Welcome to this spring update. How can we not feel inspired by the recent sunshine and the unwavering predictability of nature moving into growth and abundance! I love this time of year witnessing the miracle of nature and its perpetual creation. If we dissect an acorn, we don’t see an oak tree, yet the acorn attracts all that it needs to become that oak, unbelievable and inspiring! You may think that I have too much time on my hands for this contemplation, I am happy to report this is not the case, the time since my last update have been some of the busiest and most enjoyable for quite some time.
After seeing the Shigeru SK2 leave us towards the end of the year our beautiful Shigeru SK3 sold and made its way to the Oxford area. The recipient of this fine piano was enthralled by the performance of the Shigeru, it was a joy to share in the experience of his selection. A much-loved older piano made way for the Shigeru, the beauty of the Shigeru was enough to mitigate the loss of the older piano. We were able to find an excellent home for this piano too, sometimes this can be important in the process of letting an old cherished piano go. Similarly, we found a home for another much loved old baby grand piano for a customer who purchased our beautiful 1930’s restored Bluthner. Another beautiful piano, it was the last grand piano restored for us by Harmony Pianos before their retirement. It looks and sounds beautifully in its home in Dummer, just outside Basingstoke. I am happy to report that we have recently received a replacement Shigeru SK2 which is stunning and we also have a very fine restored 1980’s Bluthner in the showroom. Other highlights from the last couple of months include two Wilh. Steinberg S130 uprights being sold to very capable pianists. One was fitted with a silent system by special order and travelled to the Oxford area, the other went locally to Tadley to Anne who purchased her last piano from me around twenty years ago! This upright piano model, as with other Wilh. Steinberg pianos, is exceptional in its quality and value. Another stunning piano that left us recently was the Grotrian-Steinweg G118. Grotrian-Steinweg pianos hold a very special place in my heart and the selection of them is always very special for me. I have two replacement Grotrian-Steinweg uprights on order and can’t wait for them to arrive.
I am looking forward to seeing many of the pianos that we have supplied recently for their complementary tunings. These first visits are always a great enjoyment for me, to see and hear the pianos in their new environment and to share the joy of ownership with the customers . I am looking forward to seeing the SK3 and S130 pianos on Monday with Barry Caradine to complete the complementary first visit. Barry is a highly skilled technician having worked at the top of the tree with Bosendorfer, his voicing skills are second to none and I am hoping to learn a few things from him as he works on these two fine pianos. I also have a visit booked in April from a Master Piano Artisan from Kawai who will service my recently arrived Shigeru SK2 for me. These technicians are also highly skilled, very specifically with the Shigeru pianos, another great learning opportunity for me that I am looking forward to.
Rather unexpectedly, I have thoroughly enjoyed posting and engaging on Facebook. I was rather alarmed, in a good way, by the response to my first video and have been encouraged by the engagement since. Although I have never used Facebook and still do not on a personal level, I can absolutely see its value for bringing more awareness to our business. This week I posted a pre-owned Kawai upright which was reserved very quickly with another interest if it is still available. Facebook is proving to be a great way of connecting with an interested audience, to showcase the activity in the business and life on the road tuning. I admit I had a lot of resistance to Facebook, but I am pleased that I pushed through to embrace it and ultimately see value and enjoyment from it. My next endeavour is to post some video clips onto You Tube, I have a similar resistance to this but will persevere and get some content posted. I have attempted to record a few times but not been happy with the results, it can be surprisingly challenging to get a complete clip that I am happy with. I will get there and plan to start with short clips of specific pianos of interest before embarking on longer versions and brands or describing our business, sounds like a reasonable plan as I write it!
Well, I think that is enough for one update. I have Robin here today polishing the pianos and repairing a couple of used uprights that have recently arrived. We have a wonderful tradition of enjoying a pub lunch together when he visits, as it is nearing lunch I will finish this update and head out. Although I have been tuning a little less recently with the showroom being busy, life on the road remains great fun. Having the mix of the showroom and tuning is a perfect existence for me, each one makes the other seem even more enjoyable.
Thank you for reading this update. If you would like to keep a more regular eye on what we are up to perhaps follow us on Facebook, you could even keep an eye out on You Tube! I wish you all a Happy Easter and hope to see many of you at the showroom in the coming weeks and months
All the best
Ben