🎹Schimmel C123 Upright Piano Review & Demo 🎹
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- Опубликовано: 22 июл 2024
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0:00 - Video Introduction of Schimmel C123
0:58 - Short Audio Sample - Schimmel C123
1:53 - Model Background and Lineup
3:43 - Musical Features and Differentiators
6:37 - Longer Playing Sample
8:23 - Tonal Discussion
10:40 - Konzert series vs Classic
11:49 - Bass Tone Discussion
13:00 - Mid / Treble Range Tone Discussion
14:25 - Action / Feel Discussion
16:01 - Final Discussions and Observations
Hello and thanks for checking out the Merriam Pianos RUclips channel. On the docket for today is a look at the Schimmel Classic C123 upright piano.
The C123 is a 48” upright piano handcrafted in Germany by Schimmel, and really embodies the classic German approach to upright piano making, hence the name ‘Classic’.
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Background
The C123 is part of Schimmel’s Classic upright piano line, which sits in the middle of the hierarchy of pianos manufactured in Europe by Schimmel. The top of the line series is the Schimmel Konzert lineup, while the Wilhelm Schimmel series, manufactured in Poland, represents an entry point to handmade European pianos.
Schimmel’s uprights are very popular in general, and the C123 actually happens to be one of their top-selling upright pianos due to its height of 48”.
The C123 has some unique aesthetic features including a grand piano-like lid, oversized slowfall key cover and an extra-wide music desk with high quality felt.
Musically speaking, there are a number of aspects that really make the C123 stand out in its price point against competitor options. Let’s get into some of these aspects by starting with the sound.
Piano Sound
Schimmel’s are widely known for the bloom of their piano sound right at the point of attack. The C123 attests to this, with a ton of cabinet resonance and excellent sustain. Much like a Steinway, that bloom never distorts or loses colour, which is the case with some other pianos that have an initial bloom to the sound.
In addition to the bloom, there’s a thickness to the tone that we wouldn’t describe as colourful or powerful like a Bechstein, but rather a real sense of clarity. Often clear sounding pianos can also sound quite thin, and that isn’t the case here.
There’s a real sense of intimacy, and yet grandeur, all happening at the same time.
The Konzert series uprights for contrast do bring an additional level of sophistication, and this is apparent with a more complex bridging system, the scale design, quality of hammers and the amount of production time. The result is that the minor imperfections apparent on most pianos essentially disappear.
But the value that the C123 has to offer the price needs to be stated - even though Schimmel views it as a midrange German instrument, it’s still delivering superior quality than what any other country in the world is currently producing.
In fact, the body resonance the C123 generates in the lower octaves is frankly shocking. As you get into the upper range, that resonance goes away, and you’re left with primarily soundboard and string tone.
Piano Action
The key surfaces stand out right away for their excellent glide - these keys are just super comfortable to play.
Schimmel designs their own actions, which are built for Renner. The repetition speed is decidedly average here, but the control is superb.
Late Romantic music is going to be perfectly enjoyable to play on the C123 with the action lending itself very well to this style of repertoire.
Closing Thoughts
This is a very nice upright piano for the money. The bloom, sustain and cabinet activation in the lower register are all spectacular.
The only real potential downside is the lack of resonance in the upper ranges. This itself isn’t inherently bad, but due to the lack of balance with the lower ranges, you’ll need to account for this depending on the type of repertoire you’re playing.
We hope you have enjoyed this look at the C123. If you’re in the Greater Toronto area, please don’t hesitate to pop into one of our showrooms to try one out for yourself!
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Видеоклипы
Your improvisation and exploration of the spectrum of music expression possibility on every piano have been astounding.
I enjoyed every single piano review video of yours thoroughly.
Longing for a thorough review of Schimmel's K122.
Always a joy to watch your reviews also a piano playing. You are best in catching piano nature. I have played C126 and K132 but I really like the C126 and this piano sounds even better what a beautiful tonality. It has really good depth and very good resonance thickness of the sound gives satisfaction to the playing and tremendous lows. Love it! ❤️
Great review of a very interesting piano. Amazing bloom on it! (Not sure I could handle that much!) Good to see a nice wide music rest. Beautiful playing in a style I always appreciate. Thank you!
