The never ending wars of habitual aggressors are likely to end up as failures. The dreams of world domination, contradictory to the majority persist to play politics over the lives of men and resources. Like the fog of war based on failed intelligence reports led to the demise of our world influence, the loss of a $3T surplus to a $2.5T deficit in six years, intended for our governance. Worst still, is the planned attack on Syria and Iran.How much more did we learn?....Amor Patriae
WAR IN IRAQ
Friday, August 30, 2019
China joins Russia in warning it will 'not stand idly by' if the US deploys medium range missiles after tearing up arms control treaty
President Trump walked away from Cold War missile treaty last week, sparking fears of a new global nuclear arms race
US has since suggested it will test and deploy weapons banned under the deal
Russia has already said it will be forced to respond if tests go ahead as planned
China now says it 'will not sit idly by' if missiles are deployed in the Asia-Pacific
China warned Tuesday it will react if the US goes ahead with plans to deploy intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region.
Beijing said it will not stand 'idly by' and 'will be forced to take countermeasures' if the deployment goes ahead, but did not specify what exactly that would involve.
It comes after President Trump tore up the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty which was signed under Ronald Reagan during the Cold War which prohibited the US from fielding such weapons.
China has said it will 'not sit idly by' if the US chooses to deploy intermediate-range missiles to the Asia-Pacific region after walking away from a treaty that banned the weapons (pictured, a retired Chinese missile at a military museum in Beijing)
Beijing was not a signatory to the original Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, and Washington has said it tore up the deal in part to counter threats from China (file)
Trump has said he is keen to sign a new pact that includes both Russia, which was signed up to the previous deal, and China, which was not.
However, fears have been growing of a new arms race after Washington announced its intention to test a new intermediate-range weapon in the coming weeks.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper then pointed out that the US is free to deploy weapons to the Asia-Pacific region as well.
Russia has said that it will also be forced to respond if America starts developing new projectiles, and has called for a moratorium while a new deal is worked out.The US lays the blame for the deal's demise solely at the feet of the Kremlin, which they say has already developed a cruise missile which breaches the deal.
Fu Cong, the director of arms control at the Chinese foreign ministry, said Tuesday: 'China will not stand idly by and will be forced to take countermeasures should the US deploy intermediate-range ground-based missiles in this part of the world.
'And we also call on our neighbours, our neighbouring countries, to exercise prudence and not to allow a US deployment of its intermediate-range missiles on (their) territory,' he added, naming Australia, Japan and South Korea.
'That would not serve the national security interest of these countries.'
Putin has already said that Russia will be forced to respond if Washington decides to test and deploy new missiles. The Kremlin has called for a new deal to be signed
America lays blame for the treaty's failure squarely on Russia after it says the country developed a new cruise missile (pictured) which breached it
Fu said it was important to recognise that the US is proposing to install the weapons at China's 'doorstep'.
'Especially for a country that has experienced the Cuban missile crisis, I think the American people should understand China's feelings.'
Australia on Monday ruled out the possibility of the missiles being deployed on its soil, saying Canberra had not even been asked to host them.
South Korea's defence ministry said it had not had any discussions with the US about the deployment of intermediate missiles.
'We have also not internally reviewed the issue and have no plan to do so,' ministry spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told reporters.
The INF treaty was considered a cornerstone of the global arms control architecture but the United States said the bilateral pact had given other countries - namely China - free rein to develop their own long-range missiles.
Esper, the new Pentagon chief, said Saturday that Washington would like to deploy the missiles 'sooner rather than later', speaking to reporters on a plane to Sydney at the start of a week-long tour of Asia.
'I would prefer months... But these things tend to take longer than you expect.'
Trump has suggested that he would be open to signing a new deal that included both Russia and China, but has not unveiled any plans to do so (pictured, a protester in Berlin)
The announcement was the latest US plan to irk China, which is vying with Washington for influence in the region, but Esper said Beijing should not be surprised.
The rise of a militarily more assertive China has worried traditional US allies such as Australia and New Zealand, and Beijing's actions in the South China Sea have alarmed neighbours with competing territorial claims to the strategic waterway.
Esper did not specify where the US intended to deploy the weapons but experts say the most likely location is the island of Guam, which hosts significant US military facilities.
