Steinway & Sons 45-inch Professional’s Piano.

  The Steinway & Sons reputation has been established around the world on concert stages, by Concert Grands. The vertical, however, is an integral part of Steinway history and tradition. Most piano technicians consider a tall 45” upright piano to be a better value than most small grands. It certainly has lengthier strings and a larger soundboard. Both contribute to a bigger tone and longer sustain. The company began building vertical “cottage pianos” well over a century ago and today the vertical is a significant part of Steinway’s production. In the 19^th century parlor, in the 20^th century apartment and conservatory practice room, the need for a fine upright piano has always existed. A piano built in the Steinway & Sons tradition which takes up less space than a grand piano and still offers the best qualities of tone and touch which have become the Steinway hallmark. The Steinway upright piano is every inch a Steinway. It is built by the same men, in the same plant, of the same materials as a Steinway & Sons Grand.

This Steinway model 45 studio upright piano was purchased brand new at the original Albuquerque Steinway & Sons Authorized dealership, Reidling Music in 1978. It lived in a beautiful home in Albuquerque then moved to Corrales in 1999 where it had lived since. It is in excellent condition – structurally and aesthetically, and we will be happy to offer a two-year warranty. Because it has lived its entire life in this unique climate it is happily acclimated and well-adjusted, and ought to offer the new owner decades of musical joy and gratification. We have thoroughly cleaned the interior, regulated the piano-action, inspected the structural integrity for strength in the vital areas like the soundboard, bridges and pinblock then brought the pitch to A-440. The piano is ready for a serious player, a music school or a recording studio. We have priced it very attractively, so hurry, it won’t last!

The model 45 also features the Steinway patented Accelerated Action™ (Patented 1936), enhancing the action to respond to the touch instead of being forced into action. Laboratory tests have proven that the keys on a Steinway can repeat 13% more quickly than any other piano. The same features that allow this faster repeat also provide a much more sensitive, responsive keyboard, an aspect that can be appreciated even by beginning pianists. The keys are made of Bavarian spruce. The quarter-sawn maple action parts are mounted on a Steinway Metallic Action Frame™ (Patented 1868 and 1875), which consists of a seamless brass tube with rosette-shaped contours, force fitted with maple dowels and brass hangers to assure the stability of the regulation. The model K also features a pedal normally only found on grand pianos, the true Sostenuto™ (Patented 1874) pedal. It is the middle pedal and it allows the pianists to determine which keys they want to resonate and sound, and those they want to dampen and not sound.

The Steinway model 45 upright piano has the same Diaphragmatic Soundboard™ (Patented 1936) as their grands where during manufacturing, far more fine Sitka spruce is left on the floor than actually goes into the soundboard. The craftsmen expertly locate the very best cuts and discard the rest. The soundboard is considered to be the soul of the piano. The model 45 features the same Hexagrip Pinblock™ (Patented 1963) too. It is made by laminating seven layers of Canadian hardrock maple in a staggered grain formation. Each subsequent layer of the lamination offsets the grain angle by 45 to 90 degrees. The result is an even distribution of grain direction throughout the pinblock. This ensures that at least one layer has its grain directly in line with the stress acting on the pin. This technique allows the tuner to place the pin in the exact optimal location for a true “Concert Tuning”. That is the secret to how Steinway’s are able to maintain their world-renowned sound far beyond their last tuning.

The hammers and damper felts have a minimal amount of wear.

40-inch Kawai Piano in Cherry finish.

  This piano is an economical well-built musical instrument that will offer decades of musical enjoyment to the new owner. Structurally it is sound and aesthetically in very good condition. Its condition is attributable to the modest amount of playing time it has received. It has lived here in Albuquerque for most of its life so it is happily acclimated and fully adjusted to our unique climate. The Kawai console piano is known to be reliable and virtually maintenance free so we will be happy to offer a two year warranty. The original bench with storage is included. We also include professional first-floor, local delivery.