Gorgeous instrument in this class. Suits it's classification as Classic. Great job Stu.
I'm drummer. My second instrument is piano. Amazing piano sound! Stuart you are a great musician! Thank you for that review.
I have Schimmel C126... Really happy with the sound of schimmel.....
Great review!
Stu - love your videos. Very glad you reviewed this as I'm looking at both the Bechstein and the Schimmel line for my next piano. I'm thankful that I live in NJ where there is a Schimmel dealer within a couple of miles from a Bechstein dealer. I know you've played both the Schimmel C189 and the Bechstein A190. I'd be interested to know if you found the same differences in the grands as you did in the uprights.
Further to my other recent comments, another splendid review. You also mike your pianos far better than others (some just use mobile phones!) so capture the full sound. This certainly sounds a great piano.
Thanks Mick! We sincerely appreciate that! Thanks for tuning into the channel! :)
Thank you for the great review and time spent with this piano. I would love to hear Stu go over a Schimmel K125 with the 49” height that he likes so much. Thanks again. These reviews are always such a joy to watch.
You're very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to check it out! Thanks for the suggestion! We have review Schimmel Konzert series grands in the past, but it would be fun to tackle one of the upright models. We will do our best to get to that. :)
@@MerriamPianos That would be great! I hope one of the K uprights cross your path!
Top review!
Thank you kindly! :)
Thank you for your excellent content.
You're very welcome! Thank you for tuning in! :)
Hi, I’ve been a huge fan of your reviews for a long time. Often over looked is a wonderful German piano company, August Forster which offers beautiful pianos which have that old German warm sound. They have generations of employees who have worked for the company as a family tradition. I have an upright and thought it was as good as any C Bechstein. They produce small quantity hand made 100% German made pianos. You should check them out. I love my piano. Keep up the great work! All the best, Howard.
My C121 is coming this month eheh. Will be a change from my Yamaha P515.
We need a side by side with the A124.
Does the C123 have longer keys like the Kawai?
Excellent unison tuning and great voiced, quality Renner hammers make for very even overtones and registers' blending. But great tone begins with fine scale design [wire length (x) wire density (×) wire tension] lends a smoothly extrapolated Railsback curve of inharmonicity.
And definite terminations of speaking string segments at capped -bridge pins and polished agraffs are paramount to beatless monochords and long sustain. Duplex scaling creates sympathetic overtones to help brighten the bloom after the attack of a dynamic hammer with properties of variable resilience. Fine craftsmanship and quality materials delivered consistently from Shimmel.
Has anyone tried a Zimmerman z3 if you have how are they
Wonderful review. Thank you! I just purchased one. What is the last piece you played?
Thank you so much! We appreciate that! I'd have to check in with Stu to see what piece he is playing. We have had a few requests to include the song/piece name in the video, which I think is a great suggestion. However, there are many cases where Stu is freely improvising as well.
You really sold me with Bechstein and Schimmel. And it's hard to find European piano in my area. And somehow it's not popular at all.
But couple days ago I found used Schimmel 116 from 2000s in my country. I know 116 is entry level of Schimmel, but can you please review it? I read that even it's entry level, the quality is still top notch.
I am very happy to hear that you've managed to find a Schimmel piano in your region! All German made Schimmels are impeccable instruments. The 116 cm height would be no exception. We will do our best to tackle the C116 in an upcoming review/comparison video. :)
Great video and excellent review, I would be interested in the C116, because of the Budget. Are there any features that are very different from your evaluations that I need to consider?
Hi Alessio! Thank you for tuning in and for the kind words! The C116 is simply the little brother to the C123. So, with that said, the specs and materials are virtually the same. The big difference is in the height of the instrument (116 cm vs 123 cm). A taller piano/scale design, allows for longer bass strings, which provides more clarity and power from the lower register as well as a larger soundboard, which leads to more resonance.