Fu said that any deployment in Guam - around 3,000 kilometres from Shanghai on China's east coast - would be viewed as 'a very provocative action on the part of the US and it can be very dangerous'.
Washington withdrew from the INF treaty on Friday after accusing Russia of violating it for years.
Under the pact signed in 1987 by then US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, Washington and Moscow agreed to limit the use of conventional and nuclear missiles with a range of 500-5,000 kilometres (300-3,000 miles).
But its unravelling had been on the cards for months amid worsening ties between Russia and the US.
Fu said the United States talking about any Chinese and Russian violations was 'pure pretext'.
'The real purpose of the US withdrawal, as many of the experts have said, is to free its hand and to develop missile capabilities,' he said.
China vows countermeasures if US deploys missiles in Asia
US defence secretary said he wanted to deploy mid-range conventional missiles in the Asia-Pacific within months.
China said on Tuesday it "will not stand idly by" and will take countermeasures if the US deploys intermediate-range missiles in the Indo-Pacific region, which it plans to do within months.
Russia says it plans to deploy such missiles if the US does, as the expiration of a Cold War treaty raised the possibility of an arms race.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said during security meetings in Asia over the weekend that he wanted to deploy midrange conventional missiles in the Asia-Pacific within months.
They would have been banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Russia and the US in 1987. It expired Friday, with Washington saying it withdrew because of Russia's alleged violations of the pact. Russia denies breaching the terms.
China's chief arms control official Fu Cong in his remarks Tuesday warned neighboring countries not to allow the US to deploy intermediate-range missiles on their territory.
Australia previously said the locations for the bases were not yet known but it would not be one of them.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia would only deploy new intermediate-range missiles if the United States does and called for urgent arms control talks to prevent a chaotic arms race.
Fu said China had no intention of entering a trilateral arms control deal with the U S. and Russia but would remain engaged in multilateral discussions on disarmament.
Duterte Pledges He Will ‘Never’ Allow US to Deploy Nukes in Philippines
Earlier, Australia and South Korea stated that they have no plans to green-light the deployment of US medium-range missile on their respective territories after Washington’s withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty last week.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed that he will never allow Washington to deploy nukes on his country’s territory to tackle China’s growing regional clout.
“You cannot place nuclear arms in the Philippines. That will never happen because I will not allow it. I will never allow any foreign troops […] I don’t want to fight China,” Duterte said during a speech to an audience of Filipino-Chinese businessmen in the capital Manila on Tuesday.
He also warned of fatal consequences from a possible conflict between nuclear powers.
“If you go to war and China would release all its nuclear missiles, and America and Russia […] and Britain and Italy and France, this will mean the end of all of us,” Duterte noted.
He spoke after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Fu Cong warned that Beijing would “take countermeasures” against the possible deployment of US ground-based intermediate-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region.
He urged China’s neighbours “to exercise prudence and not allow” the deployment of such missiles on their territory. “That would not serve the national security interest of these countries,” Fu said, referring to South Korea, Japan and Australia.
Earlier, South Korea and Australia announced that they don't currently plan to give the go-ahead to the deployment of US mid-range missiles on their countries’ soil.
Pentagon Seeking Deployment of Its Mid-Range Missiles in Asia-Pacific Region
“We would like to deploy a capability sooner rather than later. I would prefer months […]. But these things tend to take longer than you expect,” he told reporters on a plane to Sydney at the start of his week-long tour to the Asia-Pacific region.
Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations that its development of the 9M729 missile violates the INF Treaty, pointing out that the US missile defence systems deployed in Europe can be re-purposed for offensive capabilities and therefore themselves run counter to the accord.
On 2 February, the US formally suspended its obligations under the INF Treaty and triggered the six-month withdrawal process. Washington said it would terminate this procedure if Russia agreed to be compliant with the pact. Moscow responded by suspending its participation in the treaty as well.
The INF Treaty, signed by the US and the USSR in 1987, banned both countries from using land-based ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and missile launchers with ranges of 500–5,500 kilometres (310 and 3,400 miles, respectively).
The US Navy’s new anti-ship missile scores a hit at RIMPAC, but there’s a twist
Check out old U.S. Navy ships blowing up as part of RIMPAC 2018 exercise
The U.S. surface fleet’s brand-new anti-ship missile was used as part of the barrage of rockets and missiles that put an end to the landing ship tank Racine on July 12 during the Rim of the Pacific exercise, but it wasn’t shot by the Navy.
