Benchs

[Ronald R Shiflet]

Avery,
	I've never purchased benches from Janssen or APSCO directly,
although I know that Janssen benches are usually about the best.  I do
buy a lot of benches (Usually for my rental and used pianos) but usually
I am looking for a decent bench at a low price.  I usually buy them from
Schaff.  Schaff has a wonderful padded bench for about $83.00 .You can
actually get benches elsewhere for as low as $40-$50, but the quality
really drops and they wear out in a year or two.  Very similar to the
worst Chinese pianos that you've seen.
	There is a trade off in bench lids and you'll need to decide
which fits your needs more.  Padded benches will get torn up but
finished benches will get scratched (carved).  By not putting a finish
on the lid, the price of benches really drops.   Sometimes, the price of
an unfinished bench is lower but not usually not low enough to make it worth it (at least for me).  By buying in bulk, you can probably get a much
better price.  As for height, I would take an average of several bench
heights and buy the common size.

Ron Shiflet

On Wed, 18 Sep 1996 12:46:54 -0500 ATodd@UH.EDU (Avery Todd) writes:
>List,
>   I just received a call from the Assistant Director of the music
>department asking about our stock of piano benches. A student had
>complained about there never being enough benches in the practice
>rooms
>when they are all in use. We *are* short of benches. I've been asking
>about
>it for almost two years! Oh
>well, at least I can get some benches ordered now.
>   I think what I would like to do is order benches suitable for
>grands
>(unfortunately not the artist benches $$$$  :-) ) and use our existing
>benches for the verticals, etc.
>   The only heights I see in the Jansen catalog are 19" & 20" for
>standard
>benches. The ones called Grand Piano Benches are all 19" high. APSCO
>benches
>are 18-1/2" & 19" high. With a couple of exceptions, all our grands
>are
>older Steinway L's and new Kawai RX-2's. Would a mixture of the
>heights be
>the best way for me to go?
>   APSCO benches are less expensive than Jansen. Are they good? Should
>I go
>with the economy version? Suggestions/advice welcome ASAP. I want to
>strike
>while the iron is hot. :-)
>
>Avery
>
>_____________________________________
>Avery Todd, RPT
>Moores School of Music
>University of Houston
>Houston, TX 77204-4893
>713-743-3226
>atodd@uh.edu
>_____________________________________
>
>
>