The New Coffee Room

Shigeru SK7 still my top desire to testdrive and was speaking to one of the salesmen yesterday and explained my situation with Sardinia and he suggested that I might do better finding Shigeru's in Europe for cheaper as they have to compete against all the German pianos over there. But no Kawai dealer in Italy, closest is Spain. He said though that the SK7 they have on the floor is pretty much new that was sold and shortly given back and is Shigeru's 3rd generation piano and that I might be amazed at the price they will give me.

I really was hoping to find a Bluthner dealer there but alas only in LA. Have been keen on their sound lately. But to be able to touch finally Mason Hamlin, Estonia, Grotian, Bosendorfer , Shigeru, C Bechstein, and Sautre all in one day could be sensory overload as it is.

Today I am going piano crawling. To the Bay Area. Looks like 5 stores on the route,
Rkassman piano in Berkely has yamaha, kawai, bosendorfer, schimmel, mason hamlin, estonia, grotian, steingraeber.
San Mateo Piano has Shigeru Kawai
Colton Piano in San Jose has Mason Hamlin Sauter
Music Exchange San Jose has Bosendorfer Yamaha
Southbay Piano in San Jose is affiliate of San Mateo piano and has a hardly used big Sauter I am told I must try
Silicon Valley Piano has C Bechstein.
I think that's enough for one day. Will report back soon.

And here i thought the dollar was taking a nose dive!

Can anyone speak about Lindeblad Piano? Todd Lindeblad and I spoke about a 1970 Baldwin sd10 9 ft grand he has waiting for someone to put money down for him to start the restore. He sounded like a good dude and just wondering if anyone is familiar with his work?

We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.

But a base that ate up a new conspiracy theory like skittles, this new vaccine was low hanging fruit.

That Bosie has Ivory keys and reading EU regs, it will not pass customs. Pre 1975 pianos generally are allowed as well as any established artist who owns one. But even without that being said, 1989 bosie vs 2000 shigeru with player, assuming no real work was done on bosie, that would be your first look? I emailed owner of the shigeru and asked him the pertinent question you brought up. Nice pickup on the possibility it sat on a floor for years running the player. I also asked if i could have an rpt come check it out. The bosie now, that’s only in LA and not Louisville so there is that to consider as well. Well actually not because of the dammed ivory Thanks LD.

@LuFins-Dad said in Piano upgrade time:

That’s not necessarily a great deal though. MSRP is $130, but it’s my experience that you can find them for a lot less. $50K is likely a fair deal but not a great deal.

How much value is considered for the player attached.

So even though this piano is 2020 but if it is true that the thing has only been played on for 10-20 hours, making it to me pretty near a brand new piano, With a player, 50k is not an extraordinary deal for this shigeru?

This video is 5 years old so the new one on the right is referring to same year piano i am looking at, 2020. Kawai’s carbon fiber action is also something i am very very interested in. Plus, if i do get this piano, a tech from Shigeru will fly out to my home in Sardinia to give it a once over. Pretty sweet deal.

I just received correspondence from the BB owner and i wonder if this is the Senstor from Connecticut.

Thank you for your inquiry. As a result of high-end impulse buying, I currently own two very fine grands, a fully rebuilt Steinway Model C from 1898 and a virtually new BB. I love them both, but In the long run I have only wanted one large grand in my living room.

They are both listed on Pianomart.com, and I will sell one and keep the other. This weekend, a couple who are interested in the BB are flying up from DC, and since they already have their tickets, I feel I owe them first dibs. But if they decide not to buy it or are slow in making a
decision, I would be delighted to offer it to you.

There are also two separate buyers who are interested in the Steinway and plan to come see it in early September. They are not coming until then because I am leaving on August 17th for two weeks in France.

If you would like to have your RPT come look at the BB before I leave, on the chance that the DC couple don't decide to buy it, I imagine that could be arranged. Or you could wait to see what they decide. I can also give you the name and contact number of my technician, who recently retired after 25 years as the head technician at the Mason and Hamlin factory.

Richard Blumenthal

I mispoke about LD’s recommendation here. He was referring to the Yamaha S7X. Anyways, i am now diving deep to get answers on duty in italy. I get to ship my household goods to Italy duty free since i M moving to live there permanently, but there is verbiage that is vague regarding high dollar items they may get hit with the 22% VAT. Need to nail down the real info on this. Regarding shipping cost, i was quoted by one who has given me a quote for all the things i wish to bring, that i would just add $500 bucks for the piano.

Forget the BB. Check out this deal! Oh my. Could i be the owner of an almost untouched Shigeru 7’6” SK7?? It is the most talked about piano on the internetZ. It also has a built in qrs player with 100,000 song catalog. Not quite as large as my repertoire but some days you just want to lay on the couch and listen. Whaddaya think LD? You, yourself advised the SK7 is “Some Pig”. Hat tip to Charlotte.

https://www.pianomart.com/buy-a-piano/view?id=61914

I havent totally given up looking for my forever piano here in the states as maybe i walk into a super duper deal that makes the cost of shipping it to italy worth it. Pianomart has. 2024 mason & hamlin BB for sale in mass. Owner claims it has hardly been played and has been serviced only by some guy named mason or hamlin. The list for this beast is $120k and he is selling it for half. What do yall think? I could just have the owner ship it straight to sardinia. The villa sits idle waiting for my january arrival. The main reason i wish to get bigger piano is to have more bass. I think masons are the big deliverers of bass too. They have the thickest rim over any other brands, and it is said they produce a tone comparable to the next size up. For example, it has the power of a steinway D and not its cousin, the B.

@Mik said in Grill update.:

Went to a Neapolitan pie place in Northern Kentucky tonight. Excellent Margherita pie. Crust was very good, but not quitee as chewy as I like. Their San Marzano tomato sauce was probably the best I’ve ever had. Delicious.

It would be a much harsher world without San marzanos

@Mik said in Grill update.:

The best pastas are all simple but with the finest ingredients.

Questo e certo

@Horace said in America is building The Wall:

Sloganeering.

Shhh, let me find the word for Bravissimo that starts with S. Hmmmmm

@Mik said in Grill update.:

I always said if I wasn't Irish I'd be Italian. We have to have nourishment. Better to enjoy it. You can have exquisite cuisine and still have it healthy.

Just got a big shipment of guanciale. don't make Carbonara without it.

I have yet to have a plate of Carbonara as good as the trattoria across the street from my naval base in Naples. Even in Sardinia, as Sinead Oconner said, Nothing compares……
And ive tried dozens and dozens of carbonara’s as John Lennon said, in my life..

Do you have children Horace? I dont recall you mentioning any.