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A New, Old Occurrence of GAS


allan_evett

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SO I'm GAS'ing for a piano, a real, acoustic piano. The house in Indiana will have room, and there ain't nothin' quite like the real thing, so....

 

Discovered this Ivers & Pond, circa 1920, about six months ago; it's in a hall that's part of my church. While the church is in the process of selling off a couple of its old consoles, I couldn't convince the music director to 'swap' this one out-n-over to me. Understandable, as it's in fairly good shape - compared to a lot of the antique uprights I've seen. The action is solid, and plays well; tubbiness is minimal. Could use a tuning, plus a couple of small fixes; but apparently the guy that works on the church's pianos thinks it's in decent health.

So I did a short video today, and took some photos. Going to send them to a friend in Ohio who tunes pianos, and often makes 'discoveries'... Something similar to this piano is basically what I'm seeking - as a lot of the more recent, budget consoles - which seem to be everywhere, and are easily had - are simply uninspiring to play.

 

[video:youtube]

 

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt198/allanevett/Piano_zps46a032c7.jpghttp://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt198/allanevett/Piano3copy2_zpsb3f23aa9.jpghttp://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt198/allanevett/Piano2copy_zpsc330db66.jpg

 

So far my searches on pianoadoption.com have been fruitless. I'll likely research Craigslist, etc. for something fairly priced in the midwest. One of my students found a 1903 upright a few years back that was practically showroom condition. I could've recorded on it; it was that good. They paid $300 for it on CL :cry:

 

 

 

 

 

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My advice is to be patient. Especially with this harsh winter that probably has caused a lot of people to hold back, it can take a little time to find the right piano. Patience and persistence will probably be key.

 

I often think back about my piano search last year, and how "lucky" I was to finally get what I did. In truth, it was about me being patient and persistent and in retrospect, it didn't take much time overall. It's not like I searched for a year.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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My advice is to be patient.

 

Very wise. I have two pianos in the house - a basic Baldwin Hamilton upright and a Kohler & Chase baby grand.

 

I was given the baby grand by ex-wife's grandmother - it's tired, not great sounding, nor great playing. But because of the circumstances under which it was given to me I'll have it for a long time.

 

The upright is my daily companion. It's where I put in my daily practice, my writing partner - once you find it, you may have it for the duration.

 

Like ladies, choose wisely.

..
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I have a 1923 Kohler and Campbell Upright. Had it for about 15 years. There is something romantic about those old uprights.

 

That being said, my tech says that it would really cost about $4000 to fix it properly. Just not worth it. I am in the market for a more recent upright.

Yamaha Motif XF6, Yamaha AN200, Logic Pro X,  Arturia Microbrute, Behringer Model D, Yamaha UX-3 Acoustic Piano, assorted homemade synth modules

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76 keys? No. Portable? No. :cop:

 

Oddly enough, I did play a 73, or 76 key acoustic piano at one time. In my grade school days a friend's mom had this miniature, console piano in their den. Thing couldn't have weighed more than 250 lb. So I suppose, by 1970's standard, it would have been portable - especially with players at that time hauling B3's around, etc..

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SO I'm GAS'ing for a piano, a real, acoustic piano. The house in Indiana will have room, and there ain't nothin' quite like the real thing, so....

wishing you well on this. I grew up in a house with a piano and personally I'm not ever going to have a house without a piano, just doesn't seem correct to me. Hopefully you will have more time to spend on yours than I do on mine.

:nopity:
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Sounding good Allan.

 

Whatever you get, make sure it's damn inspiring to play.

 

Also, you're moving to Indiana?

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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....Also, you're moving to Indiana?

Against my better advice, I believe he is (just kidding....). Actually, we will reside about 30 minutes away from each other, if not less. It will be great to have Allan in the "neighborhood!" :thu:

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

- George Bernard Shaw

 

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I hope you find a good one but now after listening to your vid I'm GAS'ing for an old upright too. I've played lots of great pianos in my time however my favorite was an old cherry wood upright from the late ninteenth century. An old upright with good action has a heart and sole that a newer piano can't match. ~BOB
I'm practicing so that people can maybe go "wow" at an imaginary gig I'll never play. -Nadroj
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....Also, you're moving to Indiana?

Against my better advice, I believe he is (just kidding....). Actually, we will reside about 30 minutes away from each other, if not less. It will be great to have Allan in the "neighborhood!" :thu:

 

:thu: Thanks, man ! We're just hoping for a slight break in the snow for the move-in day. Meanwhile, icy-mix is predicted for our load-out day here. After a week that finished at 70 F, yesterday, we still have a dangerous sheet of ice covering part of our complex's drive. Been a weird winter....

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Post move bump. After searching for an inspiring, antique upright, and even trying out a couple of more recent, used pianos - hoping for inspiration, but not finding it, I finally took the new gear plunge and went for this:

 

 

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt198/allanevett/0f4cdd5b69896bbdd6af1ce66901fbd4_zpsdcbf90ed.jpg

 

Yeah, Bobby, it is inspiring to play; great advice, that was. Not quite the KG-2 grand I owned in another life, but it's a rich sounding piano that fills the room well. Plus it fit right into our remaining moving budget; well, somewhat.... The KG-2, on the other hand, was a near credit disaster.

