Marcus describes the difference in mechanism between a silent upright piano and a standard one. The main difference is in the action: with the silent system, the let-off distance is increased, meaning that it’s not so sensitive when playing softly. On a normal upright this can as little as 3mm, making very sensitive playing. With the silent system, this has to be increased. On the Yamaha MP300S for instance, this is set at 6-8mm. Feurich has managed to reduce this to about 4mm.
We recommend coming in to try the pianos in stock. As you can hear, they vary in tone. Marcus points out the difference in bass string length, being the factor for richness in bass frequency tone, or lack of. However, he stresses the important point which is often overlooked: you play most of your pieces in the middle of the piano. It is the area in which most piano practice is done. We recommend focusing your decision on this area of the piano you choose, with lower bass and very top treble as complementary to a good middle of a piano.
