone was crap. I think it warped the harp.

How depressing!

 

[Aloevera]

I'm using a digital kawai CA79. Its great as a digital piano but nothing compares to an actual piano but I'm not bt any means in a permanent residence and a real piano is way out of my price range. Its kind of a shame especially in terms of practicing as its hard to get perspective as to the velocity youre hitting the notes. i have to go to my parents house to play a grand piano. When I was in uni i could practice on the keyboard at home then go on campus to play an acoustic piano

 

[morsing]

Hi,

Just bought a Roland HP704 and it's pretty close to a genuine piano experience.

Thanks

 

[TwoFlutesOneTrumpet]

Yamaha C3X grand.

 

[Krummhorn]

Young Chang Professional Upright 52".

Bought new in 1982, and have it placed on an inside wall out of the draft of heating and/or air conditioning.

When I was going to buy a piano for home use I had narrowed it down to a choice of two: 1) Sohmer, 2) Young Chang. The piano dealer graciously moved both into a practice room for me and I was able to A/B between the two for almost two hours ... it was a tough decision, but the Young Chang won and I've had no regrets.

The piano I play at church is a K. Kawaii GL-40 5' 11".

 

[Potiphera]

I have a Yamaha CLP-645

And it looks like I'm going to have it for some time . Budgets are tight! But the piano is perfectly fine and satisfying to play.

 

[96 Keys]

Yamaha C3X grand.

Nice. I have a C5X. Someday a Bosendorfer Imperial Grand would be nice--I'd have to get a good deal on a used one, though.