HomeAmateur Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Hey all, Id sorta like to get an upright (as room size only permits) for practice on a 'real piano' now and then. I have the S90ES and have no complaints (well none worth mentioning in this thread) Im just itching to sit at an actual piano, mainly for the 'experience' of it. I have very little time on an acoustic but the few times I have, its just a much more fulfilling experience. Anyways, my basic question is: would something like this be a good choice ? http://cgi.ebay.com/1890-Sterling-Upright-Mahogany-Piano_W0QQitemZ280038808696QQihZ018QQcategoryZ63556QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (an 1890 Sterling upright for cheap) or.. would it make more sence to maybe pay a few more bucks for something 'newer' ? I guess Im thinking the old/new - sound, repair, tuning, etc comparison... thanks,... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Unless you can play it AND have a tech look over the thing, I'd save my money and think about actually going piano shopping (after doing some research of course). There's just too much that can be wrong with a used instrument. A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iLaw Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 A used upright piano is often a good investment, but I'd be looking for one maybe a hundred years newer than this one (and it wouldn't be a Sterling). Hoping not to offend any Sterling fanatics that may be lurking out there, I guess that this piano plays and sounds bad enough that once the novelty of a real acoustic piano wears off (in, say, two days) you'll never play it as long as the S90 is sitting in the same room. Larry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 homeamatuer, unless you get the range of the better pianos like Yamaha, Kawai, etc., you will not like your choice. I had a korean built upright for a long time and it was not fun to use. The action was extremely heavy and the sound way to bright and metallic. So I didn't use it. I have since purchased a Yamaha U3 and it definitely has made a difference in improving my piano playing. There some inexpensive Yamaha models like the M model. These are smaller Yamahas but have a good keyboard action and are thus good for practice. Don't get an antique unless you intend to restore a Steinway. Antique Grands are a different matter but I wouldn't waste time on that with an upright. Lots of junk under $1K. Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmp Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 Larry and kanker make excellent points. Antique Furniture. The category says it all. Uprights just aren't worth rebuilding and almost nothing that age is going to be in good shape. The soundboard, bridges and pinblock are quite likely dried up and split. --wmp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 +1 on skipping the antique, no-name uprights. I had one for years that I got for free when my friend's grandma passed away and they let me have the piano. It was a pretty piece of furniture and nothing more. I had a piano tech work on it a few times and it would just barely get into tune and then would never hold its tune. The keyboard action was terrible and the sound was also undesirable. It pretty much became a liability because it is actually not easy to get rid of an old and useless piano. I upgraded to a used Yamaha upright about a year ago and have been very happy. Not sure of your budget, but please don't spend any amount of money (even if it is $10) on something old and decrepit like that. You would be much better off enjoying your S90ES longer while you save towards something nice. I can tell you there are many nice used pianos in the $2k range if you look. Stuff like older Kawai UST-7 or Yamaha U1s or P22s. Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAmateur Posted October 19, 2006 Author Share Posted October 19, 2006 Thanks for the input everyone, much appreciated. Without much experience with acoustics I wasnt quite sure what direction to go in. I was thinking that probably internal parts on such an old piano would be in need or very close to in need of repair and probably not worth the investment to do so. It looks like Ill move up to this centry pianos and stick with the 'upper-level' brand names. Theres a piano store near by who has a bunch in the $500 +/- range. Ill have to go check out what he's got that seems worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahZark Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 One other piece of cautionary advice about used uprights (especially old spinets): Some of them, if they haven't been properly maintained (i.e., tuned regularly) are simply incapable of being tuned properly and/or holding proper tune for any length of time. So, as others have already said, tread carefully in this arena, make sure you have a chance to play any instrument before you buy, and (if possible) have a trained piano tech give it a once-over so you know what you're getting yourself into. All that said, I don't think it's necessary to focus on relatively new instruments. A properly maintained acoustic piano can provide MANY MANY years of quality service. My parents have a Yamaha upright from the late 60s (which I played growing up) and it still sounds and plays great to this day. Good luck. Noah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavinovaguyusa Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 If you would like to "buy American" take a look at Mason & Hamlin and consider having a PianoDisc system with midi recorder and player added to it. That way you still have your midi capabilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted October 19, 2006 Share Posted October 19, 2006 HomeAmateur, What type of amplification system are you using with your S90es? Instead