I love the improvisation over the chopin nocturne

If this piano sounds as good in person as it does in the video recording, I'm sold. Wow!

@JoeLinux2000

2 жыл бұрын

I think the voicing of the hammers on this particular instrument is very good. Not all pianos of this same model are likely to sound as nice as this one. Stu is correct about the break.

Stu does such an excellent presentation. Always helpful. Thanks

@MerriamPianos

2 ай бұрын

You're welcome! Thank you so much for tuning in!

Thanks for another great video with interesting info 🙂

Great 😊 Review !

In my 20s my grandmom wanted to buy me a grand piano. I played all kinds of grand pianos...I chose the Schimmel because the sound was just soft and deep and so different to the others in a positive way. I couldnt understand why ppl prefer Steinway or Bechstein...and Yamaha was to metallic, hard direct sound...I really didnt like it. Schimmel is clear but soft with a deep expression. You can feel the soul of the piano and thats what I love about Schimmel! ❤

@MerriamPianos

Жыл бұрын

Schimmel pianos are unquestionably beautiful sounding instruments! At the end of the day, tonal preference is very subjective and personal. The most important thing is to find a sound that you truly connect and resonate with. :)

@vAbAfilM

Жыл бұрын

@@MerriamPianos And thats what I did. 😉👍

@paxwallace8324

7 ай бұрын

​​@@vAbAfilMhey some Pianos are meant to project in larger spaces full of human bodies and or a group of other musicians. Also if what you call metallic is actually the intentional inclusion of the overtone series as in modern Bechstein, Steinway or Mason & Hamlin then we might disagree regarding the basics of tone production. Many European Pianos with thicker sound boards can sound like they're being played off stage. But it's not like comparing automobiles as every piano is a product of some piano technicians voicing and tuning plus time. I'm playing a 7ft Schimel in a two hour concert of original jazz with a Quintet in a Unitarian Sanctuary in a week so I'm clicking on everything Schimel.

@sanyihegedu

3 ай бұрын

Consider these test criteria for a violin and adapt them to piano. Every model of piano will have different strengths & weaknesses. Carrying Power - to completely fill a very large hall Projection of tone - the sound goes out to the listener Great Volume - to play concertos with a large ensemble Ease of Response - ready to sound at the will of the player Balance of sound across the strings Directness of sound - to create the feeling of immediacy in the sound Evenness of sound up and down the fingerboard Depth of tone - to create the effect of Paradox Intense Resonance - to fully support the softest sound produced Clarity of tone - to be easily heard in a complex texture Penetration of tone over large distances without loss of quality Breadth of tone - to surround the ears of each listener Flexibility of response -reflects the bow's slightest motion Subtlety of tone - mirrors the soul of the player Brilliance - to excite or stir the listener Color - conveys every timbre and affect intended by the player Tonal Reserve - a sound that keeps on giving, never caving in Strong Sensation of Pitch - makes playing in-tune easy Ringing tone - gives the effect that the instrument is singing Intensity of tone - creates a feeling that the instrument is alive Sweetness of tone - to gratify the player as well as the listener Focused or Centered tone - creates a solid core to the sound Buoyancy of tone - a lightness of effect...the sound floats Velvetiness - the effect that the sound is integrated and smoothly blended Resiliency of tone - sound appears to bounce, when needed Stability of tone - the tone/pitch holds steady on long slow bow strokes (sustained keys) Personality - the voice of the instrument feels human Fullness of tone - the ears and mind are filled with the sound Strength of timbre - the sound color is clear and powerful Ease of producing harmonics Each note begins with a Cercare dela Nota Distortion Resistance - strings resist being distorted Powerful Upper Register - imitating the high notes of a singer Ease of making a good sound when bowing Close to the Bridge (or at piano string break points) Able to generate full resonance even using a very slow, soft bowing stroke (light touch on held keys)

Beautiful playing, Stu. Very nice Chopin with some improv in them. Smartphone>Bluetooth>car stereo and this instrument sounded beautiful under your fingers. Halfway through now to compare impressions from decent desktop speakers.

Great to have your expertise on this subject, very balanced, objective. I don't play piano, but love your excitement over how the instrument comes alive when you play a note. I appreciate this in some guitars. And it does inspire you to play and to improvise. The structure of this piano looks very beautiful.

