How to assemble and maintain a piano bench
1) Washers: These flat metal rings protect the legs which are made of wood.
2) Split washers: These washers are split, with one end slightly bent outward to bite in, secure, and prevent loosening. Split washers act like springs under compression, to provide extra holding force, and to decrease frictional resistance during assembly and disassembly.
3) Nuts: Screw-in tight to support the legs.
4) Screw all four legs of the bench to 90% tightness, place the bench on the floor, seat down. Press down on the bench to level the legs and tighten. Benches with storage are normally tightened from the inside, so follow the above steps until tightening. Lay the bench on its side (long edge) and tighten while securing the legs with the other hand.
5) Do not adjust the height while you are sitting on an adjustable bench. Stand up or adjust from the side so no weight is pressing down.
6) Tighten the nuts occasionally to secure the bench. Swinging on the bench will damage the wooden legs. Moving the bench may loosen the nut, and if you continue using the bench with loose legs it is only a matter of time before the wood deteriorates and the bench is unusable.
5 checkpoints before scheduling a piano move / delivery
Does your building have an elevator or flights of stairs? Elevator buildings or first floor deliveries are a base rate of $200 (each way) in the tri-boroughs. A small elevator may be okay as a piano can be placed on its side on a dolly, making the piano human-size. If your building has a service elevator, even better! If you believe your elevator is small, please ensure that you take photos and measurements before booking a piano delivery.NYC is notorious for some tricky and narrow flights of stairs. Note that each flight of stairs adds $70-$100 depending on the size and number of steps per flight. If you’re on the 5th floor of a walkup building, consider how long you will be staying in that location before committing to a difficult move/delivery!
Narrow flights of stairs are okay if the width of the piano can fit through. The biggest concern of all is a tight turn between the flights of stairs. The piano may fit going up a flight, but may not be able to turn at a corner. Make sure to send the piano movers photos and measurements of each turn to avoid penalties and rescheduling. 3 movers are usually required for tough flights and turn jobs.
The size of the piano, of course, matters when scheduling a delivery, not just for flights of stairs but for elevators as well! Be sure to check the Width, Height, Depth measurements of the piano you are getting delivered before scheduling! If you are unsure, our expert movers will be able to direct you.
Most buildings in NYC, both walk-up and elevator buildings, require a Certificate of Insurance for piano moves. What is a COI? A COI is a document issued by the insurance company of the movers that verifies the existence and conditions of their insurance policy. This document provides your building management with the assurance that if any damage is made to the building during your move/delivery, our insurance will cover it! If you’re unsure, please check with your building management before scheduling or securing a delivery. We will require a sample COI from your building management. Providing a COI is free of charge, but will take a day or two. The earlier we have the sample COI, the better!
Location, of course, will also determine the price of delivery, whether it is for a move from one building to another across town, or a piano being delivered from our store to your location.We charge a flat-rate in the NYC Tri-boroughs, but if your location is located past the tri-boroughs additional fees will apply. The same goes for locations that have a toll along the way, as pianos are delivered in trucks e.g. Staten Island.
If you are looking for an interstate OR international move/delivery, there will be significant additional charges and we will work with one or various freight companies to deliver your instrument to you. State and customs taxes will apply, and our movers will notify you of this. We regularly deliver our refurbished and rebuilt Steinway and grand pianos interstate and internationally. Be sure to schedule a trip to try the piano in-store before committing to a purchase and long-distance delivery!
Top 6 Asian Piano Brands
How do Asian Piano companies that produce Upright Pianos and Grand Pianos compare to their European counterparts? It is important to note that most piano companies are not independent, and a large chunk of European and American pianos are owned by or produced by Asian piano companies. E.g. Steinway’s “Boston” line is manufactured in the Kawai factory, “Essex” line is manufactured in the Pearl River Factory, Yamaha owns the Austrian company Bösendorfer, and many more! The “made and manufactured in Europe” pianos come with a hefty price tag, much like automobiles and technological devices. For a fraction of the cost, the following Asian brands of pianos are guaranteed to be of high quality and perfectly suitable for in-home or studio use.
Chinese Brands
Hailun
A new piano company just over 20years old. Hailun has hired the Who’s Who of the piano industry to produce excellent pianos with a distinctive European-like warm and rich tone, with heavier action than the majority of other piano brands. Piano Builders, Designers, and Technicians from brands Baldwin, Mason & Hamlin, Bösendorfer, Bechstein, and Steinway & Sons create these Premium upright and grand pianos that will change all of your assumptions about Chinese-made instruments!