Great to be finally throwing hammers again - without having to 'borrow' time on an outside piano.. I suspect this will be the major gear purchase of the year, or next few years. GAS is quiet, at least for a short while :blush:.

 

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Post move bump. After searching for an inspiring, antique upright, and even trying out a couple of more recent, used pianos - hoping for inspiration, but not finding it, I finally took the new gear plunge and went for this:

 

A new video would be nice.

 

Compare / contrast... and all that, don'tchaknow?

 

Just sayin'. :cool::snax:

 

Tom

 

"Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo
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Post move bump. After searching for an inspiring, antique upright, and even trying out a couple of more recent, used pianos - hoping for inspiration, but not finding it, I finally took the new gear plunge and went for this:

 

 

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt198/allanevett/0f4cdd5b69896bbdd6af1ce66901fbd4_zpsdcbf90ed.jpg

 

Yeah, Bobby, it is inspiring to play; great advice, that was. Not quite the KG-2 grand I owned in another life, but it's a rich sounding piano that fills the room well. Plus it fit right into our remaining moving budget; well, somewhat.... The KG-2, on the other hand, was a near credit disaster.

Great to be finally throwing hammers again - without having to 'borrow' time on an outside piano.. I suspect this will be the major gear purchase of the year, or next few years. GAS is quiet, at least for a short while :blush:.

Looks like a beauty. Enjoy! Just out of curiosity, did that alcove originally house a baby grand? I can't imagine what else would have fit in that oddly shaped area.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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Post move bump. After searching for an inspiring, antique upright, and even trying out a couple of more recent, used pianos - hoping for inspiration, but not finding it, I finally took the new gear plunge and went for this:

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt198/allanevett/0f4cdd5b69896bbdd6af1ce66901fbd4_zpsdcbf90ed.jpg

 

Excellent choice, my friend. It's exactly what I currently have. I keep the top propped open a little. Get yourself a nice lamp for music and you are good to go! :thu::love:

:nopity:
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Nice Allan. Congrats. A 52" ? Those are really nice uprights. Would love to have an upright for the living room of our house.

 

But I have to ask- how are the internal drums & patterns ? As good as the CP5 ? Internal speakers I care less about..

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Looks like a beauty. Enjoy! Just out of curiosity, did that alcove originally house a baby grand? I can't imagine what else would have fit in that oddly shaped area.

 

I thought that too, upon first seeing the space. The living room was remodeled by the previous owner; and it was huge, as he cut out all but the very front, east half of the room to make an additional bedroom. So it appears to be a grand piano space, but was actually done to preserve the layout of the front windows. He bought the house in 2013, it was a major, fixer-upper then. We purchased the space about 80% complete: everything relatively clean and livable, but there are a few updates / repairs we'll make over time.

 

I'd like to eventually fit a small grand in the space. We'll see how work goes over the next couple o' years.

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cool, Allan - congrats? What's the year and model?

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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But I have to ask- how are the internal drums & patterns ? As good as the CP5 ? Internal speakers I care less about..
:D I bet it doesn't have those jazz drums you love so much on the CP5, Dave.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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Lovely piano, Allan! My own W Hoffman upright has quickly become my own favourite instrument. Even my tuner is enamoured of it :)

Studio: Yamaha P515 | Yamaha Tyros 5 | Yamaha HX1 | Moog Sub 37

Road: Yamaha YC88 | Nord Electro 5D

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That's awesome, Allan. Terrific looking piano. Congratulations and enjoy!

 

Thanks ! I'll have to work on making it sound as good; been out of the practice loop a bit while moving :crazy:

 

Dave and Joe:

 

It's a 2013 K2, 45". Has a pretty big sound for a smaller upright.

 

The internal drum patterns are pretty much the same as in my CP4... ;)

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Because I was so focused on grands when I was shopping, I didn't try any verticals even when I went to stores. I should check out the Kawais like yours, I bet they're excellent.

 

(I've become *very* enamored with Kawai lately. :) )

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I have this Yamaha U1 that no one is playing right now. Keep it -- or sell it?
Or play it, maybe?

 

been out of the practice loop a bit while moving
A very belated welcome back to the midwest, Allan! :)

 

 

U1 | NP | NS3 | NE3 HP | K10
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Congrats!

 

Kawais are very underrated pianos. That served me well in college when the other snooty piano majors felt they were above the instrument and would go for the Steinway uprights, leaving the 7'4" grand open for me all the time.

 

.Joe

Setup: Korg Kronos 61, Roland XV-88, Korg Triton-Rack, Motif-Rack, Korg N1r, Alesis QSR, Roland M-GS64 Yamaha KX-88, KX76, Roland Super-JX, E-Mu Longboard 61, Kawai K1II, Kawai K4.
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