| Copyright 2006-2008 KUNGFUBROTHERS.COM All Rights Reserved |
Toy Pianos
Toy Pianos
KUNGFUBROTHERS.COM
 |  |  |  |  |
Music Feature Review
New from Schoenhut, the makers of the
vintage chime toy pianos, comes these
half sized pianos with 44 full sized keys.
These tiny pianos have all the contents
and features of real acoustic pianos:
felt hammers, dampers, tuning pins,
iron plate, functioning damper lift
pedal, soundboard, bridges, and
copper wound bass strings. Sound
intriguing? Well, now for the downside;
the action parts are not of high quality,
dampers are needed in the treble
section as the sound does not decay
quickly in that register, and the short
string lengths greatly limit the tonal
quality of the sound. Essentially, the
sound produced has a metallic
clanging sound with a high degree of
inharmonicity.
vintage chime toy pianos, comes these
half sized pianos with 44 full sized keys.
These tiny pianos have all the contents
and features of real acoustic pianos:
felt hammers, dampers, tuning pins,
iron plate, functioning damper lift
pedal, soundboard, bridges, and
copper wound bass strings. Sound
intriguing? Well, now for the downside;
the action parts are not of high quality,
dampers are needed in the treble
section as the sound does not decay
quickly in that register, and the short
string lengths greatly limit the tonal
quality of the sound. Essentially, the
sound produced has a metallic
clanging sound with a high degree of
inharmonicity.
The concept of scaling a piano down to a kid's size is very appealing. As a kid I didn't find practicing the
piano fun, but with a piano, made to suit a kid's size, piano practice would become playtime. The other
benefits of a compact size are that space would no longer be a limitation, moving the piano around would
be much easier, and it would look so darn cute! The unfortunate reality is that in order to keep the price
at an attractive level, sacrifices in material quality are necessary. Also physically shortening the length of
the strings to fit in a super compact frame has a dramatically negative impact on the quality of the sound.
piano fun, but with a piano, made to suit a kid's size, piano practice would become playtime. The other
benefits of a compact size are that space would no longer be a limitation, moving the piano around would
be much easier, and it would look so darn cute! The unfortunate reality is that in order to keep the price
at an attractive level, sacrifices in material quality are necessary. Also physically shortening the length of
the strings to fit in a super compact frame has a dramatically negative impact on the quality of the sound.
Upright Dimensions:
21"W x 39"H x 36"L
53cm x 99cm x 91cm
Colours: Black, White
MSRP: $2,495 USD
Comes with matching bench
21"W x 39"H x 36"L
53cm x 99cm x 91cm
Colours: Black, White
MSRP: $2,495 USD
Comes with matching bench
Baby Grand Dimensions:
31.25"W x 34"H x 38.5"L
79cm x 86cm x 98cm
Colours: Black, White, Red
MSRP: $2,995 USD
Comes with matching bench
31.25"W x 34"H x 38.5"L
79cm x 86cm x 98cm
Colours: Black, White, Red
MSRP: $2,995 USD
Comes with matching bench
The Schoenhut toy company was founded in
1872 Philadelphia by German immigrant Albert
Schoenhut.
Toy pianos with chime-like tone were the
company's first product, and are still in
production today. All Schoenhut products are
designed for children, built to endure active
play, and crafted & detailed by hand.
These half sized pianos were developed in
celebration of Schoenhut's 135th Anniversary.
1872 Philadelphia by German immigrant Albert
Schoenhut.
Toy pianos with chime-like tone were the
company's first product, and are still in
production today. All Schoenhut products are
designed for children, built to endure active
play, and crafted & detailed by hand.
These half sized pianos were developed in
celebration of Schoenhut's 135th Anniversary.
The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $2,495 USD for the upright, and $2,995 USD for the baby
grand. That's a fairly attractive price for a new piano, unfortunately due to the poor sound quality, and
the low quality action parts, it's not a recommended piano for music students. At best it's a beautiful
looking miniature model that shows all of the parts of a piano, perfect for teaching and learning action
regulation, repair and string replacement.
Feel free to contact me if you'd like more information.
Email: eric.yao@sympatico.ca
See the half sized baby grand in action!
Check out this video from Keyboard Magazine on Youtube ------>
grand. That's a fairly attractive price for a new piano, unfortunately due to the poor sound quality, and
the low quality action parts, it's not a recommended piano for music students. At best it's a beautiful
looking miniature model that shows all of the parts of a piano, perfect for teaching and learning action
regulation, repair and string replacement.
Feel free to contact me if you'd like more information.
Email: eric.yao@sympatico.ca
See the half sized baby grand in action!
Check out this video from Keyboard Magazine on Youtube ------>
Rusty Hammer Flange Screws
Cracked Hammer Flange
44 Key Baby Grand Component Review
- Hammer flange screws, all were rusty
- Hammer flanges, a few were noted to have cracks, this is troubling as it
indicates that the wood for the parts are of low quality, and may be prone
to more future cracking
- Sandpaper would help keep hammers seated
- Drop regulating screws, most were very tight and easily stripped
- Capstans are square shouldered type, instead of four hole type,
meaning that regulation is not easy
- Sound does not decay quickly in the treble section; dampers are
needed here
- Tuning pins have a high degree of flex, making stabilization difficult; this
may be a symptom of the pins being too tight in the pin block. Several
pins were very tight causing clicking or jumping when tuning
- tone is described as metallic with high degree of inharmonicity. This is a
result of the incredibly compact scale design
- Hammer flange screws, all were rusty
- Hammer flanges, a few were noted to have cracks, this is troubling as it
indicates that the wood for the parts are of low quality, and may be prone
to more future cracking
- Sandpaper would help keep hammers seated
- Drop regulating screws, most were very tight and easily stripped
- Capstans are square shouldered type, instead of four hole type,
meaning that regulation is not easy
- Sound does not decay quickly in the treble section; dampers are
needed here
- Tuning pins have a high degree of flex, making stabilization difficult; this
may be a symptom of the pins being too tight in the pin block. Several
pins were very tight causing clicking or jumping when tuning
- tone is described as metallic with high degree of inharmonicity. This is a
result of the incredibly compact scale design