The U.S. Army shot the Naval Strike Missile from the back of a truck using its Palletized Load System in a demonstration that is likely to raise eyebrows in China. The missile, a joint venture between the Norwegian company Kongsberg and Raytheon, was fired from the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Barking Sands, Hawaii, at the former USS Racine, which was floating 55 nautical miles north of Kauai, Hawaii.
Joining the U.S. Army was the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, which fired Mitsubishi’s Type 12 surface-to-ship missile.
The Navy inked a contract with Raytheon to start buying the NSM for its littoral combat ships and likely its future frigate. The Army’s shot successfully detonated on target, according to U.S. Pacific Fleet officials.
The shots dovetails with a concept that the Army and the JGSDF have been developing, known in some circles as “archipelagic defense,” which in essence calls for the use of ground forces to deny Chinese forces free movement through the theater by deploying anti-ship and anti-air missiles throughout the island chains that pepper the Asia-Pacific region.
THE CONCERT GRAND PIANOS
The world's greatest concert grand pianos!
The Concert Grand is the ultimate and finest of any piano manufacturer's products. They are meant to be used at the great concert halls, symphonic stages, and opera houses of the world. They are often "too much piano" for an ordinary house, and can be overpowering in a small room (kind of like having a tiger for a pet). But in an auditorium, where their sound is allowed to properly unfold and resonate, they are the most magnificent products of the piano craftsmen's art.
Below are pictures of most of the world's great concert grands (plus a cool oddity, the red "Ferrari" model). Any manufacturer makes several sizes of grand pianos, with the measurement being determined by the length of the instrument from the keyboard to the end of the tail. Most concert grands are around nine feet long, though the Bösendorfer Imperial is 9½ feet and the Fazioli is 10 feet. (The Bösendorfer even has nine extra keys, making it overall the largest of them all.) The advantage of a longer piano is that the strings are also longer, and that is what produces the great power and richness of the concert grands, allowing them to be easily heard clear to the back of a concert hall, even when accompanied by a full symphonic orchestra, all playing at the same time. Concert grands are only produced by the finest and most experienced manufacturers, often in very small quantities such as only 10 a year from any particular brand. They can cost up to $300,000 for the normal black models, and much much more for those with special carving, elaborate wood-work, and fancy veneers. Manufacturers of mass-produced, lower-price pianos seldom make concert grands, because concert halls or professional pianists would be unwilling to buy such a piano with the reputation of a budget brand. The companies that make concert grands have a tradition of excellent hand-craftsmanship and many of them have been in existence for almost 200 years. Several of the companies have been owned and operated by the same families since they were started in the early 1800's, and have a very prestigious image in the piano world.
Whatever you do, don't insult these magnificent instruments by calling them "baby" grands! Most people inexplicably think that any horizontal piano is a baby grand -- but how can any species exist if it is composed entirely of babies? Where there are babies, there must obviously be grown-ups too -- and there are; besides the concert grands, there are parlor grands, studio grands, salon grands, and semi-concert grands, depending on the length. Baby grands are those models that are only 5 feet long or less, front-to-back. They are seldom meant to be serious, professional instruments (you can get longer stings even in some upright pianos), often being referred to by musicians as "piano-shaped objects", or "noisy furniture", and have the reputation of being bought mainly for decoration by society dowagers, to be parked in the bay windows of their elegant living rooms, which of course quickly destroys whatever musical ability the instrument ever had by exposing it to daily variations in sunlight and temperature. In spite of all this, there are a few baby grands (the most expensive ones of course) that are nice pianos. Most budget brands nowadays though are made in China or Indonesia.
Since it can be hard to know the proper term for any particular piano you see (whether it's a concert, studio, parlor, baby grand, or whatever) (and the manufacturers aren't even very consistent with the terminology either), just refer to any of them as a "grand piano". In German they are called "Flügel" pianos (wing-shaped), in French they are "pianos à queue" and in Italian "pianoforti a coda" (pianos with tails).