@@MerriamPianos Thank you for the clarification, I really appreciate it
Looking back on this great review (one might be forgiven for thinking you really adore this piano "and oh the sustain"!), I wondered how the sound and action compared with the Schimmel K122 and/or C124 and if so, does the K122 address your slight reservations about the treble, for example? Maybe you will be able to do a K122 review at some point? Many thanks.
Thanks for tuning in! We will do our best to tackle some of the Schimmel K series uprights in future reviews and comparisons. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
An interesting observation at 14:40, that the tops of the white keys are slightly glossy but there is a micro-texture on there. The Kawai K200, K300, K400 Professional upright pianos have very shiny white keys. The entire GL line of Kawai grand pianos GL-10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 also have high-gloss polished finish white keys, and they have no micro-texture that I am aware of, at least not that I could detect when I played them. They looked similar to the Yamaha GHS action with white shiny keys. You have to go to the GX grand piano series to get rid of the shiny white keys, in which case you get their Neotex finish. It is kind of satin, still a bit glossy.
Ivory has a slight texture compared to plastic. Ivory was outlawed due to the killing of elephants. Some years back the Japanese developed a synthetic ivory, but I haven't seen it in recent years. Stu is not a fan of shinny keys. They don't bother me. I put a dull finish on my CASIO by rubbing the key tops with a fresh green Scotch-bright pad. I'm not going to do that with my Yamaha DGX.
@@JoeLinux2000 I don't think he has a problem with high gloss shiny keys on many Kawai pianos, which are acrylic, not ivory imitation. He has reviewed 3 of them: K200, K300, and GL-20, and did not seem bothered with the shiny finish on the white keys, which are as shiny as the white keys in the Yamaha GHS action, and have no texture. He typically mentions the shiny keys when he reviews Yamaha basic digital pianos (like the P125), but not when he reviews Kawai acoustic pianos (lower range).
@@Instrumental-Covers key texture would probably be the last thing to concider when choosing between the P 125 and the ES 110 because it is somewhat temporary on the ES 110🎹🎶
@@MERCEDES-BENZS600GUARD_V12 Does the ES110 have a textured finish on the white keys? I haven't seen an ES110 in a long time, so I don't remember. I know Kawai says it has matte key surfaces.
@@Instrumental-Covers when new yes it does🎹🎶
Stu is playing here:
0:56
6:33
12:14
13:37
14:56
18:19 Ode to Sustain
Stu→ music.ruclips.net/p/PLSRTi6EnZNJb6esjkuFY52PGbG3qCSJo_
---
Exquisite piece :-)
Stu, let me see your "WarFace" ruclips.net/video/kkDoaqGsO14/видео.html
I mean "Piano Face", like Keith Jarrett or something ;-)
We have a glimpse here.
The s#!t on your side of the pond is spreading from the fan right now, and it just a beginning.
We gonna need someone who can delicately play with the heart of music, to keep bright and romatic human feelings alive.
Someone to help us "escape" from the pathologies of life.
Can i ask for "Playing Demo" with this Schimmel?
WOW
The C123 is a spectacular piano with tons of musicality! :)
have you played the schimmel 116? how does it compare to this one? Was looking at buying a used one because the price for a new one is way above my range. If space were not an issue, would you recommend a used lower tier baby grand over a used schimmel 116? I absolutely love the schimmel sound, but can't spend more than 10k USD, otherwise I'd look at other options!
Hi! Brent here! The C116 will have a similar tonal profile, but, naturally, being a shorter instrument, it will have less tonal and dynamic range than the C123. Furthermore, the bass section will not be as robust and clear. With that said, it is still a remarkable piano from one of the greatest piano manufacturers of all-time! While there are many benefits from an action perspective to playing a grand piano (as Stu discussed in various videos), as far as sound goes, a higher quality upright with nicer materials will generally yield a more musical and nuanced tone. So, from that perspective, a higher quality Schimmel upright will outperform a lower quality grand tonally speaking. :)
@@MerriamPianos would you say that the sound of a schimmel that is 30 or so years old would be similar to what the current schimmels sound like? or have they gone through significant evolution since then? I love the sound of the C123 but cannot afford a new one so am looking at used schimmels such as 118T or C116
Can I ask(cant find exactly info)
Does C121 have same 'grand opening lid'? or has just regular lid, I ask because I find regular lid more useful for recording without remove front panel
Thanks!