Our Stocks: HAILUN 151 GRAND , HAILUN HG161 BABY GRAND , HAILUN CF162 GRAND , HAILUN 151 GRAND , HAILUN 178 GRAND , HAILUN CF168 GRAND
Pearl River
Established in 1956, Pearl River Piano Group is China’s largest piano manufacturer, and has the largest piano factory in the world. In 1998, Pearl River became the first company in China to receive International Standards Association Certification, which is awarded following a lengthy audit of quality systems, manufacturing systems, assembly procedures and customer service. They were also awarded an ISO14001 certificate that relates to environmental standards. Yamaha established a joint venture with Pearl River in 1995 to build pianos for the Chinese market. Steinway & Sons also manufactures all models of their “Essex” line of grand pianos & Uprights with the Pearl River Piano Group. Hallet Davis & Co. was originally formed in Boston, US in 1843. Since 2015, Pearl River exclusively produces the Hallet & Davis signature series.
Korean Brands
Samick
Founded in 1958, Samick now manufactures instruments through its subsidiary brands as well e.g. Wm. Knabe & Co, Kohler & Campbell, Seiler (German) pianos among many more. Samick also has a joint venture factory in China with Bechstein Pianos.
Young Chang
Established in 1956 as a distributor of Yamaha pianos for Korea and other parts of Asia. Young Chang was one of the largest of the world’s piano manufacturers in the 1990s alongside Samick, Yamaha and Kawai. The company also produces pianos for other companies e.g. Knabe, Cline, and Wurlitzer (Baldwin). The company also builds Weber Pianos since 1986 that is established for the English-speaking markets, Kurzweill electronic & digital musical instruments, and joined by Joseph Pramberger, the former VP of Steinway & Sons. In 2004, Samick acquired a large stake in Young Chang, and Hyundai Development company acquired Young Chang in 2006.
Japanese piano brands
Yamaha
YAMAHA’s history has began when Toraku Yamaha, founder of Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd-later renamed YAMAHA Corporation repaired a broken reed organ. Shortly thereafter, he successfully completed the first reed organ to be built in Japan in 1887. Then the first piano to be made in Japan was an upright built in 1900 by him. Just two years later, the Nippon Gakki factory resonated with the tones of its first grand piano. During this early period, the company focused on manufacturing instruments for the Japanese market, where interest in Western classical music was still relatively new. Today, Yamaha has grown to become not only the world’s largest manufacture of music instruments but also a leading manufacturer of semiconductors, audio/visual, computer related products, sporting goods, home appliances and industrial robots. This incredible name recognition has allowed them to price their pianos at a high price point. https://hub.yamaha.com/a-brief-history-of-yamaha-pianos/
Kawai
On the contrary, KAWAI’s singular focus is on musical instruments, specifically, pianos. Koichi Kawai, founder of KAWAI Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd. was taken in as an apprentice at Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd-later renamed YAMAHA Corporation by his neighbor Toraku Yamaha. Kawai became a member of the research and development team that introduced pianos to Japan. After Yamaha’s death, new management took over control of Yamaha’s company and began to diversify its production line. This led Kawai to leave Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd then he established the Kawai Musical Instrument Research Laboratory in 1927. https://www.kawai-global.com/company/history/
What Piano you are looking for ?
Why some are choosing Grotian over Steinway
While the "Steinway" brand may be the most well known brand among pianos, GROTIAN is has been a consistent player that has some choosing GROTIAN over Steinway . Beyond the exceptional craftsmanship, GROTIAN has become known for their modernized facilities that work toward their goal of sustainable manufacturing. By choosing environmental-friendly materials and processes, GROTIAN is able to produce highest quality pianos while reducing emissions.
As quoted on their website "In the application of environmental friendly polyester and paint, GROTRIAN leads the way. To ensure the good health of all employees and an environment friendly work process, the spray room recently has been equipped with a cutting-edge airflow system, that filters all spray mist and absorbs it in a water circle. A special bond extracts the damaging particles and cleans the water."
Their innovative approach to manufacturing is paving the way for other brands to follow.
Larry Fine, renowned piano technician and author of "The Piano Book" said that Modern Grotian Steinweg pianos are among the "highest quality" - on par with Hamburg-built Steinways, Faviolis, and Bösendorfers, and higher quality, in his opinion, than New York-built Steinways.
Now thats something to think about when choosing your next piano.
Lovely post by David Burton on his Blog (this is a little late, but better late than never)
Just returned from NYC on Thursday. Must report a great loss to many of us. Carl Demler of Beethoven Pianos in NYC has passed suddenly at 79. I will remember the kindest set of brown eyes I shall never see again. I counted Carl a good friend. He is missed already. Many of his staff have considered collecting their memories and reminiscences concerning him into some kind of book. I hope they do. I would be willing to help in its technical editing and design.
His family and staff are continuing Beethoven Pianos and while there I played their Hamburg Steinway D - a piano of great character, perhaps too bright for some, but not irritatingly bright. After all, it's a Steinway D. I also played a Sauter concert grand, one of their uprights and a remarkable Grotrian upright that actually beat out another excellent Steinway B they had there. This Grotrian upright actually had the best action of those I played with the exception of their Steinway D in the concert area.