Japan started producing pianos over 100 years ago, and they (Kawai and Yamaha) have gone on to be known for excellent quality in their larger models. Korea got a later start (Samick, Young Chang, and Sejung), and make good instruments but have not yet achieved the reputation for finest quality, though they may get there. Both the Japanese and Korean companies have some factories in Indonesia, where they make their lower-priced pianos. However, China now makes more pianos than any other country in the world by far. Many are of just average quality, but all are vastly improved over their efforts from a generation ago, which were often quite dreadfully inferior products. Hailun, Pearl River, Dongbei, and Xinghai all make some nice pianos, but still suffer from their original bad reputation. Most of their products nowadays have European-sounding brand names, preferably German. If your new piano carries the name Ritmüller, Fandrich, Feurich, Brodmann, Perzina, May Berlin, Palatino, Kayserburg, Falcone, Cristofori, Heintzmann -- it's Chinese. This isn't necessarily bad; many Chinese companies have linked up with very reputable old European companies, who have helped the Chinese with their designs, specifications, and manufacturing techniques. Even Steinway of New York City has its Essex models made in China, to their own specific designs. And several good European brands have certain parts made in China or Indonesia, which are then shipped to Europe to be finished to their own stringent quality standards.
So, much like the auto industry, pianos nowadays can have parts from anywhere, assembled in any of several different countries. However, the great concert grands shown below are all still pure examples of excellent piano-making from skilled craftsmen at original, highly reputable manufacturers, many with a great history stretching back to the most famous composers and performers from centuries ago; Chopin had his Pleyel, Mahler his Blüthner, Brahms his Bösendorfer, and Liszt his Bechstein.
August Förster, Löbau, Germany
Model 275 "Super Mondial"
Length 275 cm. / 9' 1" --- Weight 550 kg. / 1210 lbs.
Grotrian -- Braunschweig, Germany
Concert Royal
277cm x 156cm x 100cm 550kg
Only about 20 Grotrian Concert Royals
are produced annually.
Each one requires 8 months of manufacture.
Model E-272
8‘11” / 272 cm
1010 lbs / 458 kgs
Steingraeber pianos, made in Wagner's town of Bayreuth,
are some of the rarest and most highly prized of all pianos,
because of the extremely small number produced each year.
STEINWAY & SONS
NEW YORK CITY and HAMBURG, GERMANY
Model D Concert Grand
9' 11 3/4" (274 cm) 990 pounds (450 kg)
Steinway has long been the most famous American brand of piano.
The main factory is located in New York City.
However, the pianos made at their other factory in Hamburg, Germany
are often considered of even finer quality.
BECHSTEIN PIANOS -- Seifhennersdorf, Germany
Founded by Carl Bechstein in 1853
The Bechstein D 282 Concert Grand
Width: 63 inches / 160 cm
Length: 9 feet 3 inches / 282 cm
Weight: 1190 lbs / 540 kg
Blüthner is the only manufacturer to use "aliquot strings" -- a fourth string, placed above the normal three strings of the upper keys. This string is not hit by the hammers, but it vibrates in tune with the strings immediately below it, for an added richness of sound.
Many concert grands can be ordered with more ornate woodwork, such as this one, the Julius Blüthner Supreme Edition:
The Fazioli 308 is the crown jewel of the Fazioli series of grand pianos. Made in Sacile, Italy, it is the longest regular production piano in the world.
The soundboard is made entirely of red spruce from the Val di Fiemme in the Alps of northeastern Italy -- the same wood that was used by Stradivarius for his legendary violins over 300 years ago.
Fazioli is by far the newest of the great piano companies of Europe, being established in 1981. It very quickly went right to the top in terms of quality, reputation, and price.
Fazioli also makes the Model 278 Concert Grand.
Even though it is their second-longest model,
it is still longer than the largest concert grands
of many other manufacturers.
Model 308
10 feet 1 inch
Model 278
9 feet 1 inch
The four pedals of the Fazioli 308:
The one on the left raises all the hammers
closer to the strings, to provide a softer volume
without altering the basic sound of the piano
like the una corda pedal does.
You can get your Fazioli totaly covered in
24-carat gold if you wish!
The Imperial Grand has 97 keys -- 8 full octaves.
Bösendorfer, perhaps the world's most prestigious brand of all, is the only company to make two concert grands
with two completely different methods of construction.
The Model 280 (at 9' 2" or 280 centimeters) has the usual curved rim, made of many layers of thin veneers
bent around a form and laminated.
