Allegro Pianos

I had a mixed opinion about this place. I came here after school one day, hoping to play some of the exotic pianos advertised on their site, after I stumbled upon it looking at Blüthner pianos. It popped up, and I saved it in my bookmarks. I saw they had an NYC showroom, so I came there after school one day with my dad unexpectedly and without a planned appointment. All I wanted to do was play some of the pianos, but I got WAY more. When I first walked in, the owner, Ori Bukai was standing at the front desk, almost as if he was waiting for me. He took us to the back room, which is where most of the extremely expensive pianos are. Bosendorfer, Blüthner, Steinway, Steingraeber and Sohne, Yamaha, and Estonia pianos all adorned the showroom. I was amazed. Once I came into the back room, he talked our HEADS off, and gave us that whole sales pitch that you normally get from real estate agents and car salesman. I waited probably 30 – 60 minutes before I actually played the piano, hearing him talk about his deals, his exchange and reimbursement policies, demonstrating MANY songs and the different pianos. Another thing I didn’t like was how he put down Yamaha and Steinway, saying that the German instruments are top notch, saying that famous artists compose on the piano brands he carried, and only play Steinways on stage because of contracts and deals. Steinway is a much bigger company, and has the ability to make such deals, while these German companies are small and distribute their products in limited companies. I for one was a little upset. While I’m not a Steinway fanboy, they still sound amazing, they’re handmade and they’re a household name. Although I can tell you, I’m not a fan of the Yamaha pianos, due to the resonance and lack of richness to sounds, but they are my second favorite electric piano brand. Once I actually played a full song, he noticed how mechanical my playing was (due to my extremely bad electric piano at home, which isn’t weighted) and told me to soften up my playing. I did, and I’m proud to say that now I play much better and now every note is heard and savored, regardless of the piano I play. He continued to do the same, and showed me some electric pianos in a separate room by a Japanese brand named Shigeru Kawai, which to him are some of the best electrics on the market. I laughed when he showed us some of the funny noises, and my dad did too. His coworker was breathtakingly talented, playing at tempos unimaginable while still looking and talking to us. She was also very nice, but more into the classical genre, while I’m more a fan of Billy Joel, Elton John, John Lennon and the like. We were preparing to leave, and he gave us a TON of information, showing customer testimony to us, and brand catalogs. We left, and we’re still amazed. I came back on other days when he wasn’t there, and still played their magnificent instruments. Behind the desk this time was another employee, who was nice, sweet and let us breath. She didn’t try to make us buy anything, or give us a sales pitch, simply noting I just wanted to play the pianos and let me free. Overall, I would recommend this place, they’re full of every piano (with the exception of the C. Bechstein Pianos and the Mason and Hamlin, which are sold next door at Faust Harrison Pianos), have instruments that are rare and expensive, but I also would have to contradict my own statement, due to the fact that Allegro’s owner, Ori Bukai, was a little too much to handle. While he is passionate, nice and knowledgeable, I felt like most of the time of my first visit he was on top of me, and didn’t give me that much freedom, talking nearly every 2 minutes.