Those who might think me crass for promoting pianos at the same time I announce the passing of the master of the store perhaps wont get it: Beethoven's needs to continue. It has a unique place among its worthy competition on New York's piano row. It's craftsmen are incredible artists and technicians who make these great pianos perform as they do. The Sauter concert grand was a beautiful piano with a nice firm touch and warm sound. Rather than the usual black, this piano perhaps mahogany or some darker wood If you are in the market for an incredible concert piano or your own practice piano, please consider Beethoven Pianos www.beethovenpianos.com
Carl Demler's Obituary Notice in the New York Times
We've expanded our showroom to display more pianos.
We're really excited to share that we have expanded our showroom to include more grand and upright pianos. We have also begun renovations on our lower level floor to include more instruments. Please visit our store to see our recent improvements and browser our wider selection.
Beethoven Pianos Featured in The New York Time's Editor's Choice: The Grand Obsession by Perri Knize
NEW YORK TIMES "EDITOR'S CHOICE." WASHINGTON POST "BEST OF 2008."
The daughter of a professional musician, Perri Knize was raised in a home saturated in classical music, but it wasn't until midlife, in the midst of her successful career as a investigative reporter, that she realized she'd missed her true calling –the piano. After years of lessons, she decides to buy a piano of her own and begins her search. She falls madly, illogically, in love with a rare German grand she discovers in a New York City Showroom. After a long dalliance, Knize refinances her house to buy this "magic" instrument she dubs "Marlene", after Dietrich, for its sultry voice. But when Marlene arrives at her home in Montana, the sound that transfixed her is gone, the tone dead and dull. One piano tuner after another arrives to fix it, but no one can.
Rather than send the piano back, Knize embarks on a mad quest to restore the instrument to its rightful sound –and to understand the reason for its elusive power. Putting her investigative skills to work, she falls down a rabbit hole into a hidden world, discovering a tribe of concert artists, dealers, technicians, composers, designers, physicists, philosophers, passionate amateurs, and instrument builders –intriguing and eccentric characters all –whose lives have also been transformed by the spell if a piano. She even hikes into the Austrian Alps to learn how the special trees used to build her piano are grown and harvested. With each step of her journey, Knize draws ever-closer to uncovering the reason her piano's sound vanished, how to get it back, and the deeper secret of how music leads us to a direct experience of the nature of reality.
Amazon
About the Book & Authour
Beethoven's Grotrian Concert Grand Featured at Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City Part II
Performance recorded as part of "Songs of Inspiration: Broadway Goes to Church" on October 5, 2015 at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City.
Arranged and conducted: by Garrett Taylor
Grand Piano: Grotrian 7'4" Model 225 Concert
Audio mixing and video editing:Au by Christopher Tse using Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro X
A Cam: Canon 70D at 1080p24 with 18-135mm STM lens.
B Cam: Sony AX100 at 4K/24p.
Footage processed with Osiris ImpulZ Film Emulation (FujiColor 200).
Beethoven's Grotrian Concert Grand Featured at Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City Part I
Performance recorded as part of "Songs of Inspiration: Broadway Goes to Church" on October 5, 2015 at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City.
Musical Director: Garrett Taylor
Grand Piano: Grotrian 7'4" Model 225 Concert
Audio Mixing: Christopher Tse using Logic Pro X
Video: shot and edited by Christopher Tse using Final Cut Pro X
A Cam: Canon 70D at 1080p24 with 18-135mm STM lens.
B Cam: Sony AX100 at 4K/24p.
Footage processed with Osiris ImpulZ Film Emulation (FujiColor 200).
Beethoven Piano Move to 211 58th Street Mentioned on WQXR.com: Musical Chairs on Piano Row as Klavierhaus Moves Out
New York’s Piano Row just got smaller.
The piano dealer Klavierhaus, a favored haunt for international pianists since the 1990s, on Monday moved out of its storefront showroom on West 58th St. after a competitor, Beethoven Pianos, purchased the building and took over its space. Klavierhaus has moved to a new location several blocks away.
The transaction is the latest in a series of moves that signal the downsizing of the midtown piano retail district, which sits between Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and for decades has drawn piano buyers from around the world. (Also remaining are Faust-Harrison and Allegro Pianos, a far cry from the 1980s when nearly a dozen piano businesses ruled the block.)
Beethoven Pianos will lose about 2,000 square feet when it moves to the new 4,000-square-foot storefront, a move that is expected next week. Demler notes, however, that much of his company’s restoration work is done out of a 34,000-square-foot facility in the Bronx. A fixture on Piano Row for more than 40 years, Beethoven Pianos is known for its more populist appeal and ability to attract walk-in clients.