We had to do very little in the way of service in our 88 Keys Restoration shop; tightening of the action screws, setting the strings, some minor regulating and then a concert tuning. Rather than a simple key cover, this model sports a two-piece Boston fallboard that closes easily and will not scratch the sides of the cabinet. The finish is a traditional satin lacquer light-toned cherry. The cabinet style is Italian Provincial. The music rack is stylish and there is a sturdy music desk designed for heavy music books or long musical scores. It has a warm, rich wood appearance.

Renowned for their expressive tone and dynamic range that allow pianists to communicate with ease, this Kawai piano plays expressively, accurately and smoothly – like a warm knife through butter. The tone is European-inspired and mellow; not nearly as bright as some other Japanese-manufactured models. Many classical musicians own a Kawai piano as a low-cost alternative to an expensive Steinway & Sons or European model. It has a warmth that is very pleasant. The duration of tone is lengthy and lends itself to classical music. The treble has a nice singing quality. The bass response is excellent given the size of the scale. The overall tone quality is balanced across the compass of the keyboard. This piano if expressive and a joy to play.

Yamaha 52” Performance Grade Piano.

  One of the most sought after and recommended preowned models on the market, they don’t come around very often (or nearly often enough). Designed for the experienced pianist and professional musician, the Yamaha model U3 Professional Upright piano is built in the main factory in Hamamatsu, Japan and offers outstanding musical performance, setting the standards by which many other upright pianos are measured. The “workhorse” model U3 is a part of the Yamaha Classic Collection. A perennial favorite among discerning pianists, they feature outstanding tone, touch and durability. The U-series has historically been Yamaha’s most popular vertical piano line and has had huge financial success. They have had a very long production life for the piano industry. Numerous other models have been tried for a while and then discontinued or have evolved with a new feature and been renamed, but the U3 has endured. Living space is at a premium in Japan and Europe so fewer grands are sold, making a strong case for a high-quality upright like this. Yamaha also has factories situated in China and Indonesia where their lesser quality lines of pianos are built. Lower labor costs there enable more economical price points, however discerning pianists normally find the Japanese models more desirable.

Yamaha has had a well-deserved reputation for superior quality control and virtually perfect preparation at the factory. They arrive at the dealership in flawless condition. Technicians are enthusiastic about servicing them due to their exceptional engineering and design. Many highly respected musicians are Yamaha Artists and endorse these pianos. Elton John comes to mind. Many schools of music have become All-Yamaha Schools as a means to attract students desiring higher-quality musical instruments during their studies and practice. Institutions especially appreciate the low-maintenance aspect of this model because they are averse to recurring budget costs for tuning and service. You will find the U3 everywhere a professional grade piano is required including Music Department faculty offices and some practice rooms, houses of worship, on stage, in the recording studio, and even in homes of discerning pianists.

As always, this piano is sourced locally, per our company policy. It was purchased new right here in Albuquerque at the original Authorized Yamaha piano dealership at the time, Paul Muench Music and has spent its entire life here. So, it is happily acclimated and well-adjusted to our unique desert Southwest climate. It was played very little so the moving parts in the action have modest wear for its age. It is in good condition – structurally and should offer the next owner years of musical fulfillment. We only had to perform our usual dealer prep and nothing more in the 88 Keys Piano restoration shop. That means pitch correction, voicing, tightening of action screws, minor action regulation, and a thorough cleaning inside. It would be an excellent choice for a rehearsal or practice piano for a serious player or an educational instrument in a teaching studio. Hurry on this particular piano, it won’t be here long!

It has the classic Yamaha “feel”; the precision, accuracy and responsiveness that permits vivid musical expression and a wide dynamic range. It also has the classic Yamaha evenness of touch; fast, accurate and responsive with an excellent repetition. The tone is classic Yamaha. It is colorful, harmonic-rich and sonorous with an excellent dynamic range, meaning the pianist can perform the subtlest pianissimo and most forceful fortissimo. Being a 48-inch vertical with longer bass strings and a larger soundboard, the bass response is strong and robust. The treble is strong and the tenor is rich. It’s a pleasure to play.