But the rim of the Imperial grand (9' 6", or 290 cm) is built quite differently from that of any other piano in the world,
being made in solid sections of wood that are then jointed together, producing angles instead of smooth curves.
It is also made of spruce instead of the usual maple or beech wood. The spruce is from the famous Val di Fiemme in Italy.
The Model 280 has the usual 88 keys, but the Imperial has 97. The nine extra keys are all on the bass end,
colored black so as not to disorient a player more accustomed to 88 keys.
The back of the Model 280,
showing the curved rim of the case.
CZECH REPUBLIC
P 284 Mistral grand piano 284 cm / 9 ft 3 in Weight – 560 kg / 1232 lb
Petrof, of Hradec Králové, Czech Republic, is one of the few piano companies from a former communist country to survive to the present. In fact, it is one of the largest piano companies in Europe, producing around 14,000 pianos a year, of which 1750 are grands of various sizes.
The company was established in 1864 by Antonín Petrof. In 1948, it was confiscated from the Petrof family by the government of Czechoslovakia. In 1991, it was finally returned to them, and now the fifth generation of the Petrof family is in control.
Ant. Petrof 275
Concert Grand piano
275 cm (9' 1") long
One of the world's newest models
of concert grand is the Ant. Petrof.
The founder of the company,
Antonín Petrof, used the same
abbreviation on his very first pianos.
Now, after 150 years,
the original brand has been reborn.
BRAUNSCHWEIG, GERMANY
Schimmel is the largest piano manufacturer in Germany.
K280T Concert Grand in Ebony High Gloss
Length: 280 cm
Weight: 490 kg
Unfortunately, the famous French piano company Pleyel, in business for over 200 years,
ceased all production in 2013.
Pleyels were the favorite pianos of the greatest of all piano composers, Frédéric Chopin.
Sauter, established in 1819, has been in continuous production longer than any other piano company in the world.
Schulze Pollmann, in spite of the German name, is located in the tiny republic of San Marino, which is surrounded by Italy. They do not make concert grands, but they are famous for their innovative models such as the Ferrari Rosso pianos.
Ferrari contacted Schulze Pollmann to obtain a red piano matching the color of their racing cars; this piano was meant to be used at their most prestigious worldwide dealerships and auto shows.
Schulze Pollmann's technical experts in painting and master carpenters did their utmost to replicate on wooden surfaces the same visual result requested by Ferrari, which, until then, had been obtained only on metal surfaces.
The 197 “Rosso Formula” comes from this experience; it is now produced upon request, in limited quantities. In addition to the exclusive red color, which is warm and shining, this piano offers other unique features: a matching bench with velvety-leather red top, an iron frame cast in carbon-grey color (like the racing cars' engines), and the inner side of the rim in the same metallic grey.
The concert stage has a formidable new star in the CC-94, the first concert grand designed, built and introduced by an American piano manufacturer in half a century.
Handcrafted in limited numbers using only the world’s finest materials, the CC-94 epitomizes the piano maker's art. It is distinguished by a massive rim, wide body, and oversized soundboard, guaranteeing that the CC-94 will retain all of its brilliant tonal characteristics throughout the life of the instrument. The CC-94 is available in classic ebony satin, polished ebony, and rosewood.
As always, Mason & Hamlin pianos are Made in America.
SEILER -- Kitzingen, Germany
- Columbus Dispatch 07/13/08 "I just had to write you an email to tell you that I am completely, totally, head-over-heels in love with my Estonia studio grand piano. In 25 years of playing the piano, I have never had an experience even remotely similar to the Estonia. I have never heard a piano sound so clear, touched keys that literally form to my fingertips, had such an ability to control the high and low registers, or be able to play so soft and so loud and yet have the notes sound so very different. I am truly a better, more proficient and happier piano player with my Estonia. Growing up with a Kawai, I always assumed that I would purchase the same, or at the very least, a Yamaha. But as soon as I sat down at the 5 foot, 6 inch Estonia, I knew that this was my piano, my instrument. As a composer, one issue with all of the other piano's on which I created music was that my shoulders would be sore after an hour or so of playing. After playing my Estonia for 7 straight hours with absolutely no pain, it is clear that the Estonia experience is unique in so many, countless ways.