@MerriamPianos

Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much for your kind words! With an instrument like the W180, it is quite easy to become filled with inspiration and find your fully immersed in the music you are playing. :)

Fabulous playing sounds such an enjoyable piano

@MerriamPianos

Жыл бұрын

The Schimmel W180 is a wonderful instrument with a fantastic cost-to-value ratio considering its impeccable craftsmanship! :)

In Germany, Schimmel was for decades the household name for anyone looking for a good quality, medium priced piano (by German piano standards). Schimmel was the VW of the piano market, and like VW, probably the brand with the highest sales. Ibach, Seiler and Sauter were comparable in price and quality. (Sauter and Seiler were bought mostly in Southern Germany and Schimmel and Ibach in Western/Northern Germany.) Grotrian and Bechstein were always considered well above both in terms of quality and certainly in price. Though this Wilhelm Schimmel sounds amazing and is surely a product wrongly overlooked. Over here, it is priced below the Japan-built Kawai and Yamaha 190 grand pianos.

@MerriamPianos

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the wonderful insights! We appreciate it. It is very interesting to see the different trends from market to market and country to country. In any case, Schimmel rightfully has its place at the table for being considered one of the finest German-made pianos on the market. :)

@HS-wp5vb

10 ай бұрын

@@MerriamPianos Absolutely! In Germany, this is a very well-established brand and certainly not a niche product.

0:00 Intro 0:57 Schimmel W180 1:34 Overview 6:17 Design 7:53 Schimmel W180 9:01 Blume 9:23 Schimmel W180 11:17 Sound 20:56 Action 24:44 Subscribe, like, and share Stu is playing here: music.kzread.info/head/PLSRTi6EnZNJb6esjkuFY52PGbG3qCSJo_ Hi Stu & Crew. Classy vibe ;-) The answer is - paper called "currency". Germany uses Euro, Poland uses Złoty (which comes from XIV - XV century [gold = złoto]. Thing is that 1 Euro exchanges now for 4,66 Złoty so "the same" goods and labor are 4x times cheaper...

(Edited:) I forgot to mention that the playing at 21:00 shows your ability as improvisor, as a "modern musician", and it warms me to think that you also know the classics, - the first examples are your "versioning" of Chopin's famous Nocturne in E flat Major, op.9.2 - the one that people kept asking him to play (tired sigh ...) It is indeed a beautiful sound. The tuning is perfect and that means a lot for the sound, perhaps even more than the construction. For a pianist the key-weighting and responsiveness is perhaps more important than the tone?

@MerriamPianos

4 ай бұрын

Hi! Brent here! Thanks so much for tuning in! The W180 certainly has a gorgeous voice. In terms of what most players prioritize (touch vs tone), that is tough to say. At the end of the day, I think it is important to find an instrument that satisfies both those musical elements. However, some players may prioritize one over the other of course.

The Wilhelm Schimmel line represents probably one of the greatest value German/European instruments on the market, along with the series of W. Hoffmann, and Ronisch/Bluthner's line of Hupfeld (Europe) Instruments. Then again, in this day and age of pianos, its difficult to find a "bad" piano, just 'good', 'better' or 'best' price to performance ratio. Its been a while since these acoustic piano reviews came out. Thanks for the video stu!

@FryChicken

Жыл бұрын

Also Estonia

@pian1sticpeng_in

5 ай бұрын

indeed.@@FryChicken but the catch about estonia is that while physically made in europe, the tonal philosphy is distinctly american, as it is primarily catered to the american market. but quality wise absolutely amazing for the price. (Move over steinway.)

Do you ever review Mason and Hamlin pianos? I'd love to see the same wonderful detail that you do with all the other brands that you sell.

The Konzert series are so so so so so good.

@MerriamPianos

Жыл бұрын

I wholeheartedly agree! They are "next level" instruments in every sense of the notion. :)

I agree that the bass is not the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Schimmel. Clarity, yes. How does it compare to an un-twice-drop Estonia of the same size?

What would you say are the biggest differences in construction between the W180 and the Kawai GX2? I am currently shopping for a piano in this price range, and these two top my list currently (leaning towards the W180). The Baldwin BP178 is also a contender, so if you have any info on the Baldwin as well I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Hi Stu! I am recently looking at alternatives to japanese-made uprights that could offer more of an "European" sound and playing experience. I have checked out W.Hoffmann P120 and Wilhelm Schimmel W123, which I guess fall into the same price range in North America. I would love to see your review of either, or better, both of these instruments. Thank you very much in advance! I have always enjoyed every single one of your piano review videos.