Thanks for the question! Unfortunately, we don't have a C121 in stock at the moment on any of our showroom floors to confirm that. Perhaps, one of our community members here that has a C121 can confirm. With that said, my guess would be that it would have the same style lid as the other C series uprights as the design elements and materials tend to be the same within a series. It is mainly just the height that is the variable from model to model.
@@MerriamPianos Thanks!❤️🙌🏻🙏🏼
I went to the Schimmel website and noticed that they say the C123 is only available for the Chinese market (Pearl River purchased a controlling interest in Schimmel in 2016). I don't see the C123 listed among the 16 Schimmel pianos that Merriam Music has when I click the link they provide. Is this piano just a demo from the company?
Interesting. I would also like to know why🎹🎶
That is not true all the Classic models (made in Germany) are available to North America.I do not know if he is an authorized dealer of Schimmel because he is always comparing it to CBechstein.
@@mauriceschmidt2550 I would like to know then why that information is stated in their website.
You have to listen to a schimmel to appreciate that tone...
Sounds like no other piano.
I couldn't agree more! Schimmel pianos are among the most expressive and beautifully voiced in the world. I would definitely encourage any pianist to take advantage of an opportunity to experience the musicality of a Schimmel. :)
The jazzy sound is better for this piano as I hear it.
Just to clarify, 123 cm (I assume the "123" refers to centimeters of height) = 48.4 inches, not 49.5 inches...
Yes! That is correct. :)
Repeatation speed is much better than kawai GL series..
Do you agree?
Hi! Brent from Merriam Music here! While physics still favours a grand piano, there are other aspects that will affect the repetition speed and overall responsiveness of the action. With that said, I have not personally done any side-by-side comparisons with the C123 and GL models, so I cannot comment as to which is faster. It would be an interesting test though! :)
@@MerriamPianos thanks for the reply sir
It would be great for people if you can post a comparison video on low end grand versus mid range upright. We would highly appreciate that..
Awaiting your video soon.
12:25-12:55 on the tip of my tongue where this is from, or rather i continue to play more of it in my head but i'm not able to quite place it. Even the composer is eluding me just now :/
Lol 5 seconds later - it is the Grieg mvmnt 2 :))) just came to me
Schimmel: Clarion clear in upper range, profound in delivery.
The Schimmel C123 is a very beautiful sounding instrument! It has wonderful clarity and colour, particularly in the upper register.
Didn't know Jim Halpert has moved on from the paper business.
I see the struggle on finding words to describe the sound of each piano. Im wondering if a frequency analysis could help understand the quality of different pianos
I doubt it, I have an oscilloscope, and you can hear more than you can see in the wave form.
@@JoeLinux2000 I don't think an oscilloscope would be particularly useful to analyze a wave form. However, a frequency analysis provides an insight in the frequency distribution. It is accomplished by using a Fourier Transform, a mathematical procedure to decompose a wave form into its individual frequencies.
I would rather prefer an analytical language to describe a piano tone rather than a totally subjective one that uses phrases like "Piano X all the way", "Piano X sounded best", etc. In this channel, as you know, typically, X = Kawai.
Schimmel sounds better than my home Yamaha upright (M1E). In other words, it sounds deeper than Yamaha M1E with resonance.
The Schimmel C123 is an extraordinary instrument to say the least! It is very difficult to find other uprights that can compete with its wonderful musicality. :)
Sounds like a Yamaha on steroids!
Haha that is a pretty bang on analogy! :)
This piano belongs in a small rural church.
Sound like Yamaha
There are certainly some similarities to the tonal profile. They definitely verge on the brighter end of the tone spectrum. With that said, the Schimmel C series uprights and grands are capable of immense nuance and expressivity. :)