Falcone pianos?
Mario Bruneau
knows anything about this brand? Are they still in production? The
nine footer sounded like a Steinway to me!
Any instruction would be apreciated.
Mario
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VOCE88
>knows anything about this brand? Are they still in production? The
>nine footer sounded like a Steinway to me
Hi Mario -
The Falcone was built by Santi Falcone in Boston. He made less than 500
total pianos - and a few of them were absolutely GLORIOUS !!
Later, a group of investors bought him out. Santi now makes gourmet
chocolates.
Thats the scuttlebutt anyway
Richard Galassini
Cunningham Piano Co
1 800 394 1117
ISG 1949
Falcone. I own Falcone piano #101. It is a 6'2" black grand that was built by
S. Falcone in 1987. It is signed by him on the plate.
I bought it last August after a 2 month east of the Mississippi river, no holes
bared, $ no object (well, except, perhaps for Fazioli) search for the best 6
foot piano I could find.
My 3 finalists were: 3. A beautiful new Bluthner 6 from Jim Reeder in
Lansing, Michigan that Jim was kind enough to actually deposit in my living
room for 3 days while on a trip to Boston (passing Syracuse, where I live). 2.
A Steinway A6 in Leopole Holder's showroom in New York City. and 1. (TaDa) my
Falcone 62 in the showroom of Roger's Pianos in Hanover, Mass.
Once I played it, there was no choice. I bought it on the spot. The piano was
like new, obviously hardly touched in 11 years since being built. It took me 3
months to break in the hammers.
The depth, personality, clarity, expressivness gives me shivers every time I
sit down. The sustain and richness is only rivaled by the Fazioli that I played
in Boston on Boylston Street. My tech was so blown away that he has invited
tech friends to my house to listen to it.
It is fun having such an artist instrument that hardly anybody knows about.
Strangely enough, in my little village of 4,000 people in Upstate New York,
there is a second Falcone! A 7 footer owned by a local pianist/teacher. She
has hers voiced a bit brighter than mine is but it too is georgous. If you
ever pass through the Syracuse area. E mail me before you come and you can
look over this beautiful piece of work.
Irwin S. Goldberg-- Pianist, conductor, teacher, collector of old phonographs,
radios and music boxes.
Gary Moran
"My Friend the Piano". For those of you who might not know, Dave is a
great jazz pianist who is perhaps the best known practioner of the
"walking bass line". The cover photo shows Dave seated at a Falcone
piano. The cd is recorded on a Falcone also. They mention a little bit
about the piano in the liner notes. It was the first time I had heard
of them. I got a chance to play one in a store in Seattle a few years
ago. Whenever I get enough money together to buy a real instrument I
hope I'll be able to find one. They only made 500 of them? Too bad.
When was the last time something of such quality was produced in the
USA?
David Place
[...]
> The Falcone was built by Santi Falcone in Boston. He made less than 500
>total pianos - and a few of them were absolutely GLORIOUS !!
>
>
You don't need to use the past tense. The company is gone, but the
pianos are still out there and sound as good as ever. At least I know
that is true of my fastidiously cared for model 74 which I bought in
'87.
-----
Send mail to (remove spaces):
d p l a c e @ e n t u i t . c o m
(Sorry for anti-spam measures)
VOCE88
>>total pianos - and a few of them were absolutely GLORIOUS !!
>>
>>
>[...]
>You don't need to use the past tense. The company is gone, but the
>pianos are still out there and sound as good as ever. At least I know
>that is true of my fastidiously cared for model 74 which I bought in
>'87.
>
>-----
>Send mail to (remove spaces):
>d p l a c e @ e n t u i t . c o m
>(Sorry for anti-spam measures)
>
>
Of course.
Gary
You have a very annoying habit of sub-scripting.
Why not go out on a limb and actually say something yourself ! .
Gary.
VOCE88
Dear Gary -
Because I only have one arm and I cant reach over to the new message icon
on my screen.
By the way, is this annoying you right now?
Seriously, I have started threads - just not recently, I guess. Besides,
what is exposition without development ?
Regards
Gary
that I value your opinions and wanted to see more of them.
Best regards.
Gary.
don langbein
used to do some work for Falcone and now takes care of quite a few of
them. In this area they are not a rarity.
I have played quite a few of them. They are certainly fine pianos, but
I am not as taken with them as many people are. I had occasion to play
a 6' Falcone side by side with a comparably-sized new Mason and Hamlin
a few years ago. These days you have to say what you mean when you
say "new Mason and Hamlin," so: it was from the factory in Haverhill
but before the most recent shutdown, transfer of ownership and restart.
I greatly preferred the M & H. Much richer sound, much easier to con-
trol, better balanced top to bottom. (If someone says I'm comparing
apples and oranges I won't dispute it! The Falcone is basically a
Steinway design with some changes. So I'm comparing the Steinway and
the Mason and Hamlin, more or less. Always guaranteed to start a
lively discussion and possibly a food fight among pianists!)
I've played Falcones of all sizes. I find the 7'4" the most successful.
The nicest sound, the best-balanced sound. That's a happy situation in
one way. 7'4" is the old Steinway C size, which Steinway has not pro-
duced in many years. So it's nice to have a few more fine pianos of
that size around. Sounds like I'm talking about violins, dosn't it.
Just my two cents worth.
Don Langbein
David Place
wrote:
[...]
>I've played Falcones of all sizes. I find the 7'4" the most successful.
>The nicest sound, the best-balanced sound. That's a happy situation in
>one way. 7'4" is the old Steinway C size, which Steinway has not pro-
>duced in many years. So it's nice to have a few more fine pianos of
>that size around. Sounds like I'm talking about violins, dosn't it.
[...]
When I was shopping for pianos in '87, I was looking for a Steinway L.
I compared the Falcone model 61 (6'1") and didn't fall in love. I
couldn't resist trying a 7'4" that was on display at the store. I
loved it right away and bought it. I have no regrets. I have played
a 9' Falcone and found it to have less power than my 7'4". I have
talked to other people who agree that the 7'4" was their success
story.
2pc...@gmail.com
> I came across a CD recorded with a Falcone piano prototype. Anybody
> knows anything about this brand? Are they still in production? The
>
> Any instruction would be apreciated.
>
> Mario
> remove NOSPAM to reply
The employee told me on the phone that when Steinway was purchased and the pianos were not being built up to the old highest level of craftmanship some of the Steinway piano builders moved over to working at Falcone. Some of the magic sounds coming from the Falcone pianos were due to the high level of craftmanship at the factory by the old Steinway employees.