@MerriamPianos

Жыл бұрын

Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! Thanks so much for tuning in and for your wonderful suggestion! We are huge fans of the W. Hoffmann and Wilhelm Schimmel lines at Merriam Music! We will do our best to review/compare these particular models as soon as we can. Thank you again for the suggestion! :)

What a great sound; that resonance 😍. What is the piece Stu plays at 09:25?

Even I can hear how special this sound is. It sounds like the piano is player you; a mutual conversation.

Chopin would like what you did with that nocturne!

@MerriamPianos

2 ай бұрын

I will be sure to pass on the kind words to Stu! Thanks so much for tuning in! :)

Comparison request: Yamaha YDP 164/165 vs Roland RP 501/701

Can you please do a direct sound comparison between this type of a piano, and a (e.g.) casio 1100? Just to get an appreciation of what one might expect from such vastly different price categories. 😇

@Instrumental-Covers

2 жыл бұрын

If he recorded the built-in speakers, then the sound is likely to be pretty bad compared to the real piano, especially if you have a revealing system at home (such as a pair of studio monitors). But if he uses the line outs, it will sound pretty good. Most digital pianos do well if you just use their line outs. After all, they are simply playing back the recording of a 9-foot concert grand in most cases. I recently played the $8,000 Yamaha Clavinova CLP795GP in the same room where there were many acoustic pianos from Yamaha and Kawai. Real pianos are so much more satisfying to play, they have presence in the midrange due to having large soundboards, whereas most digital pianos rely on small speakers. However, I recently played a Kawai CP205, which is a discontinued digital piano that used to cost like $20,000 new, and it has 9 speakers, including a 10" subwoofer on the bottom (I had to look at it, of course, it is my hobby he he. The speaker driver had an accordion cloth surround, which is typical of professional audio speakers). That large digital piano (the size of a baby grand piano) sounded pretty much like the Yamaha GC2 grand piano next to it, although the killer portion of the audio is typically the midrange, in this case it was the midbass: the CP205 sounded thin in the mid-bass, whereas the Yamaha sounded fat. That is to be expected, since you can't really compete 100% with a soundboard. But it was a pretty decent effort. Another digital piano that sounded very close to a grand was the Yamaha AvantGrand N3, which I also tested against a Yamaha baby grand.

@Svarthok

2 жыл бұрын

​@@Instrumental-Covers All relevant and interesting points you are making :) I wish I had your experience! Still looking forward to purchasing my very first piano. Unfortunately, it will not be a grand piano, but at least a decent digital one 🙃

@Instrumental-Covers

2 жыл бұрын

@@Svarthok I am glad it was helpful. If they are available in your area, try to play them in person before buying, so you know it works as expected. Good luck :)

@JoeLinux2000

2 жыл бұрын

You have to think of a digital piano as being a different type of instrument, say the difference between a trumpet and a flugal horn or a clarinet and an oboe. What I look for in a digital is a pleasing rich tone that can be played expressively. I actually no longer care for the sound of grand pianos in the home. They tend to be too loud whereas digitals are much more personal. Even Stu bought a digitally voiced piano with an allegedly authentic action for the very same reasons.

If the sound comes from different places, is it harder to mic?

Hello Stu, I would like to hear your opinion on the topic of upright piano bass tone-generation location. Most people will assume that the bass should sound on the left of the piano. But when you look at the soundboard of a typical 48" upright piano, let's say a Kawai K800 or Yamaha U3, you see the bridge of the bass strings is located on the bottom RIGHT of the piano, not on the left. I have done homemade soundboard (with homemade ribs) tests with transducers before, and I can tell you that, although the transducer can energize the entire soundboard, most of the energy is localized close to the transducer. Of course, a transducer is small, and a bridge is a large piece of wood, but still located on the right bottom side, not left. Grand pianos have their bass bridge located rather on the back of the piano, but still is on the left. So, maybe is more accurate to say that the bass sound of a grand piano is mainly generated on the back of the piano, rather than the left, particularly a concert grand. Bass is not directional like high frequencies, so even though the bass bridge is on the bottom right side for upright pianos, the sound could be perceived as omnidirectional. However, pianos produce a lot of mid-bass notes and lower midrange, which should provide a bit more sound localization cues than just sub-bass notes (like a subwoofer would). Any personal experience about sound localization regarding bass notes?

