Whether you want a glorious Steinway grand, or a nifty rental for the kids to experiment, or are upsizing (or downsizing) or just curious, The Piano Shop Kent run by Nigel Scaife is the place for you. Warwick Thompson discovers a treasure trove
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When you were a child, did you ever get taken to shops containing expensive and beautiful objects? If you did, how many times did your exasperated parents wail ‘Don’t touch!’ or ‘Put it down!’ or any other such admonitory phrase? In my own case – I was an alarmingly butter-fingered little tot – I can reveal it was too many to count. Nigel Scaife, owner of The Piano Shop Kent, often hears these phrases, mainly from parents who are terrified that their little darlings are going to ruin one of his pristine Blüthners or Bechsteins or Kawais. |
‘And the first thing I say is: No! You can play any piano you want!’ he responds. ‘I tell the children: They are all here to be played. Just wander round and enjoy yourself. And you know what? Everyone has a whale of a time.’
And it’s not just kids who love coming to his Aladdin’s Cave of pianos. Adult beginners, retirees who want to get back to playing, local professionals (he can count the guitarist John Williams, actor David Suchet, and the rare-repertoire virtuoso Daniel Grimwood among his clientele) all are guaranteed a happy time. If you’re looking for the piano of your dreams, you’re pretty sure to have those dreams realized here.
You don’t need to take my word for it. The unabated run of 5-star reviews on Google from satisfied customers is proof. ‘This place is a little bit of piano heaven. There are no hard sales, and you meet a dedicated craftsman who is keen as you are that you make the right choice,’ said one delighted pianist recently. Another commented, ‘The service we received was friendly, expert and honest.’ It goes on: ‘An incredible array of pianos for musicians of any calibre’. ‘Could not have been more helpful.’
Enjoyment is everything
It’s worth noting that Nigel runs a restoration workshop, too, and it is as highly regarded as the sales room: ‘My much-loved (and much played) 1913 Bechstein Model 10 has just returned from restoration work with Nigel, and I am absolutely delighted with the result’ says yet another happy piano owner.
Not a single review (of over a hundred) gives less than five stars. How does he keep the bar so high? ‘First of all, I’d stress that we really don’t do hard selling, just like the reviews say. I love it when people come in and spend as much time as they want, trying different pianos, taking their time. Comparison is key. I think everyone enjoys themselves when they come here.’
But that can’t be the only reason? ‘We get lots of comments about the sheer range of stock too. We sell all sorts of pianos. There are shiny black pianos, like our Yamaha U1 and U3 uprights, but we also restore pianos, so we have older German instruments such as Bechsteins and Blüthners too. The fact that we have our own workshop makes us stand out a little bit, because not all piano shops have that facility, or the sorts of skill sets that we have. And I must give a shout-out to our great French polisher Chris Harvey who does an amazing job. The look he creates is phenomenal.’
So, success comes down to a combination of factors. The Piano Shop Kent has the expertise to re-string pianos, repair soundboards, put new dampers on, restore keyboards, and revoice instruments. There’s a wealth of great stock. All this, and a truly friendly service too.
It’s not just a generalised bonhomie. Nigel is very careful to discover as clearly as possible exactly what the customer is looking for, whether it be a bright clear sound, or something more mellow, or a sonorously rich bass, or a singing treble. ‘I try to explore the aesthetic sound world they have in mind of their perfect piano, and then steer them in that direction. But it’s remarkable, when you have a chance to try out so many different kinds of piano in one go, how your preconceived ideas can change.’
From my own experience, I know how finding the right match can be an experience that really lifts your playing to a higher level. ‘Absolutely. I often say that every piano has its own personality, and you won’t know what it is until you try. But I try to play a part in the process too: I listen carefully myself to which instrument I think they sound best on. I look up and think: Wow, that sounds really good! They seem better on that one than on the two or three they’ve played before. It’s all about the connection to the instrument, how the weight of your arm falls on the keys, how your fingers respond to the touch… there are so many indefinable things.’
A piano, whether upright or grand, is also a large piece of furniture for any room to take, and the visual aesthetic is important. ‘Is the potential buyer or renter looking for something shiny black, or warm brown, or dark varnish? All these things matter.’
Restorations and rentals
A significant part of the business hovers around the ‘sweet spot’ of restored and reconditioned uprights up to the £3,000 mark. But there are less and more expensive items too, of course. ‘There is always going to be a market for a second-hand Yamaha: it’s really a staple. But we have excellent second-hand and restored pianos of many other makes too, especially quality English brands such as Knight, Welmar and Broadwood. And I have a separate showroom for top-drawer reconditioned Steinway grands: we’ve got some superb models at the moment. You really have to come and look – and play of course!’
There’s always the case that your beloved young offspring won’t actually take to their new instrument, and throw a tantrum after just five lessons. It’s a huge outlay for something so uncertain. But here again, Nigel can help. He runs an excellent ‘rent to buy’ scheme, aimed at cautious parents. In short, you will receive 50% of your rent back at the end of a year if you then decide to buy the piano. (There are other time/percentage variations available too, all displayed on the shop website.) ‘The vast majority of renters end up buying, which is great news for their kids, and also it means I can keep the rental costs down.’
As an extra incentive to visit the showroom (if any were needed), there are also some truly stunning early pianos in the shop, including a Broadwood once owned by George IV, and a Chopin-era Pleyel. ‘They’re part of my personal collection, and so not really part of my main commercial activity, but people still love to come and look at them, and we do hire them out for period-instrument concerts.’
Nigel – an alumnus of the Royal College of Music – confesses that his own playing has taken a back seat in recent years, although he is always more than happy to demonstrate on his pianos. ‘I’m hoping to get my piano chops back when I retire, when I can practise a good solid three hours a day,’ he says.
I can’t think of a better place to begin than his own remarkable showroom.