The Estonia Piano, Hot And In Demand
Estonia is arguably "the hottest European piano on the planet." Immaculately crafted, Estonia pianos have a history dating back to 1893, yet the Estonia piano had been an almost unknown member of the piano industry until about 1999/2000 when Estonia, a tiny country just across the Baltic Sea from Finland, gained its independence after the break-up of the Soviet Union.
After Estonia gained its freedom, the country's nationalized piano company was privatized in 1994 under the ownership of its managers and employees. At that time, Dr. Indrek Laul, an Estonian and renowned pianist was a PhD candidate in piano performance at the Julliard School of Music.
The rims are strong and thick, much thicker than most other pianos. Dense rims are important for a rich sound, plus solid beams support the overall tension of the piano structure, further adding to the balance and longevity of the instrument. Multiple layers of select North-European birch are glued together in a press where they dry over a long time; in addition, the outer frame is set aside to cure separately thereafter. After curing and testing, the wood is further shaped according to exact measurements to form the rim.
Probably a lot of you have, and on the other hand many others haven’t heard of the new kid on the block - The Estonia Piano.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, last year the Estonia Piano Factory in Tallinn exported 300 pianos both grands and baby grands, most of them to the United States. Chris Foley Points out that it would be interesting and important to know how these piano age. Sounding wonderful in a show room is one thing - sounding great after a few years is quite a different matter.
Dr. Indrek Laul Playing A Rachmaninoff Etude On His Estonia 210 Piano At The Factory
E S T O N I A P I A N O S
Tallinn, Estonia
Ebony Polish Estonia Concert Grand Model 274.
Length 9' 0"
Width 5' 2"
Weight 1213 lbs.
Over 7500 Concert Grand pianos have been made in Estonia, which is probably the largest number of concert grand made by any piano factory.Estonia Pianos is the only manufacturer from the former Soviet Union that has survived, and now has a reputation of excellent quality at a lower price than other European pianos. Estonia pianos have complete Renner actions made in Germany, the same as used by Fazioli, Hamburg Steinway, Bosendorfer and most other tier one pianos.”
The Flagship of the CF series, the CFX full concert grand piano represents the pinnacle of Yamaha's tradition of piano crafting.
Beautifully made and with an exquisite tone across the entire dynamic range, the CFX has the power to project its sound to the furthest reaches of any concert hall.
9 feet 1150 lbs
Pearl River of China is probably the only budget brand that makes a concert grand.
They are the largest piano manufacturer in the world, and sell most of their concert grands within China.
The Pearl River concert grand is also sold with the Ritmüller name:
The Brodmann 275, introduced in 2011, is partially made in China and then shipped to Austria,
where the strings and action are installed and all tuning, voicing, and regulation work is performed.
Phoenix, Arizona USA
Weight 560 kg (1,234.6 lbs)
Length 275 cm (9')
Height 104 cm (3' 5")
Width 159 cm (5' 3")
The frames for Ravenscroft pianos are made in Germany by Sauter, the oldest piano company in the world,
which are then shipped to Arizona where the piano is assembled.
Over 1000 hours of work is put into each piano, which is two or three times as much as most other companies.
These are the most expensive pianos made in America.
Newcastle, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA
Stuart & Sons Concert Grand -- 9 feet 6 inches long.
Stuart & Sons of Australia is the only company in the world to make a piano with 102 keys --an extra 9 in the bass, plus another 5 on the treble end. These cannot be considered as normal production pianos; only one or two are made a year, as special orders. They are often made with exotic Australian woods such as sassafras, sycamore or Tasmanian Huon pine. Each piano takes over a year to manufacture.
SO WHAT PIANOS DO I HAVE?
The 9' concert grand piano is perfectly located under a 30' ceiling of the family room. The acoustic is just right for the sound flows to the breakfast nook then to the adjacent open kitchen.
"Closely resembling the Hamburg Steinway in both sound and touch, the Estonia combines, in one instrument, some of the best qualities of the great American pianos with those of the high-end Europeans. Its rich, full-bodied, and three-dimensional sound is American-like, whereas its purity and clarity are European-like. Its most distinguishing feature is its wonderfully sustaining, lyrical tone. More than anything else, it is this quality of tone that defines the Estonia piano and gives it its own special place in the high-end market." -- Piano Buyer, Fall 2009
Estonia Concert Grand Model 274.
