I’m taking the somewhat unusual step of quoting part of my reply to a missive on the Pianoworld fora which to me illustrates many of the misconceptions about the Stuart piano which basically arise from the inability to see the principle of the piano as against the practice.
The missive is
italicised and
underlined.
____________________________________________________________________
As some older posters here may recall I struggled with a buy/don't buy decision with a Huon Pine one that I loved. The view of both the dealer and the tech was that it needed voicing down for home use.
That is very disappointing from two points of view. Firstly, neither the dealer nor the tech has any real clue about the ‘why’ of the piano and their views as such are not only irrelevant but demonstrably and totally wrong. Secondly, I find it disappointing that you allowed your musical judgment to be influenced by such views. As I have said on innumerable occasions now, you change yourself – you do not change the piano. Voicing down destroys everything that the piano was designed to be and is. I’m surprised that you appear not to understand this.
Until an instrument is actually in situ it is impossible for anyone to really assess the appropriate level of voicing. Voicing must be seen as an infinite and relatively simple procedure to adjust a piano's sound to its environment. 30 minutes can change an instrument from a bright metallic monster to a muted old hound.
I posted here once about a concert artist playing one in the recital hall at Hurstwood. The room was full and the Russian pianist was quite forceful. The piano was VERY loud indeed.
The Russian pianist Alexander Ghindin, has a reputation for forceful and dynamic playing. He drove the piano full bore for that concert. This of course has nothing to do with the piano as it only responds to the player's input. A loud sound is not the problem of the piano but of the player and their control over the dynamic range. It must be noted that all the playing was not very loud and there was a lot of exquisite soft playing. The only real comment that could be made about that experience was that Ghindin did not consider the age of the audience, their hearing sensitivity, and the size of the shed. This is not a piano problem as prior to this concert there was an extraordinary performance on the same piano by the young Russian pianist Anton Lyakhovsky, which provided a totally opposite experience.
What this clearly demonstrated was, indeed that the piano was, …
Nevertheless, capable of very wide tonal variety in the right hands.
Absolutely. From what you have been saying, I would opine that yours are not the right hands (no offence meant, it’s a ‘feel’ I’m emphasising here). If they were, you would have seen through the tech, the dealer and the performance and bought the piano, no questions asked.
I am not entirely persuaded that there is much that is truly markedly different in the design compared with other concert pianos available now. The casework is very high quality - though some of the timbers and finishes may not be to everyone's taste, and such work comes at a premium.
The case work has nothing to do with the ‘differences in design’, which are internal not external. If you cannot see those, then I suspect that is more of an issue with you rather than with the piano. The vast majority of people who have seen and played Stuart pianos, from the time the first piano was constructed in 1990 (that was an experimental upright, the first 2.9m concert piano was built in 1994), have clearly and unequivocally seen and appreciated those differences. In my case, it was obvious the moment I started playing the piano in the factory.
If Stuart wishes to remain a niche operation then marketing everything from Australia will deliver that. But to achieve more global acceptance and penetration I would have thought that some form of sales and demonstration facility in America and mainland Europe would be useful.
And expensive. Your point shows a lack of understanding of how current global marketing and communications systems work. We don't need expensive off-shore agents anymore. In fact, I personally wonder why makers of high quality pianos (including Steinway) bother with this old fashioned and very costly dealership system. With their names they could sell all the pianos they make directly from the factories, at a lower price and more profit.
The cost of a Stuart piano accurately reflects production, not marketing, advertising or retailing costs. You cannot compare Stuart pianos in a business sense with other ‘mass production’ (including Steinway) instruments because that ignores the fact that so few are made each per year and, of critical importance, totally by hand. Some people do not want mass produced product and actively seek the difference factor and, more to the point, are prepared to pay for it in the full knowledge and understanding that they cannot have such a product for nothing. The Stuart piano does not compete in any market niche – it has created its own. Marketing the piano as a direct competitor to other pianos which are totally different both in concept and design is completely erroneous and missing the point.
And from what you have written so far about the Stuart piano, I have to say with respect that you (and others) have missed the point too. I got the point straightaway, and I bought the piano on that basis and that basis alone.
Here is a extract from a message sent to me by a very happy person who will have a Stuart piano delivered tomorrow.
“I spent a happy hour playing it on Tuesday at the factory and even that short time impressed me with the range of timbres and 3D sound available. I have many years of exploration ahead. I dearly love my grandmother's 1898 Steinway, but it's time to move on.
I notice that almost all reviews and comments on the web concentrate on obscure technical aspects. That in fact was the last thing I considered.
1 - It's not black (Red cedar and Maple under the lid)
2 - It's made in Australia, my dollars stay here.
3 - It sounds magnificent in concert. Far better than on most of my CDs.
I was finally convinced after hearing Mark Gasser play Messiaen in Brisbane. I had never heard any piano play so softly and still be capable of such subtle and beautiful shading, and yet be ready to produce a Voice of God volume when required, all with absolute clarity of the inner parts.”
To emphasise the point, I’ll add a short excerpt from Wayne which describes this much better than I could:
“It is worth mentioning that the profiles of the people who have purchased Stuart & Sons pianos have similar characteristics. All have been well educated, successful in their chosen life path both financially and personally, have sought individuality in their surroundings and belongings. They usually form the cutting edge and the Stuart & Sons piano is, in effect, a synthesis of that mind and ethos.
The ho hum of the musty old piano world, the intrigue of the boring lineage of players and incestuous relationships within the microcosm of the arts community are not for these individuals. They seek light and enlightenment; this is not rhetoric but reality. Often, they play at an amateur level or purchase for young student study. It is contemporary relevance and vitality they seek as any old standard piano can be had at the local shop for whatever the going discounted price!”
Does this describe you?