@JoeLinux2000

2 жыл бұрын

It relates to the keyboard mechanism. Bass keys are on the left and have to hit bass strings which are generally strung diagonally across the sound board to increase their length. The bridges on all stringed instruments are placed closest to the hitched end, as opposed to the tuning end. I favor the sound of traditional American pianos that have a straight bass bridge. Asian pianos tend to have curved bass bridges and a curved arrangement for the tuning pins which actually makes the lowest notes have shorter strings than notes above the lowest notes. As for sound location on the sound board I couldn't say, but you can get a stethoscope designed for automobiles to locate the noise from bad bearings and so forth. It has a stiff wire probe that is placed on the suspect area, and traditional ear tubes transport the sound into the ears. I believe the wire probe is connected to a metal diaphragm. Anyway you could use one of those which are sold at Harbor Freight, and when someone else is playing the piano, you could get an idea of which area on the sound board is the loudest for various pitch frequencies. Personally I don't think it makes much difference. Do you happen to know the exact design of Kawai's CA-99 transducer sound board? I think it's one of the best sounding Kawai digital pianos.

@Instrumental-Covers

2 жыл бұрын

@@JoeLinux2000 That's a pretty cool idea! To use a car stethoscope on a piano, I didn't even know such a device existed. I just googled it. I was thinking that at least I could ask somebody to play the piano and stand behind it, to see if there is any area that sounds louder. But I guess you are right, it won't make much of a difference anyway. One thing I have noticed is that soundboards are very sensitive, kind of like a wooden drum. Kawai has pictures of where they have placed the 2 transducers: pretty much the bigger one (for the lower frequencies) is on the left and the smaller one (midrange) on the right (from the player's perspective). I still have had no luck finding one to play, the closest I found was the CA79. The Kawai dealer I normally visit is not keeping one for display, they go straight to the customer ordering them.

@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12

2 жыл бұрын

@@Instrumental-Covers THX for your reply to my preevuse comment to you in a nother video. I think what may also have a difference is the treble because the C2X has duplex scaling wile the U1X probably doesn't. Also tried the P 125 again, however there was no sustain pedal instead I think what they did was they put something on the sustain pedal to keep it pressed down and put it out of view. What I notist is the P 125 does have a more pronounced treble than the ES 110, however the sound felt like it was restrained. The ES 110 sounds in the bass section atleast very imbodied which I guess is because of the structure. The Es 110 has a lot of hollow spots the frunt the sides, and back which I guess may help with vibration, however it has inferior build quality because sometimes it hisses. The P 125 is very rigid the only thing I found that had low build quality is the music rest. The P 125's build quality is really good for the price in my opinion , and I still like the P 125 for what it is, how it plays, and like I said before I would be happy with anyone of them🎹🎶

@JoeLinux2000

2 жыл бұрын

@@Instrumental-Covers I've said many times the CA-99 is one of Kawai's best sounding digitals. That said a Korean gal who is a very good pianist has one, and still uses either a Pianoteq voice or a VSL piano voice. She has both. I did not like the cheapo touch screen controller on the cheek block of the CA-99. I think both you and I made a smart decision to save money and get a DGX-670 which is at least 6x's less expensive. I'm very pleased with the acoustic sound I get when combined with a Pianoteq voice. You say you get a good sound with auxiliary speakers.

@JoeLinux2000

2 жыл бұрын

@@Instrumental-Covers Today I worked at getting a recording set up for the DGX/Pianoteq combo. You are correct that the 5 band equalizer can change the tone extensively. I'm piping Pianoteq from the computer into the Yamaha. I get both pianos combined from the headphone output. As a result the Yamaha master EQ is applied to both pianos. The CFX definitely adds body to the Pianoteq voice while I feel Pianoteq definitely adds complexity to the Yamaha's internal voice, particularly with the upper partials. The bottom line however is there is a lot of variability in the tone of digital pianos, and you have to work up the tone. Of course the same is true of an acoustic piano. Proper hammer voicing is absolutely critical and takes a lot more time than tweaking the EQ on a digital. Do you know if specific EQ's can be saved on the Yamaha. For example one for line output to a recording device, and another for general internal speaker use? Luckily the DGX is very flexible in terms of controlling the output signal.

Hi Stu, do you know of any really expensive upright pianos that have the special soundstage... with sounds seeming to coming from different places? Or is that something that you have only experienced on the Schimmel and Bosendorfer grands?

