关于购买5尺以下小三角钢琴(baby grand)——英文,长,慎入。转贴 | ||
文章来源: 又当爹来又当妈 于 2011-08-27 20:46:27 | ||
*Prices are for models in polished ebony with slow-close fallboard.
Gruenert also tested the 4' 11" Brodmann PE 150: "This was a noticeable upgrade from the Taylor, at a considerably higher price (asking price: $12,999). As soon as I hit the first chord, I knew that the tone and action were really of a very nice standard." Gruenert found the tone to be good in all registers: "A very nice, round tone. Not a sophisticated tone with a lot of harmonics, but sweet in the treble and forceful enough in the bass, with a clearly-defined pitch and tone much lower in the bass than the Taylor had." About the cabinet: "Interestingly, they had the Brodmann logo on the side of the case, like a concert grand. Struck me as perhaps something that the purchaser looking foremost for a nice piece of furniture might not like." Overall, however, Gruenert was impressed: "This is a piano one would do well to purchase instead of a larger, 10- to 20-year-old Yamaha or Kawai. It was very enjoyable to play. The action was nice by anyone's standard, the tone very even and subtle across the scale. Using my ‘would I enjoy sitting here and playing this all day?' standard, this was a keeper. And, in contrast to the Taylor, I can't imagine getting more piano for the buck by purchasing a good upright with the same money." Glen Rosenthal, in Denver, reviewed a couple of Indonesian-made models that are part of the Samick family of brands. About the 4' 8" Pramberger LG-145, he wrote: "I had played a variety of Prambergers over the years, but had never seen this model. The instrument I tried out was finished in high-gloss mahogany, and it looked beautiful! The first thing I noticed when I sat down to play was how much the bass resonated and sustained, sounding as if it had recently been voiced — it was amazing, really. Below F9, the lowest note with clearly identifiable pitch, it didn't sound musical, but wasn't tubby either. The bass notes were all quite lively, the middle register was melodious, and the upper register, while not bell-like, was very clean and complemented the midrange of the piano quite well. There was almost no change of tonal character across the bass/tenor break. The action was a little light for my taste, but it provided good feedback from pianissimo to fortissimo and allowed for speedy scale sequences. This Pramberger exceeded my expectations. If I were in the market for a mini-grand, I'd most certainly take this model for a test drive." Rosenthal also tried out the 4' 8" Kohler & Campbell KIG-48, also made by Samick. His comments about the tone and action of this model were very similar to those about the Pramberger, except that in the Kohler & Campbell, both bass and treble, though still pleasing, sounded a little darker, with the bass sounding musical beginning at note G11. This model also exceeded the reviewer's expectations, though not as much as did the Pramberger. My sources tell me that, unlike the larger sizes of Pramberger, whose designs are based on the work of the late piano engineer Joseph Pramberger, this small Pramberger grand is a stock Samick design in use for many years under a variety of names, and that these particular Pramberger and Kohler & Campbell models are, in fact, identical instruments with different names. Therefore, any differences between the Pramberger and Kohler & Campbell in this model must be attributable less to differences in design than to manufacturing variations, to differing amounts of preparation at the factory or by the dealer, or some combination of these. Our last reviewer, James Carney, in New York City, had the arduous but fun task of reviewing six piano models at two dealerships. He began by trying out two new Chinese-made instruments designed for Young Chang by American piano designer Delwin Fandrich: the 4' 11" Young Chang Y150 and the 4' 11" Weber W150. In the past, Young Chang and Weber instruments have been identical, but this time the company gave Fandrich instructions to give each its own musical personality. In addition to playing the new instruments, Carney also had the opportunity to tune them. He describes his experience: "Both the Young Chang and Weber models I played feature very nice cabinets, legs, lyres, and music desks, and slow-close fallboards that worked perfectly. The Y150 I tested had an interior case veneer that looked exotic, like something one might find on a more expensive piano. "In both pianos, the copper-wrapped (bass) string scaling extends upward to note F#34 — a much higher position than a wrapped string would normally appear in a longer grand. This means that the highest wrapped strings on both the Young Chang and Weber are within the temperament zone, an area where the piano technician establishes the basic tuning pattern for the piano. Because of the large amount of inharmonicity often present in this section, and the difficulty of scaling wrapped bass strings to blend well with unwrapped, plain-wire strings, the presence of wrapped strings in the temperament section is often a serious challenge for the tuner, and sometimes it's hard to set a temperament pattern that sounds good. Yet in the case of both of these pianos, I was pleasantly surprised to be able to tune a great temperament that seemed unaffected by the presence of the wrapped strings. I was also astonished at the smoothness of the break (bass/tenor transition) on these two pianos. Of all the instruments I tried in my short-grand survey, both the Young Chang Y150 and Weber W150 had the least noticeable break; its smoothness rivals or even exceeds that found on much longer (and much more expensive) pianos. "The bass section on both instruments sounded full, round, and complete. I felt that the tone was excellent all the way down to C4 on the Young Chang, and down to B3 on the Weber. Perhaps the lowest two or three notes didn't sound all that great, but isn't that most often the case, even with longer grands? The actions on both pianos felt even and extremely controllable, and I had no trouble playing any kind of music, including some Bach inventions played at a fast clip. Both instruments also had admirable sustain properties across their entire range, and if I had any criticism at all about tonal balance, it might