techneut wrote:


Yes, that´s indeed a certain proof! If I would be you and would have the 7500 Euro or whatever you mentioned to need for to get this Grotrian, I would buy it. (But, of course, I´m not you and you are not me. ) I don´t know the mechanique, but from the sound it´s clearly the better instrument (and it´s a wonderful instrument at all, I personally am really a fan of Grotrian-Steinwegs, and this old restored one has truely something like personality!). On the other hand we don´t know, how your Gaveau sounds after the revision, may be it´s better than the Grotrian then.
I had a Kawai GS 60 before I bought my Grotrian. I became more and more unsatisfied with it, because the strings became so unpure (they could not be tuned properly anymore). So, I also would have had to recruit the strings. But just in that time my piano technician told me of that offer of the old lady, who wanted to sell her Grotrian-Steinweg-grand, which I have now. So, I could sell my old Kawai and had to pay 3000 Euro in addition to what I got for my Kawai for to buy my Grotrian-Steinweg from that old lady. And I´m totally happy with it. (With my Grotrian, not with the old lady. ) It´s a marvellous instrument, very similar to a Steinway. The difference between a modern Steinway and a Grotrian-Steinweg is, that the tone of the Grotrian doesn´t sound as noble, but for this the Grotrian has a more sensitive and natural touch and sound. It´s nearer to the sound of the grand-pianos of 19th century, but the possibilities of differenciation of tone are the best of the world IMO (better than on some Steinways, which I have played).



Yes, that´s a mistake I often make still, too, but on the other hand it´s also nice to have the whole keyboard in the picture (I´m always afraid to cut something off, because the perspective could become to narrow when paning more to the left).



Don´t you have an electricity cable for your camera? I never do record at home with the battery, though I have one, which is for 2 1/2 hours. But it´s much more comfortable to use directly the electrity cable, so you don´t have to care about changing the batteries. I have the impression, that your camera makes sharper pictures than my one somehow. I wonder what could be the reason.

Hi Chris, for me, the action is paramount in a fine sounding instrument, almost equal to the sound. I am glad that you like the action on the Grotrian. At the end, I won't be surprised if that might be the deciding factor in your decision. You should be able to get at least 5-10 more dynamic shadings from ppp to fff over your other instrument. It will allow you to have complete dynamic control of a piece, and you'll notice that the piano will not be the limiting factor in a performance. You'll feel like you're playing better. However, Not all Renner actions are created equal, it really depends on the manufacturers specifications to Renner. Steinway, Grotrian, August Forster, etc. all vary in their touch.

The balance of tone/timbre will be a matter of your taste once the Gaveau is restored and then you can compare with certainty. It will not be an easy decision to make. This is certainly an anxious time wondering what the outcome might be.

In general, good test tracks are pieces with wide dynamic and frequency ranges. This is what I use to judge.
-Chopin Etude Op. 10, No. 1 in C: for timbre
-Chopin Nocturne Op. 9a in B-flat minor (first page): for tone, action
-also check for repeated fast notes.

For your favorite, Bach, you might want to zoom in on the quality of the middle register in the 2 pianos at the end. Don't make a hasty decision. Listen on several occasions under different weather conditions too. To really be objective, record individual forte notes in the bass, middle, and upper registers on both pianos and compare the overtones on a FFT (fast fourier transform) analysis in your editing software. This will also quantify the tone/timbre balance. At the end, it will be a matter of taste.

God Bless! I hope she takes after her father in music. Perhaps she might like to pursue dentistry some day...

Chris, David, and Andreas: you all present great information here.

Yes, I have 100% confidence in that.

I'm puzzled you say that a somewhat heavier action would give you more control than a very light action. I marvel at the control I suddenly seem to have now. I was warned that this one plays extremely light, but I have no problem with that, I love it. But yes it's all to easy to hit a note too hard and make it sound harsh.

88man wrote:


I would like to give back the compliment. Also your information concerning recording technique is always great.

Thanks all for your interest !

Indeed, I am afraid it may well have to come to that.