Lovely grand piano handmade by Parisian artisans in Paris.

  The Pleyel piano was the favorite of Frédéric Chopin, a piano “whose touch married perfectly with Chopin’s playing, sometimes airy and refined and sometimes of measured violence.” Camille Pleyel, son of the founder Ignace Pleyel, and Chopin became inseparable friends after meeting in 1831. “Camille became Frédéric’s appointed provider, who gave in return all his Parisian public concerts in the Pleyel salons. He packed the house until his very last performance, a few months before his death in 1849.” The Pleyel salons were the centre of Parisian musical life during much of the nineteenth-century, hosting many virtuosos for the first time and many visiting foreign artists. This information was taken from the Pleyel history on its website. https://www.pleyel.com/en/the-beautiful-story

This exquisite Pleyel grand piano somehow made its way to Albuquerque, New Mexico for an unknown reason, at some undetermined time, by previous owners of the piano who are a mystery to us. What we do know is the piano was in storage for more than a decade here in town, then acquired by a local piano technician who had it for several years, and now we are putting the piano up for sale to a lucky new owner. Because it has lived here in our challenging climate for so long, we know the piano is happily acclimated and fully adjusted to our low humidity, so we will happily offer a two-year warranty. Local first-floor delivery is also included and so is an antique piano stool.

The piano was built in 1911 and at some point in time, it was completely restored but we don’t know by whom or where. It’s obvious the restoration was expertly performed and we suspect it was done by one of the fine piano rebuilding shops on the east coast. The soundboard is original thankfully, and it was skillfully restored rendering a tone that is sweet and pure. It’s tone-quality is European obviously, meaning mellow or dark, and the perfect fit for the Chopin etudes that were written on one of this Pleyel piano’s predecessors built in the same factory. The duration of tone (sustain) is remarkably lengthy. The hammer and damper felts have minimal wear and were replaced during the restoration. The strings were also replaced and in excellent condition and their tuning pins are tight. The natural keys are original, genuine ivory and in wonderful condition. The sharp keys are wooden and lacquered black. The overall condition is excellent – structurally and aesthetically.

Note that the keyboard is 85 notes, not 88 like today.

Pleyel and successors Auguste Wolff and Gustave Lyon.

Music desk and rack.

Classic ebony Kawai 5’-1” Baby Grand Piano.

  A pleasing fusion of clarity and complexity, European-inspired and pleasant. This is undoubtedly why Steinway & Sons chose this factory to build their high-end Boston line of pianos. Renowned for their expressive tone and dynamic range that allow pianists to communicate with ease, this Kawai model KG-1C grand piano plays expressively, responsively and smoothly – like a warm knife through butter, comfortable and satisfying to play. The KG-series of pianos were immensely popular for Kawai here in the US and Canada. They were built in the main factory in Hamamatsu, Japan. The KG-series was re-branded to the RX-series later on and those were also a big hit.

Kawai pianos are often praised for having a tone that is warm, rich and mellow, not nearly as bright as some other Japanese manufactured models. They can have a more complex and nuanced sound that can express subtle emotions. Many serious pianists purchase the Kawai KG-series because of their tonal similarities to vastly more expensive Steinway models and the inability to afford them. It has a warmth that is very pleasant. The duration of tone is lengthy and lends itself to classical music. The treble has a nice singing quality. The bass response is excellent given the size of the scale. The overall tone quality is balanced across the compass of the keyboard. For an affordable instrument, it delivers a lot of musicality.

This piano was purchased new in Albuquerque at the long-time Kawai and Steinway & Sons representative, Riedling Music in 1971. It is in excellent condition; structurally and aesthetically. We will be happy to offer a two-year warranty. The cabinetry is classic ebony with a traditional satin finish. We had to do very little in the way of service – mainly cleaning, a couple tunings for stability and some minor regulating. The original duet bench with storage is included. The middle pedal has a true Sostenuto function. The original bench with storage is included and so is local, first-floor delivery.

Classic, traditional satin ebony finish.