Just this last week, I went to Jackson Pianos, which is a privately owned local St. Louis piano dealer. They deal in used pianos, and they buy, rebuild and resell them.
Jackson Pianos' Home Page:
http://jacksonpianos.com/
I met one of their technicians this past summer while standing along South Grand street, watching the Gay Pride parade. This technician was watching her daughter walk in the parade, and she was attending the parade to show her support for her daughter. I will have to add, "Good for both - the mother, for having the sense to support her child, and the daughter for having a loving mother! Such a relationship should be treasured, and not taken for granted. Trust me when I tell you that not everybody has such a family... but I digress....)
At any rate, Jackson Pianos recently moved their shop from the Cherokee St. district to Olive Street - the Central West end area. Unfortunately, I missed the open house that they held at the beginning of December, but I still wanted to see their new shop.
(Incidentally, this past July, while I was shopping for my new piano, I stopped by their old shop on Cherokee to give a few of their pianos a test drive. In the space of about 30 minutes, I played 8 different pianos, ranging from a sweet little Baldwin Acrosonic to a Steinway.
**NOT** simply because it is a Steinway, the Steinway AND the Acrosonic had the specific tone that I like, but their 'touch' was a little too light for my playing style.
(Note how short the Baldwin Acrosonic piano is. It's 36"! A lot of the 'action' is below the knee level, instead of above the keys. This makes for a short, more-portable piano, but it also makes the 'touch' much too light for me, "Edward Heavy Hands!" HOWEVER...they do have probably the best tone of any spinet piano!)
Back to the story:
The owner of Jackson Pianos was in an adjacent room, working on another piano. When I finished playing, he told me that the repertoire of music that I played was one of the most diversified sets of songs that he has ever heard played in the same sitting! :)
Depending on the piano that I was seated at, at the moment, I played everything from Classic Rock to Classical music, to Jazz....to Country....to Modern Rock....to Gospel!
When he told me that I was the most diversified musician he had ever heard, I smiled and said, "Thank you! I intend to keep it that way! :)
To make a long story even longer (!!), in the end, I ultimately decided to buy a brand new piano from Lacefield Music. I had done business with them before, when I bought my Hammond A-100 (B3), and they know me well. We decided that I needed an Institutional Piano, which is one that was built to be played for hours on end by students, they are of very sturdy construction, and they can 'take a beating', All of the used pianos that I test drove had actions that were too light for my playing style, and we decided that a new piano with a new, tight action was the type of piano that I needed.
ANYWHO.... Back to my second (recent!) visit.
Last week, I dropped by Jackson Pianos to pay their new shop a visit. Janet, the tech that I had become acquainted with, was in the front of the shop, disassembling and rebuilding a piano. (BTW - I could have watched her for hours. Her skills are flawless, and her attention to detail is impeccable!)
I started to tell her (Janet) that I was looking for a vintage Rhodes electric piano as my next purchase. I already have a full-size digital piano, a full-size acoustic piano, a 6 keyboard MIDI computer setup, and a 1966 vintage Wurlitzer electric piano (think "Supertramp" music), and now, I am looking for a Rhodes piano to complete my collection. (I know...I know...those are famous last words!)
If I am lying, I am dying, and my soul is going straight to Hell! I am here today to tell you that when I started talking about Rhodes or Wurlitzer electric pianos, and Hammond organs (a B3 - the KING of all electric organs, for Crissake!), this woman looked at me as if I had just landed from Mars! She had **NO** idea what any of these instruments are!
A video of a gentleman playing a recognizable Classic Rock song, "Goodbye Stranger" on a Wurlitzer electric piano:
Jackson Pianos' Home Page:
http://jacksonpianos.com/
I met one of their technicians this past summer while standing along South Grand street, watching the Gay Pride parade. This technician was watching her daughter walk in the parade, and she was attending the parade to show her support for her daughter. I will have to add, "Good for both - the mother, for having the sense to support her child, and the daughter for having a loving mother! Such a relationship should be treasured, and not taken for granted. Trust me when I tell you that not everybody has such a family... but I digress....)
At any rate, Jackson Pianos recently moved their shop from the Cherokee St. district to Olive Street - the Central West end area. Unfortunately, I missed the open house that they held at the beginning of December, but I still wanted to see their new shop.
