libby
Our New Baby
Posts: 4
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Post by libby on Sept 21, 2007 20:53:38 GMT -5
I couldn't resist...even though I'm on a strict AG diet these days. But the piano was just calling my name. It came yesterday and here are my initial thoughts:
(1) very easy for an adult to assemble; (2) shiny black plastic could scratch easily; (3) foot pedal extension is very well-built with stiff metal wire running down to the metal foot pedals; (4) the scale is ever-so-slightly too small for me, but I'll forgive that; Felicity's table can just slide over the top of the piano with the piano lid closed lid closed; (5) the pre-recorded songs were obviously created by computer with a strict metronome rhythm...no ritardano, no dynamics, no feeling; no one will be inspired to learn to play the piano listening to these ditties; they're actually pretty long; (6) bench looks nice, but it's just a fairly thin plastic box with legs; the lid is unattached; (7) I'm not sure how well this will hold up to rigorous play, but I'm an adult collector and I'm pretty pleased with it. (8) the "strings" inside the piano are just printed on paper; but they look detailed. (9) real metal, full-length "piano hinge" on the top; lid lifts with a bar to support it in a realistic position.
I like it. B+ I think. $80...whew...but I have such a hard time putting a reasonable value on these things that I covet so much!!
Libby
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Post by Memory on Sept 21, 2007 21:37:14 GMT -5
Do the piano keys really play if you strike them?
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libby
Our New Baby
Posts: 4
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Post by libby on Sept 23, 2007 19:04:52 GMT -5
Yes! With batteries, the keys play. There are 3 octaves: from the 2nd B below middle C to the 2nd B above middle C. They had to compress the octaves when they recorded Fur Elise!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2009 14:54:34 GMT -5
I think the piano is really cute and a great accessory (most of my girls play piano because I do), but I hate how hard it is for the dolls to sit at the piano! I have to have mine awkwardly balanced so their bottoms are not on the bench, which leaves black marks on their legs. (Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of this, I'll try to remember to take one soon.) Other than that, I love it, though. I wish the music in the piano books were a little more challenging, or contained the recorded pieces (Fur Elise is one of them, there's a Bach one, and I don't remember the other right now). Pictures: Margie plays the piano. Notice that she is sitting strangely You can see here how Marjorie is balanced on her knees to adequately reach the keyboard with her fingers (Usually I have them wear skirts so you can't see how awkward this is) One of my favorite pictures =) The girls' little piano currently resides on top of our grand, so when I play, I face my dollies playing. I've gotten a lot of compliments on that setup! Overall, I'd give it an A-. The minus is for how they can't actually sit at it, haha.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2009 4:49:14 GMT -5
Okay, here are some more pictures of what I was talking about in my previous post: Black marks on Marjorie's legs from sitting at the piano bench. The black marks only appear on bare vinyl, so if your dolls are wearing tights, there's no problem (Samantha is currently sitting there, and her white tights are spotless). I haven't tried to remove it yet, mostly because I always forget it's there. (Marjorie could use a touchup anyway, I haven't cleaned her properly since I got her in 1996.) This is how the girls have to sit in order to put their hands properly at the piano. I photographed Marjorie in her culottes for the sake of detail, but she looks much too strange to actually stay at the piano in that outfit. Here is a lovely closeup of Samantha's butt. This is how she sits to play the piano (I lifted her skirt up to show detail). When the skirt is folded down, she looks fairly normal, as seen in this picture: Hope that helps somebody!
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Post by happymargaret on Sept 14, 2011 13:55:50 GMT -5
I have the first electronic piano that was retired. From the pictures, and description, the 2011 piano appears to be the same piano. There was a problem with surface scratching on the top of the first piano and maybe that is why it was retired. The piano I received had no problems, except what was above mentioned about the bare vinyl doll legs somehow reacting with the piano bench seat. In fact I was able to remove the black lines from the doll legs, but 2 dulled small lines remain on my bench seat where the doll legs came in contact with the finish. As a previous poster mentioned, I too, now make sure there is something between the seat and doll legs such as pants, dress, etc. I thought about making a little seat cover, but have not done so as of yet. The kids love playing the piano and have put it alongside of Molly's theater for recitals. They were a little frustrated trying to get a doll to seat on the bench just right, so they used the wheel chair and it worked perfectly. The doll hands can be positioned so that it looks like she is actually playing the piano. The 3 classical songs sound wonderful to me, and when switched to be able to manually play the keys, although electronic, it really does sound like a well tuned piano. The price this time around is more than what I previously paid, and yes it is still plastic, and one cannot roughhouse with it (not that anyone would). The piano shows well, performs well, and most importantly, I like it and so do the kids. I would buy it again.
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