Paul is married to Tiffany, former Mrs Utah 2007 and co-founder of Utah's Home Make-Over called Heart 2 Home. Paul and Tiffany together have 5 children and live in Lehi, Utah.
To see a schedule of Paul's live performances go to http://hoodoobluesband.blogspot.com/.
Paul's Picks
People nearly everyday ask me what pianos are best, or what pianos they should buy. The best piano, and the best piano for you are probably two different pianos. The general rule is "you get what you pay for". Thus, the most expensive pianos are arguably the best pianos. I haven't played or tuned every piano out there, but my years of doing both have certainly created a biased opinion. Depending on your ear, and/or your wallet, any one of these pianos could be a good choice for you.
By the way, these picks are my personal opinion and organized here by price. Choosing from this list no more guarantees a good choice than choosing off this list suggests a bad choice. Choosing a piano is like buying a car or piece of furniture... you need to like what it looks like, as well as what it feels and sounds like after driving it around the block.
Prices listed are MSRP for their tallest Upright (usually 52"). Paul also picks what he thinks is a good piano for a good buy and post them below as This Weeks Good Buy.
Fazioli
Steingraeber $51,000
Bösendorfer $45,334
C. Bechstein $41,600
Blüthner $40,200
Sauter $37,300
Steinway & Sons $37,100 This Weeks Good Buy $45,000
Seiler $30,400
Schimmel $30,000 This Weeks Good Buy $58,900
Estonia
Petrof $21,220 This Weeks Good Buy $3,900
Mason & Hamlin $19,700 This Weeks Good Buy $41,000
Fandrich & Sons $17,300
Weinbach
Yamaha $15,800 This Weeks Good Buy 1,850
Kawai $15,000 This Weeks Good Buy $3,500
Boston $14,000 This Weeks Good Buy $16,000
Schulze Pollmann $13,600
Young Chang $12,600 This Weeks Good Buy $4,177
Pramberger $10,900
Charles R. Walter $10,800 This Weeks Good Buy $1,450
Kohler & Campbell $10,700 This Weeks Good Buy $2,800
Wm. Knabe & Co $10,500 This Weeks Good Buy $2,500
Hallet Davis & Co $10,195
Joseph Brodmann $10,000 This Weeks Good Buy $12,000
Baldwin $9,840 This Weeks Good Buy $1,800
Perzina $9,300
Sohmer & Co $9,200 This Weeks Good Buy $1,500
Story & Clark $7,400
Nordiska $6,975
Rïtmuller $6,600 This Weeks Good Buy $1,750
Samik $6,000
Essex $5,400
Falcone $4,900
Pearl River $4,600 This Weeks Good Buy $1,900
Gulbransen $4,500 This Weeks Good Buy $599
Everett $4,000
Suzuki $3,100
These are not necessarily in order of best or favorites, but rather some pianos I feel are worth the money their asking for what you're getting in return. They are, however, in order of most expensive to least expensive. This is meant only as a guide to show you where piano makers rank in the world market price-wise. With the exception of some opinions of the Austrian-made Bösendorfer and Italian-made Fazioli, most would agree that German-made pianos are second to none... including myself. Don't get discouraged if your budget doesn't allow for German craftsmanship. Steinway, a German piano company, makes a line of pianos called the Essex that is amazingly affordable and gets the "Paul's Piano Best Buy" seal of approval.
Below is one of the best sites I've found to help with buying, selling and basic piano education along with some other helpful sites. If you have any questions you can always call me and I will be glad to help.
Bluebook of Pianos
Piano Movers in Utah
Piano Teachers in Utah
Review my business at MyHuckleberry.com
History of the Piano
by http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Piano.html
Bartolomeo de Francesco Cristofori made harpsichords in Padua, Italy and is credited with having invented the piano in 1700. Cristofori's piano had hammers that struck the strings allowing the strings to continue to vibrate and make sound, and for them to be struck loudly or softly, unlike the harpsichord.
Johann Andreas Silbermann of Strasbourg, France, continued Cristofori's interest in the pianoforte, and the instrument became popular in Germany after Frederick the Great purchased several. Johann Sebastian Bach approved of it in 1747.
The piano had replaced the harpsichord in importance by the end of the eighteenth century, and more musicians began writing music specific to the piano, rather than borrowing harpsichord tunes. Piano building began in America in 1775, and changes to the design of the hammers and to the playing mechanism or action improved the sound and responsiveness of the instrument. Jean Henri Pape of Paris patented 137 improvements for the piano during his life (1789-1875). In England, John Broadwood developed machines to manufacture pianos and reduce their cost.
Improvements continued from 1825 to 1851 with over 1,000 patents in Europe and the United States for stronger, more deft pianos with greater control and repetitive motion. By the mid-nineteenth century, the modern piano had emerged based on the development of the cast iron plate for structural strength and cross-stringing by fanning bass strings over trebles. By 1870, Steinway & Sons had developed this fanning method called the over-strung scale, so that the strings crossed most closely in the center of the soundboard where the best sound is produced.
In the early twentieth century, the player piano achieved great popularity, allowing people to feel artistic and produce music in their homes without having to invest endless hours in practice.
However, enthusiasm for player pianos began to wane in the late 1920s, as phonographs and radio provided keen competition for leisure time and entertainment dollars.
C. F. Theodore Steinway also developed the continuous bent rim for the case, which enhanced sound transmission by using the acoustic properties of long wood fibers. These improvements were adapted to all styles of pianos including grand, upright, and square pianos. By 1911, there were 301 piano builders in the United States. Production peaked in the 1920s and declined greatly because of the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Today, there are approximately 15 piano manufacturers in the United States, and Japan is the world's largest producer of pianos. The design of the piano has not changed appreciably since the late 1800s, although manufacturers may use different materials or approaches to the manufacturing process. This difference in manufacturing is substantially reflected in the piano's cost, construction quality, action responsiveness and overall tonal quality.