be that I had to work a bit harder to get the treble to ‘sing' melodies above the volume of the midrange and bass. Yet this is also a bit of a compliment, in that the bass and tenor sections are capable of putting out serious amounts of tone, volume, and sustain. However, this is where the similarities between these two pianos ended. "Scale design involves the engineering of certain specifications for the plate, bridges, and strings, and the Y150 and W150 share the same specs for their plates and bridges. However, their string-tension properties were engineered differently; thicker plain-wire diameters were incorporated into the Young Chang's stringing scale, resulting in higher tension for that model. This difference, along with the use of contrasting styles of hammers, has resulted in two unique-sounding pianos that I found fascinating to compare. The Young Chang's tone seemed lighter, brighter, and possibly a little thinner, yet pleasant and certainly musical. The Weber had a much darker and ‘bloomier' sound that I found quite appealing, and I felt like I could extract more shades of color within a slightly larger dynamic range. I also felt that the treble in the Weber held its own against the bass/midrange a little better than it did in the Young Chang, especially when playing melodies against left-hand accompaniment. But, as piano tone is very subjective, I urge the reader to try both instruments; some pianists might well prefer the brighter sound of the Young Chang." Next for Carney were three Chinese-made models by Pearl River and one by Hailun: "I didn't care much for the 4' 7" Pearl River GP-142, due to its thin sound, noticeable break, and an action that felt strange (I suspect short keys as the culprit), but the 4' 11" Pearl River GP-150 was basically the opposite: an excellent action, combined with an appealing tone that was especially effective in the treble section from middle C up. The overall quality of the bass sound was slightly less impressive than what I'd heard from the Young Chang and Weber, with clear-pitched bass notes beginning only at D6. I also felt that the break between bass and tenor was not as refined as on the Young Chang and Weber. Still, I was attracted to this model's sound and playability, and found the balance between registers to be possibly more evenly matched than on any of the other instruments. Another notable feature of the Pearl River GP-150 is the presence of both front and rear duplex scales from C#53 up, which may contribute to the nice qualities of the treble sound in this piano. "Pearl River also makes pianos under the Ritmüller label, the company's upper-level brand, whose models were recently redesigned by renowned German piano designer Lothar Thomma. I tested the 4' 10" Ritmüller GH-148R, which I found lovely overall. The keyboard and action on this piano, complete with real ebony-wood sharps, was my favorite of all the instruments I played, with a refined feel and excellent controllability. The top three octaves of the GH-148R have a front and rear duplex scale, and the workmanship of the plate finishing, bridges, tuning pins, and stringing resembles that found on much more expensive instruments. The very high quality of the bass tone extended all the way down to note A1, a trait I rarely encounter on pianos of any length. The amount of fundamental tone present in the lowest bass notes was really surprising and admirable, although the overall bass sound throughout the entire range of wrapped strings was just slightly less impressive than that found on the Weber and Young Chang. The break on the Ritmüller was also perhaps a bit more noticeable than on those two pianos, but this comparison shows just how difficult it is to get everything perfect in a single instrument. I really loved the way this piano sounded and performed; it was easy to forget that I was playing a short grand.
"My last instrument was the Chinese-made 4' 11 1/2" Hailun 151, which I found as impressive as the others. As with some of the other pianos I examined, the beautiful veneer on the inside of the case, as well as the nice plate finishing, looked like something normally obtainable only at a higher price point. This piano had a dark tonal quality similar to what I heard in the Weber, yet with its own musical personality. In fact, the tone seemed to have an interesting mix of fundamental and harmonics that resulted in a very pleasing overall tone, complete with a thoughtful and effective balance of bass, low tenor, and treble. The transition between tenor and bass was not as smooth as on some of the other models, but the bass section sounded very good all the way down to B3, and I noticed some other design features that may be the reason for the interesting and complex tone in the treble: a front and rear duplex scale starting at D#55, with a rear duplex that appears to be tunable. The action and keyboard felt great, and it was easy to play a variety of music with complete control and dynamic range. "The casework on all six instruments I surveyed ranged from good to high quality, and all had sturdy legs, pedal lyres, and slow-close fallboards. The pedals on some models made a few squeaks that could probably be easily eliminated by the store technician." Carney closed by saying: "Based on my hours with these pianos, I was very impressed with the sound, playability, workmanship, and overall musicality of most of them, especially considering their prices. I continue to be intrigued by the updated scaling that has virtually eliminated many of the problems of the short grands of the past, and which is a testament to the achievements of the talented designers of these pianos. Ideally, prospective buyers looking for a grand piano under five feet in length should take the time to become familiar with all the brands and models mentioned before making a decision, as each piano has its own characteristic sound and ‘vibe.' "While no one is ever going to claim that a 4' 11" grand can match the tonal palette, power, and control offered by a large grand, these pianos seem poised to fill a niche with genuine elegance. I hope that this successful retooling of the short grand will also inspire the improvement of scale designs for pianos of all sizes and price points."
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