Stupidly, there's no input jack for an external adapter. The batery doesn't even give me an hour of recording time. I'm severely disappointed in that crap battery, it's empty when you blink and then take hours to get recharged.

I would have thought such an inexpensive camera could never compete with a real camcorder of maybe 5 times the price. I have of course chosen high definition recording, as opposed to VGA, which could explain both the higher quality and the short battery life.


Quite probably. The new possibilities more than compensate for the change in tone (which I suppose will get better after a month of playing, and maybe another tuning).


I'm more of a gut man, and won't approach it so scientifically. That will make it even harder to decide (even though I got an A level for Fourier and Laplace transformations in a previous life )


Hehe no, she doesn't give a toss for classical music, except the odd bit that has featured in some movie, ad, or clip. A typical MTV kid, though her taste is not half as bad as that of some that age. No dentistry, she studies food sciences. Our son is studying to be a pathologist

I second Andreas' return compliment to George above.

David

I second David's endorsement of Andreas' compliment to George

well, I've got you all beat by about a thousand times. George knows what I'm talking about.

Techneut wrote:


What about buying a second battery, which you could charge while you record with the other? So you could replace always directly the battery, if it´s empty.



Could also be the quite bad insolation (illumination) in the corner of the living room, where my grand-piano stands. Mostly I record in the evening and I only have a stand lamp besides my piano. The lamp on the ceiling is broken, but it´s directly over the grand-piano. So, I haven´t repaired it until now, because I´m afraid to fall on my Grotrian or to let drop the lamp, which could cause a very expensive damage. (And I have to admit, I was too lazy until now to move the grand to the side, because it doesn´t stand on its rolls, but the rolls are on small coasters and it´s not possible to put it on its rolls, because there is a floor of tilings under it, which could break by the rolls. So, it´s a bit complicated to move the grand to the side. I think, I would need three or four men to lift it up and to carry it on the side. An additional man would have to replace the coasters, before the grand could be put on the floor again.



A good way to say it directly!

I thought of that. But they're ridiculously expensive. Sony accessory shop sells them at $49.99 !!! Can probably do better elsewhere.


Bit of a problem there ! I'd just climb on top of it and get going

Techneut wrote:


May be you can find a good offer on ebay?!



Sorry, I don´t understand at hundred percent what you mean here with "it" and "get going". Do you think, I should climb on my Grotrian? I only can do the repair by climbing on a ladder. Okay, I will be brave and do it next time!

Matters like this are easily resolved among friends with a simple toast across the table. If we keep going our merry way, by the end of the evening we may just intoxicate ourselves into singing Verdi's Libiamo (Drinking Song). I just wish we could sit across one another at a much smaller table. Cheers to all of you! <"Ching">

Chris, if you're intent on this camera, then Andreas has a point with the second battery. Yes, $50 is steep. If your camera battery has many charge cycles on it (over ~70) then it's not going to give you much recording time. I've replaced my Canon battery on my point and shoot after a few years. These Li-Ion packs lose charge capacity after a while. I've been lucky with ebatts.com before. Here's their Sony page: http://www.ebatts.com/sony_digital-camera_models.aspx

Honestly, there's no way you'll get an hour on battery power. Video mode uses a lot of power because the sensor is on all the time as opposed to the short burst in camera mode. If you're serious about video, my advice is to have a camera that allows for DC input to sustain an uninterrupted supply. With a 4-8GB card you'll be set for hours. This way your mind will be on the music, and not on the camera. It's hard enough as it is to worry the music, let alone the video, audio, angle, lighting, levels, running time, memory, battery, tripod, noises, etc. It can be a mood killer!

I am impressed but not surprised!

That would be so much fun! Wish we could do it....

That had never occurred to me yet !

I had no choice in this camera, it was my employer's award for 20 years of service (how pathetic is that....) Anyway I guess I am not that serious about video.

Hm.... I have 16GB and it seems to fill up PDQ. I'll have to check how much it actually contains when it says it's full. Perhaps I've been ripped. Although it came in what looked like the original packing.

Anywa thanks for the tips !

88man wrote:


Cheers to you, George! Ein Prosit der netten Runde! (English=Cheers to the nice cycle of friends!)