<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" link="#0000EE" vlink="#551A8B" alink="#FF0000">   "Perik, Mike" wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>Again it's my opinion that considering my price constraints and that I'm not a piano virtuoso or a seasoned piano technician the differences between a Yamaha and a Petrof other than possibly their distinct initial tone are not perceivable.  I believe that the actions in a Petrof are Renner so how does this relate to the tolerances of the actions.  I know that the action is installed on a Petrof frame but I'm not sure I understand if that has anything to do with the tolerances you mentioned.  I believe that Petrof also brings the moisture content into that range.</blockquote> Action parts, and who makes them are only half the equation. Who assembles them is the other half. Without getting into a lot of detail from afar, I can only say that the best action parts in the world are useless to someone who doesnt know or doesnt care to impart the same quality to the installation. There are like hundreds and hundreds of moving parts and from each key to the next a good build results in very even touch. Yamaha is probably one of the best around with regards to action consistancy. Petrof is one of those waaaayyy down the ladder in this regard. This is easily proveable to anyone who cares to dig into an action. Another point here. There are two Petrof variants sold in the US. One with action fully assembled by Renner and one with Renner parts assembled by the Czechs. The price difference is a couple 2 - 3 thousand dollars. (This is my understanding at any rate) This should tell you something Mike. <blockquote TYPE=CITE>  Some of these arguments that you give for Yamaha seem to the same as what I heard from the Yamaha salesman I spoke to.  If the Vacuum Shield Mold Process is so superior why aren't the Steinways, Bosendorfs, M&H, Bechstein, etc. using it also.</blockquote> Different factories have different philosophies in this regard. In fact I am not to fond of the density resulting in the Yamaha Plate. This affects tone and probably plays into why you may be more happy with the Petrof sound then the Yamaha. That being said, the Yamaha plate is far superior in many other regards. Mostly, again as I understand it, Yamaha saves very much time with the process and create a very uniform plate. The Germans refuse to sacrifice the acoustic contribution the older sand cast process results in, and go to greater efforts to assure the same level of quality otherwise. <blockquote TYPE=CITE>  The Petrof dealer would say that they use many of the same manufacturing techniques these other manufactures use.</blockquote> Balderdash, what can I say. This is sales talk. Simple economics should tell you that there is a reason for the Petrof being so much less expensive. <blockquote TYPE=CITE>  I'm not saying Yamaha is a bad piano I just can't justify the extra expense of nominal improvements. What I mean by nominal is that I personally can not distinguish the difference.</blockquote> And here you are at the key. If you can not discern the difference, and are impressed and happy with the Petrof, and are not willing to choose a more expensive piano, be it Schimmel, Yamaha, Steinway or whatever, then by all means do so. You are wise to become aquainted with a RPT, who will give you unbiased advice and have him take a look at the problem areas that have been mentioned of late here, but above and beyond that you shouldnt be afraid to buy a Petrof. I am not saying that the Petrof is a bad piano either. I am saying (and this was origionally tech to tech talk) that one should be carefull in recommending them, and that they are unneccessarily sloppy in some important areas. <blockquote TYPE=CITE>  My research continues, I just hope I can get good enough in the next couple of months to actually be able to sit down an play a little.  It's extremely intimidating to go into a piano store and attempt to plunk around on a piano.</blockquote> Listen Mike, dont be afraid to buy a Petrof. If it fits your pocket book, and you are pleased with it, then buy it. You can always take good care of it, and sell it later in to upgrade to a better quality piano if you want to. I have my beefs with Petrof, but I would not say that they are worse then many other piano makes in the same price range. Quite the opposite. They are among the better from that class of pianos, largely due to the relatively nice sound they have. My problem is when they start claiming to be as good as or better then much higher quality instruments. They are not. But they are very useable. The bottom line is that you get what you pay for. In Petrofs case, if you know what to look for you perhaps can get a bit more then what you pay for. But if you only listen to the sales pitch, you can easily get a lemon. <blockquote TYPE=CITE>  Mike  </blockquote> Richard Brekne I.C.P.T.G.  N.T.P.F. Bergen, Norway </body> </html>