of putting any money into an old acoustic piano (plus the extra money it would take to tune, voice, and maintain it), I'd take that money and buy a good set of speakers & stands with a decent-sized power amp. I think you'd be more satisfied in the long run. Unless you're planning to spend a large amount of money on an acoustic piano, you'll end up with something you'll lose interest in within a few months. Stick with the S90es plus a good sound system. Tom "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkcar Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Homeamateur: Google "The Piano Book" by Larry Fine, forward by Keith Jarrett. It is THE resource for understanding about, and purchasing, a used or new acoustic piano. Don't buy a piano without first reading that book. A Boogie-Woogie Video: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAmateur Posted October 20, 2006 Author Share Posted October 20, 2006 Is there Gas..., I hear exactly what your saying. Thats why I was looking 'cheap' on the acoustic. Just something to 'noodle on'. However from the sounds of 'the more experienced' a dirt cheap acoustic will just be a waste of money. Your right proably because Im not 'in love' with my current sound sys. S90ES - Mackie 1202VLZpro - M-Audio BX8a's also --- for vocal, Sennheiser e835/audio-tech AT2020 - dbx 31 band EQ - TC Electronic M300 reverb/effect - Mackie - M-Audio's The keys sound decent enough, its more the vocals out of the M-audios Im not so in love with, they just seem a bit cold and harsh. No wheres near as nice as out of the headphones. The handfull of people that have heard my singing are always more impressed hearing me in the headphones then from the M-Audios... believe me, I need all the help I can get to sound good I guess Id like to swap these M-Auidos out for something else... uuhhhggg the hunt for the right sound system.... Hey, I wonder if to get that 'great' headphone sound all one of these companies need to do is make a REALLY BIG pair of headphones, ya know, like 15" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 homeAmateur, my two cents. It depends on how advanced you intend to go with your musicianship, which also relates to what you play. For the kind of stuff I play (jazz), I have to build extensive technique. I have been limited with my digital (which is also an S90ES as you know). It is a fine instrument of course, but for fine things like dynamics and expression, it is really hard to train yourself in that, including advanced pedal use, without a real piano. So if that is important to you than I would advise that you go get an acoustic and spend at least $2K if you can. If you don't have the money right now to spend near that amount, I would suggest that you save your money and don't waste it on some low grade upright. And unfortunately, since I'm talking $2K here, we're not talking a Mason and Hamlin (restored). That's Steinway pricing there -- used $7K+ (without the MIDI). Now on another side topic, as I was looking for pianos (I purchased a Yamaha U3), I happen to come along a Kawai MIDI Piano. I think it was a 44" inch piano so it wasn't very big. But it had a nice sound. And it was a silent piano so you could turn it off and use it as a controller, or listen directly to the piano sound using headphones. That was pretty neat. I would actually consider selling my S90ES and just getting one of these because you have the best of both worlds. A controller, and a real piano. It's not cheap, but it was just the most useful thing other than portability. You'll need to get some amp/speaker for it though as it had line outs. Anyway, I'm just adding some more things to think about. Good luck. Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clavinovaguyusa Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Mason and Hamlin are being made again. The company is owned by the owners of PianoDisc...so they are putting the units into their pianos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzwee Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Originally posted by Clavinovaguyusa: Mason and Hamlin are being made again. The company is owned by the owners of PianoDisc...so they are putting the units into their pianos. I know. They are wonderful pianos. I wish I could afford it. But the new uprights are what? 15K? I only mentioned the restored ones since it's a little cheaper and are usually from the "glory" era of Mason and Hamlin. BTW - my piano tuner said the only problem with Mason and Hamlin is that they don't retain their value as well as Steinway (even if they are similarly priced new.) Hamburg Steinway O, Crumar Mojo, Nord Electro 4 HP 73, EV ZXA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAmateur Posted October 20, 2006 Author Share Posted October 20, 2006 Jazzwee, Thanks for the pennies. Im actallly pretty happy with the S90ES. Its piano is among the best, however a better piano sound is never-ending. The action is perfect and its chuck full of awsome sounds. --- I think I just need a better sound system; one that marries the keys and vocals better. The thought of getting an acoustic was mainly just for the occasional getting away from all the electronics and just connecting to a 'real-piano'. From the sounds of all the responces though it looks like I'd have to spend 2k +/- to get anything worth getting. A bit to pricey right now. Thats why I was looking at the 'beaters'. Im not a gigging musician, more a home hobbiest, someday however I may decide to go public so I sorta want to stay with the portable stuff. I also want to start diving deeper into recording my own stuff. Battling software however seems to always take the joy and spontonaity out of it.... ahhh Ill save that for another thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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