pianos

I keep going back and forth on whether I should get a new keyboard or
not. If I were to buy one, I'd want a really really nice one, one
that sounds a lot like a piano, has 88 keys, and weighted keys,
amongst less important features. However, I keep noticing in life
that sometimes waiting and buying something seemingly "too expensive"
or "too difficult" is really the better way to go, rather than getting
something cheaper/more portable/more numerous and later being
immensely dissatisfied with it. So, I'm slowly coming to the
conclusion that perhaps a new keyboard is not my answer, but rather, a
piano. This brought about a new problem. Would I be happy with an
upright? Do I only want a grand because they look so cool?

Consequently, I have recently read about some concerns over grands vs
uprights.

Speed. This is, by far, an issue for me right up front. As soon as I
read about it, memories sprung forth of a few pianos I have had the
pleasure of pounding on a bit. I've played a several uprights over
the years, and only one or two grands. By play, I mean, I got to
pound out a few songs that I'd memorized on my keyboards, one of which
is decently fast, because I created it; it's simple, and my fingers
like to _move_. Apparently the keys on an upright MUST return to the
original position before you can re-depress them. Grands, on the
other hand, do not. I remember at least one upright preventing my
song from going full speed ahead, and it felt to me that the keys were
taking _forever_ to come back up. The grand, on the other hand,
seemed very responsive to my touch, as weak as it was.

Tone. I want a nice, mellow tone, with a good range. To date, most
uprights I've played seemed tinny or harsh compared to the grands,
which are gentler-sounding.

Size. I knew size to be important, but figured a small baby grand was
always better than an upright because the strings were horizontal and
so was the sounding board. Plus, there's the cover that you raise
that lets some of the sound out! Well, I was wrong. Grands smaller
than 5' are not worth getting for the most part if you want good
sound. Many uprights will actually sound better. So, that told me
that I'd have to have at least a 5'1" piano or else I'd be unhappy.

Room size. This is why I'd want an upright over a grand. However,
with all I've read, I'd be willing to sacrifice more room to a 6'
grand rather than put up with harsher tones in an upright combined
with the less responsive nature of one.

Now, the question is, where the heck would I put this thing? Assuming
we stay in this house for some time, anything larger than a 6' would
be silly due to room size. That's a given. The room I current use as
my den would likely be best. That would mean moving my computers
around significantly. I can deal with that. I think I have a spot in
mind, then.

When?! Well, considering the pricetag (probably $12K unless I find a
good used one), I'd say several years after the house is paid off.
This might be a while. However, I'll think about it for a few years
and get back to you on that. After all, the house will be paid off
much faster than originally expected...

~nv