@MerriamPianos

8 ай бұрын

Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! I am not sure exactly what you mean by a special soundstage, but I would say that there are a number of excellent grand piano models out there that seem to emit wonderful musicality and sonic characteristics from virtually all areas of the piano. :)

Wow. I can see you all are taking this "out of covid" thing seriously 💪

Also "Vogel" means Bird in German and is pronounced "Fohgel" or "Feauxgel" (idk how to write phonetically) with the V in German making the English F sound and the G being a hard G.

@MerriamPianos

Жыл бұрын

Perhaps, that is an appropriate name as the Schimmel Vogel pianos do have a very songlike character to them! ;) Thank you for sharing these awesome and interesting insights!

This being there most affordable grand, I wonder how this would compare to Schimmel's Flagship upright the K132?

@MerriamPianos

5 ай бұрын

It is a matter of subjectivity of course, but, for me, the K132 provides a far richer and more nuanced sonic experience (especially from the player's perspective given their proximity to the soundboard when playing). However, grand pianos, like the W180, have the benefit of gravity, which allows for faster repetition speeds. There is also the topic of aesthetic preferences.

Were you able to review the W206 model?

@MerriamPianos

3 ай бұрын

We don't have the W206 model in stock currently, but, if we do get one, we will certainly do our best to tackle a review for you. :)

@wokwithwong

3 ай бұрын

Is the W180 comparable to the Kawai GX-2 or SK-2?

Can you please review Yamaha MX61 synth. It costs about $800. It would be interesting to see how it compares to digital pianos in the same price range and to M-Audio Keystation MIDI controller you reviewed recently. Thanks.

@Instrumental-Covers

2 жыл бұрын

Merriam Music is not a Yamaha dealer. They don't carry their products. However, they have Amazon links for some basic digital pianos like the P125, so they get a commission from the sales. They are a Kawai, Roland, and Casio dealer. I owned the Yamaha MX61 before. It has good piano sounds, but keep in mind it is borrowing its sounds from the Motif line, which is now discontinued. A more mature piano sound can be found in the Yamaha DGX-670, with the CFX sample and a modeling engine, plus a 5-band fully configurable parametric EQ to shape the sound, much better than what you find in even more expensive digital pianos, such as the Kawai ES920.

@JoeLinux2000

2 жыл бұрын

@@Instrumental-Covers I'll just chime in, and say that I find the action on the DGX-670 to be very acceptable and probably better than many other digital pianos. I think Yamaha has stuck with the GHS action for a long time for good reasons. It has withstood the test of time.

@Instrumental-Covers

2 жыл бұрын

@@JoeLinux2000 I agree. I consider a myth the statement that the GHS is inferior to Kawai or Roland plastic actions. I have compared them side by side lately, and I don't see the superiority of Kawai or Roland actions. In fact, I think the PHA-4 plays more like an old piano which needs regulation.

@Instrumental-Covers

2 жыл бұрын

I forgot to tell you two things: I used to control the Yamaha MX61 with a Kawai MP6 stage piano, because the Kawai had very short decay piano samples, which I found very annoying, and the MX61 had longer decay, more like a real piano. The second thing is that I recently saw a video about a Nord piano being controlled by an M-Audio MIDI controller, and the person said he had problems triggering the proper velocities in the Nord. If you must buy the MX61, then I suggest you buy the MX88, which has 88 weighted keys already. I actually played the MX88 last week.

@JoeLinux2000

2 жыл бұрын

@@Instrumental-Covers I think the Yamaha GHS action plays like a grand piano that is extremely well regulated. For some reason, I'm unimpressed with Roland actions until you get to the LX708 which has a longer key stick. To me the LX708 is the showroom piano that is closest to my hybrid setup using Pianoteq. If I was a normy with deep pockets and nice furnishings, I could go for a DG-30 or the even better sounding CA-99.

Are these reviews unsponsored?

@MerriamPianos

2 ай бұрын

Yes - these reviews are not paid for or sponsored. :)

Yo tuve en propiedad un piano youg chang. Tienes que hablar de este piano un día para mi es superior a este. Lástima que lo Tuve que vender ya que en casa no me cabía pero estaba encantado con el.

@MerriamPianos

3 ай бұрын

Hi! Brent here! Young Chang pianos are very excellent instruments with wonderful cost-to-values ratios attached to them. My first piano was a Young Chang F116 upright. I still own that piano (along with a few others) and play it quite regularly. We are not Young Chang dealers, but we will do our best to tackle a review for you in the future. :)

0:59 way to Chopin! Jazzy!🎹🎶