Any jazzer around?

I'm by no means a good piano player (I would say not even competent), but I do love jazz piano (and Ye Olde stuff too ).  I have the Steinway D and the K2 and since v6 the K2 has become much more interesting to me (but it's hard to escape the D - keep going back).  I have the Kremsegg 2 pack ("ye olde pianos") and I rather like using them as well (for anything - don't get stuck into thinking in terms of modern piano only).  I particularly like the Frenzel and the Bechstein (in the Kremsegg 2 pack).

With the sale on I suspect I will not be able to resist the Bluethner for long : hard to not find that sound attractive for jazz.  The Steingraeber is also on my list (OK, they're all on my list, but those are the top suspects).

I find that since v6 (and the 6.5 update) I'm finding far more scope in the Steinway and K2 than I had been.  I have no idea why, but they seem to have a lot more richness and variety in them (via customization and microphone/reverb settings) than they had before.  The K2 used to sound a little artificial in the range just below middle C and now it sounds really a lot more natural.  I've noticed since v6 that the number of FXPs being made seems to have dropped off - I think Modartt have really nailed down the realism to the point where FXPs aren't needed as much - YMMV.

For jazz I think you should consider upgrading to Standard (from Stage).  You get the microphone placement and other tweaking features and I really think the microphone settings are a huge thing - it just changes the sound so much it's hard to describe until you play around with it.  I have not regretted upgrading from Stage to Standard at all - just the microphone settings makes it worth it, IMO.  The ability to load full FXPs and the impulse reverb features and tweaking make it a must have - more so than additional instruments.

Version 6+ has really changed my wishlist.  The sounds have evolved to the point where there isn't much "missing" (that I can tell) and instruments I didn't use much (like the K2) are now really getting a lot more attention.  I think I've spent more time with the K2 than the D since v6.

If you're not upgrading to Standard (do first, IMO) then consider the Kremsegg 2 pack (Frenzel and Bechstein 1899 - personal bias) or the Bluethner Model One (probably better for jazz).

I'm a very amateurish self-taught piano player, and have always (modestly) played jazz first (mostly free impro or personal compositions for my own pleasure, also standards with a female singer friend for a few years). I bought PTQ Stage with Steinway Model D and K2 grand piano, then I bought the C. Bechstein DG and the Vibraphones. I plan to buy the Electric Pianos too.

I find that the C. Bechstein DG is the best for me : everything is very clear and never muddy.
Bass notes are very strong and sharply defined (good for walking bass lines, latin rhythm or big heavy fifth), chord voicings can be as soft or loud as you want while each note remains perfectly distinct and then treble notes are pure crystal !

Vibraphones are a guilty pleasure, highly recommended (think re-recording piano-vibraphones, ala Corea-Burton !).

By the way one of my favourite contemporary jazz player is jeff Gardner :
https://soundcloud.com/user-450537853/s...io-abra-os
What about yours ?

Hi,
Just wanted to say a big thank to Soel for introducing me to the Jeff Gardner Trio.
I have been putting together a nice quality hifi system Cambridge Audio SXA60 and
KEF LS50's etc. He plays just the type of music I want to hear (especially in the
evening) with the lights dimmed.
Chris

p.s. Playing Pianoteq (and Ravenscroft 275) through good quality amps and speakers
make such a difference to the sound.

i'm a jazz pianist.  i've purchased all the pianos except the Kremsegg collections (and am probably going to get them too), so i've tried many different things.  my favorites are

Bechstein DG
Steinway B
Petrof
Steingraber
Grotrian
Bluethner

the U4 is also fun, as are the electric pianos.

for me the most significant things about getting a sound i like are the mic configuration and the reverb.  a lot of the classical presets use distant mic setups to get the ambience of a large space, along with a large chamber reverb (like medium hall etc).  the sounds i'm after tend to have a fairly close mic setup and "smaller" reverbs, unless i'm trying to get that big ECM sound.  i wish i knew more about what i'm doing; i've learned a lot from the experts in this forum, but i'm still an amateur.

one useful thing for experimenting is to freeze the parameters for the mics of a preset you like, and then try it out on different pianos.   for example one of my favorites is a variation of the Bechstein Recording 2 preset.  you can take that mic setup and apply it to other pianos.  the Steinway D Jazz preset has a very interesting mic config to check out.

Steinway B is my current favorite ...

I also play the D, Bluethner, and Steingraeber ... but the B is my go-to these days.

cheers,

Jack