Length 9' 0"
Width 5' 2"
Estonia: 100% European hand made piano with clear, warm and notably resonant, singing tone qualities. Buyers: pianists & music lovers. With and without money..The action that Estonia is using does not contain just "Renner parts" that more then a few manufacturers try to pass as "Renner actions"...They also don't use Renner actions only on their top of the line concert grand models but other actions on almost all the other instrument they make, as some companies do.
The Estonia action is a FULL Renner action, which is being produced in Renner facilities in Germany, assembled in their Stuttgart, Germany factory, and sent to Estonia. Each and every Estonia has a full Renner action, from the concert grand to the smallest 5'6 piano. The full Renner action includes the rail, repetitions, flanges, shanks, damper undelever mechanism, damper heads, and of course the assembly. Estonia is also using the top of the line Renner Blue hammers. These are the same hammers used on Hamburg Steinway and Mason & Hamlin pianos (the density is a bit different as to the manufacturers specs, but quality and price are the same). All full Renner actions use the SAME quality of moving parts, and there is no significant price difference between them although geometry may be different as to the manufacturer's specs. Almost all High-end European manufacturers use full Renner actions in their pianos...at least in their concert grand pianos and largest models.
The Renner action has proven itself and it's long-term reliability in high performance pianos. This is not cheap piano wire, but an expensive part with thousands of moving parts.
Iron plates come from Finland, and are made the old-fashioned, European way.
In order to guarantee the right quality, they are sand-cast, seasoned, and only the best plates pass the final selection. They have one year of iron plates in their inventory, and only the best would be selected. It takes modern machinery to make even the rough surfaces and prepare for their mirror-like polish finishes,, at which their craftsmen show their experience. They continue to test them, to make sure that they do not interfere with the piano sound but are there to support the structure. Shiny, smooth, and even, they have received a lot of praise at international music trade shows, and are considered among the best from Europe.
Is it any wonder that Estonia became rated by Piano Buyer in same class of quality as Steinway NY this, in record time?Weight 1213 lbs. I have been reading on this piano for several years, because of their reputation for their quality sound and probably the equal of a Steinway and the making of a stradivarius of pianos in the future. A very wise investment and a good family heirloom to pass down.
In the music room is a 7 and a half semi concert grand and an antique upright grand.
Piano #2. arrived July 30 a gift for my wife's birthday. When she played it, she said it is like a Yamaha and not a Steinway. For me I have one critical observation of this piano. the inner 2" rim on both of the Spine and Bentside –do not extend to the keys of the piano in full width.only a portion inner rim, potruded the bulkhead of the keybed where the braces/beams underneath meets. What is left is the outer 2" thick rim and a small portion of the inner rim that you see as the piano case. Unlike high end pianos, the key bed is inside the rims and not screwed to the bottom of the rim. This become the weakest point in the frame structure, as I say there is no continuity of the full width of the inner rims to the keybed.
The strings are held over the bridge (the thin long wood on top of the sound board) are usually made from several strips of beech or maple which are laminated on top of each other. The top of the bridge is capped with a thicker, solid strip of maple. The bridges are glued directly to the top of the soundboard, and the bottom edge of each bridge is designed to precisely fit the crown of the soundboard. Metal bridge pins are driven into the top of the bridge, and they serve to evenly space and align the strings as they pass over the bridge. There are over 220 strings on the grand piano - at two bridge pins per string, there are over 440 bridge pins driven into the bridges. Notches cut into the top of the bridge make its front end slightly higher than the path of the strings. This ensures a tight connection and optimal transmission of sound vibrations between the strings and the soundboard. The bridges define the exact speaking length of the strings on the far end of the piano
Here it is: “It is one of the best-kept secrets in piano making today.” The keybed on Estonia pianos is built into the rim. This unique feature - to have the piano components all connected and supportive - is an old tradition. How many other makers would spend the time to set the keybed into the piano rim? It is a lot more time consuming process, as compared to attaching the keybed separately under the rim. Estonia continues the old traditions of European piano making. The look of the ebony polish finish, made with the Euroepan, shiny polyester laquer, is classic - very elegant and very European. It protects the piano surface and lets minor scratches, if they were to come from using the instrument, to be polished out. Piano making in Estonia stretches back 200 years, but the company itself was founded in 1893 by Ernst Hiis, an Estonian master craftsman trained at Steinway-Hamburg. When the Soviets annexed the Baltic state in 1940, the conquered country was forced to give Joseph Stalin a gift, and the nation of 1.5 million gave a Hiis-made piano. Stalin apparently loved the handmade grand, and the Soviet commissars made sure Hiis was given a factory to consolidate all other Estonian piano workshops under him and a near-monopoly to supply the empire with grand pianos newly branded with the Estonia name.
