Viscount Allegro/Valdesta Concerto 500 digital baby grand

[Cynthia Armstrong]

I bought what I was told was the Valdesta Concerto 500, it should have 64
note polyphonic sound and wooden keys as well as the Yamaha chip
technology. What I got was a carefully concealed Viscount where the name
Viscount was removed with a razer blade and peeled very carefully from the
original box as well as stickers placed over the Viscount name on the
manual (and shows an upright pictured, not a baby grand)that is printed in
Italian (1/2 way through the manual it is in badly spelled English) and
even the logo of the Viscount is still present above the keyboard on the
baby grand itself, however the Viscount name is not present on the baby
grand, neither is the name Valdesta (the name I thought I was buying).

I contacted the Viscount company and was told they are 2 different pianos,
however made by the same company, and the technology is exactly the same.
The Viscount employee told me the keys are not made of wood and that the
technology is NOT the Yamaha chip, but the Viscount's own technology. The
Viscount uses the Yamaha technology in the 1000 model, not the 500 model.
I don't know much about Viscount digital sound but what I have is
equivelent to what I hear in a department store $50.00 electronic
keyboard. The polyphony is not accurate. My son tried to play with 2
voices and a pedal, and the technology is over taxed at 23 keys, after
playing 23 notes with the sustained pedal, no more sound is evident, at
least not as played.. the notes are sporadic at best...I also noticed in
the octave, just under middle "C" the sound is very loud seems the touch
sensitivity is not accurately reproduced at all octaves and for some
reason the Eb's are not all tunes with the same timber or something...
they don't sound as they should when you play octaves and arpegios up and
down the keyboard.

I would like a good sounding digital piano for under $2,000. I paid just
over $2,000 for this one, and I am not happy. I can't accpt such drastic
discrepancies. It is a beautiful instrument, but I need it to sound like
a piano and be useful, not just look good.

I almost cried when I played it for the first time. I was so disappointed
in the sound. I got rid of my unplayable 1925 Sohmer acoustic cupid style
baby grand in need of serious repairs and my very well working and
sounding, but not so good looking 1906 Windsor Brothers grand upright to
make more room in my house. I had no idea the sound could be so bad.

I have a technic's Electronic Piano, complete with much technology,
including HD's and software at school and I have no problem with that
sound or the quality of that instrument, however I understand they have
gone out of business.

I did not buy this instrument from Viscount, or Veldesta. I bought it
online from a music company, something I will never do again. I believe I
was lied to and/or misinformed by this company and the salesman. I will be
returning this instrument pronto.

Could somebody point me in the right direction to the right technology at
a cost I can afford?

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

[pTooner]

"Cynthia Armstrong" <carms...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:opr9ttk2...@news.comcast.giganews.com...

I hope you'll continue to post your situation as you try to return this
"instrument". This group is frequented by folks who think they are getting
a huge bargain by buying on line. To answer your question, go to your local
music store and see what sounds good to you. Roland and Yamaha are the
leaders in the field of digital piano.

Gerry

[cryo...@yahoo.com]

We bought the Valdesta concerto 500 from music123. Some of what you
say is true, and some of it is not. Sounds to me that you got confused
with the next model up, the concerto 1000, as far as the yamaha xg
sound. Our box showed a grand.

Ours plays 64, and then some. Try hitting/holding a key, then holding
the middle sustain pedal, and then holding down the right damper pedal
(while still holding down the middle pedal), play many many keys. let
go of the right pedal only. Your first note should still be playing.
This is evidence of 64 polyphony, and it remembers different notes for
each pedal very nicely.

See our review of the concerto 500 at

http://www.geocities.com/cryophil/valdesta_C500/index.html

[psi...@gmail.com]

I have the piano as well. I cannot seem to turn up the volume and I know there is a way to reset it, but the manual does not explain how to do so. Anyone know the trick?