Faux baby grand piano - hire thereof

[Ynot]

I've got a booking for a well known personage coming to my venue next season for one of these anecdotal type performances ('An evening with....' sort of thing) and whilst everything on the very simple rider is fine, except that they need a concert tuned baby grand piano as a minimum for the show.

Now, having explained the fact that we don't own a grand of any sort (and have nowhere to store it even if we had) we are looking at compromises that are 'doable'.

The hiring of a baby grand - whilst feasible in theory - is likely to stretch the budget too far - removal firms capable of delivery aren't common (or cheap!) and acclimatisation/tuning would have to be programmed in.

A good quality electric instrument is being looked at, but understandably they've said that the piano is part of 'the scenery' as it were.

 

So my next thought was on whether there are any faux grand piano shells which can take an electric piano keyboard so we get the best of both worlds...

 

I do recall there being a topic on this a while back but haven't found it yet...

Any thoughts?

 

E2A - just found one 2013 thread that one member said they had one, (and have PM'd them) but open to other feedback.

[alistermorton]

We've hired one from a local group to us - I'll see if I can find out where it came from. It's lightweight but surprisingly convincing.

 

This is it in "Glorius"

 

http://www.millercentretheatre.org/images/201415/glorious/Glorious11.jpg

 

[Stuart91]

There's a company local to me that have one - it was built for Lionel Ritchie and they have various "inserts" available so that different electronic keyboards can fit snugly in place.

 

Obviously it's not going to be feasible for this job, but they do exist. Might be worth phoning round backline companies in your local area.

[Biskit]

There are actually digital baby grand pianos available which may provide an option for you - they look like a baby grand, have a lid which lifts up and everything, but of course no tuning required. You may find a removal firm more easily too as they aren't (quite!) as heavy as an acoustic one. I imagine a music/piano shop close to you may be able to arrange hire - it's a relatively common thing for pianists on tour or coming from abroad requiring a hired piano to practice on, so the request shouldn't be met with incredulity!

[MarkPAman]

Got anybody with woodworking skills? The one here doesn't look tooo challenging for someone who knows what they're doing.......http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif

Link

 

http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif

[paulears]

When we had one of these, and the one I'm thinking of said in the rider - baby grand, an electric wasn't on the options list - his musical director wanted a grand and we always hire one in from our local source Allens Music in Yarmouth. They do deliver all over the country, and price, even for us, was quite doable, and Mr O'Connor was happy.

[alistermorton]

Apparently we (Miller Centre Theatre) hired ours from Hayes Players. It has a flat keyboard area, painted with keys, which could take an electronic keyboard.

 

Hayes players website.

 

 

May be a little inconvenient to Nuneaton ...

 

An email to info at hayesplayers.co.uk might not be a complete waste of time, though.

[J Pearce]

Eventz in Newport have a shell (and can supply a keyboard to fit). They're quite regularly up in the midlands, so delivery isn't necessarily ridiculous.