(Incidentally, this past July, while I was shopping for my new piano, I stopped by their old shop on Cherokee to give a few of their pianos a test drive. In the space of about 30 minutes, I played 8 different pianos, ranging from a sweet little Baldwin Acrosonic to a Steinway.
**NOT** simply because it is a Steinway, the Steinway AND the Acrosonic had the specific tone that I like, but their 'touch' was a little too light for my playing style.
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| A Stenway Upright piano |
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| A 36" Baldwin Acrosonic Piano\ |
Back to the story:
The owner of Jackson Pianos was in an adjacent room, working on another piano. When I finished playing, he told me that the repertoire of music that I played was one of the most diversified sets of songs that he has ever heard played in the same sitting! :)
Depending on the piano that I was seated at, at the moment, I played everything from Classic Rock to Classical music, to Jazz....to Country....to Modern Rock....to Gospel!
When he told me that I was the most diversified musician he had ever heard, I smiled and said, "Thank you! I intend to keep it that way! :)
To make a long story even longer (!!), in the end, I ultimately decided to buy a brand new piano from Lacefield Music. I had done business with them before, when I bought my Hammond A-100 (B3), and they know me well. We decided that I needed an Institutional Piano, which is one that was built to be played for hours on end by students, they are of very sturdy construction, and they can 'take a beating', All of the used pianos that I test drove had actions that were too light for my playing style, and we decided that a new piano with a new, tight action was the type of piano that I needed.
ANYWHO.... Back to my second (recent!) visit.
Last week, I dropped by Jackson Pianos to pay their new shop a visit. Janet, the tech that I had become acquainted with, was in the front of the shop, disassembling and rebuilding a piano. (BTW - I could have watched her for hours. Her skills are flawless, and her attention to detail is impeccable!)
I started to tell her (Janet) that I was looking for a vintage Rhodes electric piano as my next purchase. I already have a full-size digital piano, a full-size acoustic piano, a 6 keyboard MIDI computer setup, and a 1966 vintage Wurlitzer electric piano (think "Supertramp" music), and now, I am looking for a Rhodes piano to complete my collection. (I know...I know...those are famous last words!)
If I am lying, I am dying, and my soul is going straight to Hell! I am here today to tell you that when I started talking about Rhodes or Wurlitzer electric pianos, and Hammond organs (a B3 - the KING of all electric organs, for Crissake!), this woman looked at me as if I had just landed from Mars! She had **NO** idea what any of these instruments are!
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| A Wurlitzer 140 Piano, the same model that I own. |
See! There are TWO jobs that need to be done, and two very different, distinct tools (pianos!) that can do this job!
A Rhodes piano, hard at work:
No. These are not standard, acoustic pianos. They are electric (but not electronic!), and they have a very specific job to do. An acoustic piano has it's own task, and electric (And electronic keyboards!) have their own tasks to accomplish. Personally, I wouldn't want to be involved in the music world if I had to choose "Either / Or", rather than to make my favorite choice, "That and MORE!"
Back to Jackson Pianos:
I love Janet. I love her dearly. She knows I do! With that being said, I looked her straight in the eye, and I said, "Janet, I have never owned a huge Dodge Ram truck - but I know what they are! Likewise, I have never owned a Dodge Viper or a Corvette - but I sure the Hell know what they are! Along similar lines, I have played a handful of pipe organs in my life, but I have never owned one, BUT... I know what they are!"
For the life of me, I can't imagine anyone who is not diversified within their own field. But.... there are millions of people out there that are secluded in their little corners, and they never venture out. If *I* ever get that way, please shoot me! I hereby give you permission. But...until then.... I am thankful that I am diverse in the clothes that I wear, the food that I eat, the places that I go, the instruments that I play, and the music that I play and listen to. There is definitely a 'down side' to not being diverse, if you know what I mean. :)
- Michael
Below is a link to the acrosonic piano history. Other makes are there as well.
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(I finally landed myself both a 1966 Wurlitzer electric piano, model 140 that is complete and it plays well but it could use a rebuild, and I bought a 1979 Rhodes 88 Suitcase model electric piano that is so flawless that it is almost frightening. Not a single dent in the Tolex cover, etc. If I had to find one fault, if could be that key F3 needs a bit of leveling, and that is *it* with this sweet electric piano! :D )
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