In November of last year there was a new Knabe/Samick grand at a university music school sale. I don't have my notes with me but I recall that it was probably between 5' and 5'6", with a case (slightly orange-yellow brown?) not greatly unlike that of the 1940s Knabe that was our family's instrument. One could sense a certain kinship in the approach to case design. I had only a minute (I was looking at reconditioned/rebuilt instruments), but it was clear that its tone was a great improve- ment on other new small/medium grands that I had a chance to look at, with the exception of Steinways. This was especially true with respect to a Boston, which was a great disappointment, but I don't know how much this results from a lack of voicing and other preparation. (Why would a dealer want to present an unprepared piano? About the new Steinways, the salesperson seemed to suggest that it would be understood that the buyer would work with her/his technician on it anyway; but new Bostons?) I would describe the tone of this Knabe/Samick as having a tone (in bass, tenor, mid-treble) of real "solidity", not harsh or too bright like so many other new grands there, also not mushy, not bland or "neutral" in a bad sense, interesting, but more in the sense of a potentional that would need further working on by a good voicer or other technician than of an accomplishment already present. I would guess that what I was missing was a certain "openness" of tone -- it seemed at that moment "dense, uniform (as a single tone), compact" to a fault, and I'd be very interested to know if further voicing would "open" it, give it (as a single tone) more "variety" or "modulation". I can't say much about sustain or "singing guality"; I might have immediately preferred more of the latter, but so much of that is a matter of the player finding out "what that particular instrument demands". (Actually, if I could have "walked away with a piano" (I couldn't), it would have been with a Steinway L of the mid-1920s, the most beautiful-sounding piano (except in the lowest 3 or four notes) I had played in a long time. What a difference from the new, seemingly unvoiced L they had there. And the asking price was $17 or $18 or $19 thousand. If someone on the list might be interested, you might inquire at the University of Michigan School of Music (Ann Arbor, Michigan). Hooray for rebuilders!) Randy Jacob --On Tuesday, January 07, 2003 1:57 AM -0600 Roger Jolly <roger.j@sasktel.net> wrote: > > Hi David, > Knabe grands have a laminated maple rim, Renner action, > Italian Ciresa sound board, Canadian Bolduc pin block. Renner blue > hammers. Mapes bass strings. They are regulated and voiced in California. > I'm currently working on changing some of the action ratios to further > improved performance. Dip is currently at 11.2mm and is being changed to > 10mm. > Very positive response from pianist thus far. Detailing is the best that > I have seen from Korea thus far and will get better. 6ft 4" is reverse > engineered from late 20's scale. Will be introduced at NAMM. But I may be > the wrong person to ask. > > Roger > Tech consultant. > Samick Corp > > > At 11:15 PM 1/5/2003 -0800, you wrote: > > Has anyone had a chance to look at the new Knabe pianos made by Samick? > Opinions? > David Love >
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