Production peaked under the Soviets at 475 grand pianos a year, but, isolated from new techniques, the Estonia factory inevitably fell into decline after Hiis’ passing. The Berlin Wall fell, Estonia regained its national independence, and in 1993 the factory’s 130 employees took the piano maker private.
Price of Concert Grand Pianos
August Forster 275
MSRP $138,136
Bluthner 1
MSRP $175,185
Bosendorfer 280VC
MSRP $219,999
Bosendorfer 290
MSRP $249,999
C.Bechstein D282
MSRP $253,200
Estonia 274
MSRP $121,060
Fazioli F278
MSRP $214,000
Fazioli F308
MSRP $234,000
Grotrian Concert Royal
MSRP $164,921
Heintzman 277
MSRP $89,995
Kawai EX
MSRP $208,695
Knabe WKG90
MSRP $105,295
Mason & Hamlin CC94
MSRP $132,668
Pearl River GP275
MSRP $79,995
Petrof P284
MSRP $217,084
Pramberger JP280E
MSRP $127,895
Ravenscroft 275
MSRP $280,000
Ritmuller GH275R
MSRP $84,995
Sauter 275
MSRP $228,320
Schimmel K280
MSRP $149,750
Seiler SE278
MSRP $272,695
Shigeru Kawai SK-EX
MSRP $213,795
Steingraeber E272
MSRP $225,433
Steinway D
MSRP $160,900
Yamaha CFX
MSRP $179,999
MSRP $179,999
At the factory in Austria -- -- in September 2013.
At my house:
Since the piano weighs 1250 lbs, I had to crawl on my stomach under the house and install a few large wooden supports under the floor. I wanted tile under the piano to reflect the sound, but I didn't dare lay the tile and then roll those brass wheels across it, the tile would have shattered instantly. So I put the piano in place, jacked up one leg with a jack from my pickup truck, laid some tile under it, and let it stand there with the leg in the air for a week till the glue dried, while laying some other tiles around it. Then I had to put in the grout, and let that sit for a week to dry too. I made the wooden wheel plates with a soft felt underside, and then finally let the wheel down on one of them. No cracks! So then I had to do the same thing with the other two legs. It took over two months to get all the tile laid under the piano, which was kind of hard on the head, too.
Yes, it may be too much piano for the room it's in, but isn't it better for it to be cared for, loved, and played daily in a small house,
than stuck forever on some cold concert stage, shoved around, and loved by nobody?
The special music stand is the "Johann Strauss" model. Notice the nine extra notes at the end.
It was autographed at the factory by the great French pianist, Philippe Entremont.
Strangely enough, the first piano record I ever got, way back when I was a kid, was by him.
I also have a Lyon & Healy grand, made in Chicago in 1923, which I restored. Lyon & Healy was a famous piano brand for decades, but they ceased production long ago.
However, they still manufacture fine concert harps -- they are the largest and most famous harp maker in the world, still in Chicago.
This piano was in such terrible shape that I got it for free, and hauled it from San Francisco to Oklahoma in the back of my truck.
I stripped off all the old scratched-up black lacquer, and found out to my surprise that there was mahogany veneer under it. I sanded it for hours, but the color could not be restored.
So I put on 2 coats of black wood dye and 2 coats of black wood stain. Finally I smeared on 3 layers of tung oil by hand.
It may well be the only piano you'll ever see that is solid gloss black, but clearly shows a wood-grain pattern instead of having the usual opaque black lacquer found on most pianos.
I put a lighter-colored veneer inside the grand curve and on the underside of the lid. Then I replaced all the bass strings, all the dampers, all the felts, and the name plate.
But in spite of all that work, it still sounds like some old honky-tonk ragtime piano!
CZECH REPUBLIC
SEILER -- Kitzingen, Germany
Stuart & Sons Concert Grand -- 9 feet 6 inches long.
-- in September 2013.
