<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: schimmel pianos</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> Steve, Are you sure this is a 5'10"?  Schimmel replaced that model with = a 6' about two years ago.  The scales are the same, I think, but the 6'= has the same action (longer keys) as the 7'.  It is a much nicer actio= n in my opinion. We don't have any Schimmel pianos at ASU, but have plenty of new Steinway g= rands (34, purchased four years ago).  I do have about a dozen Schimmel= s in my private clientele, non of which takes the beating of a practice room= piano. If you want the Steinway sound, then buy the Steinway.  The Schimmel h= as that European sound - thinner, especially in the treble.  The Schimm= el, however, has a much cleaner sound. If you are going for a consistent action, plate in the right place, a finis= h that actually has cured, and overall attention to detail, get the Schimmel= .  You will have to spend some time bedding the key frame, easing keys,= and minimal voicing and regulation on the Schimmel, but it will be nothing = compared to the days spent on the Steinway. The hammers on our Steinways only lasted 2-3 years.  Renner hammers, i= n combination with the Renner shanks and flanges have given us up to 8 years= in a practice room.  These are Renner blues, not the same used by Schi= mmel, but I have to believe they would last longer than 2-3 years.  <BR= > The pinning on the Renner parts is much more consistent.  Although you= will have to repin if you want exact tolerances, it will last much longer t= han in the American Steinway parts.  Renner uses a much better felt, IM= HO.  I have found that Renner hammers react much more favorably to stea= m voicing, a great tool for practice rooms. Of course there is the Steinway aura that you may be dealing with (not to b= e confused with NY Yankee aura), you know - if it doesn't say Steinway on th= e fallboard, it is inferior.  We deal with that problem here to an exte= nt.  Our piano performance people would complain, our accompanists woul= d be generally happy, our other non-piano majors wouldn't know the differenc= e, and the Jazzers would be ecstatic (they've been begging for Schimmels in = their area for about 5 years now). ASU hosts a state piano competition which has been underwritten by Schimmel= for the last two years.  Both years the Schimmel pianos brought in hav= e received rave reviews from the contestants and judges.  The exception= being a handful this year (a few of the losers and their teacher - they hat= ed it. Go figure).  The 8"4" Schimmel matched up very well wi= th our Hamburg D in the concerto competition. There should be about a $10,000 difference in the prices (I assume you're c= omparing with an "L").  You could probably buy a "48&quo= t; Schimmel with the difference - now there's a great upright! Good luck, Rick on 11/20/01 9:20 AM, Steve Kabat at s.kabat@csuohio.edu wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE>Hello group-    Does anyone have any familiarity w/ Schimmel pianos? Our= school is currently bidding for a piano and one of the bids is for  a = 5'10" Schimmel.  We would most likely place it in a practice room = for piano majors so it will get some use.  Any info or feedback from te= chs or what pianists say about it vs. S&S would be greatly appreciated. = Happy Thanksgiving, all. Steve Kabat </BLOCKQUOTE> _____________ Rick Florence Piano Technician Arizona State University, School of Music </BODY> </HTML>