<HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Re: Not another one on buying pianos....</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY> Hello Zeng, As I live in Europe, I have a lot of experience with the three b's and the = S. Sauter can be surprisingly strong but there are a few things you should kno= w : If it is the R2 modell you will encounter problems with felt wearing out be= cause of the R2(double repetition spring). Also, the R2 is more difficult to= regulate.. I would not buy that one. Furthermore, after a number of years most Sauters have lost the major part = of their beauty and it is really hard to get back what you liked in the firs= t place. The Blüthner I would not buy either because of the weakness in tone, it wil= l not get stronger but more shrill and thin. Bechstein is a different story, but an expensive one. If I were you, I would opt for a very old Bechstein upright and I would hav= e it restored buy a really good tech.... I have such an instrument at home and it has a most incredible sound, a sou= nd you can not buy anew anymore, that is why I prefer the older type. The only very important thing with old instruments is the loss of crown, so= on such an oldie you need new ribs. Good hunting, and friendly greetings. from Antares <BLOCKQUOTE> From: "Low Sye Yuan" <zenyu@singnet.com.sg> Reply-To: pianotech@ptg.org Date: Mon, 3 Apr 2000 18:59:43 +0800 To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Subject: Not another one on buying pianos.... </BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE> Hi guys, I didn't know that this list allows for the discussion of pi= ano purchasing until I saw the previous post. Anyway, I was looking around f= or an upright and have narrowed down the search to 3Bs( C. Bechstein, Bluthn= er, Bosendorfer) and 1S( Sauter). I was told by one dealer to go with my fee= lings and not pay attention to the sales talk, readily dispensed by the pian= o retailers. In particular, I love the Bluthner a lot. It really has a honey-sweet tone = and is fantastic for the romantic pieces. However, when I played baroque or = classical pieces on it, it sounded weird. Later, I tried a Sauter M-Line ser= ies and was truly impressed with the tone. Now, the Sauter dealer whom I spo= ke to had great things to say about Bluthner. Ironically, the only thing he = found displeasing and pleasing at the same time was with the sweet tone( i f= eel the same too). Sauter has never made it to the stage arena, but the soph= isticated cabintry and the high-grade material they use for the building of = the piano is legendary, or so he says. So, you see, I am in some sort of a dilemma here. If I'm buying the Bluthne= r upright, I will pray and hope that my mozarts be better sounding in a coup= le of years.Conversely, if I buy the Sauter, I will be praying hard that wha= tever the anti-Sauter dealers say would not manifest on my M-line series.<BR= > Any help, opinionated or not is greatly appreciated. ...Zeng </BLOCKQUOTE> </BODY> </HTML>