by Stephen N. Reed
In 2022, you may well be told that the premier piano model you want to buy is not available at the moment. Why? Because piano companies like Steinway & Sons have an interesting problem on their hands.
Sales of their new grands and uprights have been so strong in the past year that those seeking those same models this year may have to wait for their piano to be produced.
In the case of Steinway, their American factory in Astoria, New York –which services the entire Western hemisphere–simply can’t keep up with demand.
Yes, Steinway is on it, and production is being gradually increased, as the company trains skilled workers. However, this increase in production is never at the expense of the quality that is Steinway’s trademark.
This kind of limited supply is rare in the piano industry, and typically such supply catches up with demand in a relatively short amount of time.
Nevertheless, a piano brand of choice having limited supply could pose a problem to the individual or institution who needs their new piano by a certain date.
In these times, what course of action should a piano buyer take to have the best chance of securing their preferred model when they need it? We’ll explore this course of action below.
At M. Steinert & Sons, we have helped customers with limited supply issues during five wars and one Great Depression. For over 160 years, we have learned how to secure quality new and used pianos for a wide range of customers. Our Premier Dealer status gives us a unique advantage in securing pianos in these remarkable times.
By the end of this article, you’ll know what you can do, in tandem with a Steinway Authorized Dealer, to obtain your preferred premium model of piano by your deadline.
2021 was an outstanding year for Steinway piano sales, better than expected. As a result, the company is making the necessary adjustments to increase production.
“Demand has simply outstripped supply right now,” says M. Steinert & Sons President Brendan Murphy. “So each Authorized Steinway Dealer has been allocated a finite number of new Steinways this year. Because M. Steinert has represented Steinway & Sons pianos for well over a century, our allocation is greater than many dealers and has a greater number of larger Steinways, like the popular Model B.”
Brendan notes that those needing a piano by a certain date will want to place an order sooner than later.
“Though we have been allocated a certain number of Steinways, they aren’t made yet but will get here throughout the year as they are finished,” says Brendan.
Placing your deposit puts you at the top of the waitlist. Upon receipt of the piano at our Service Center, the piano will be fully prepped by our factory-trained technicians and you will be invited in for a private showing. Our technicians are dedicated and talented and will work with you to make sure you are happy.
If you prefer to wait for the next piano to arrive from the factory, you may do so. No piano will be delivered until you are fully satisfied.
Here are the steps to go through while waiting for a new Steinway this year:
With a little bit of advanced planning, a new Steinway or another premium piano can still be purchased, despite the current limited supply. Check in with your Authorized Steinway Dealer like M. Steinert & Sons to determine what we have allocated and when you can expect your desired model to be available.
If you can wait, purchasing the new Steinway you really want will be worth it. After all, these popular models have a limited supply for a reason.
But if you need your piano sooner, we’ve got you covered with new models from Boston and Essex, the two Steinway-designed brands, as well as a range of top used models.
Learn more about new and used pianos in the article below:
New vs. Used Steinway: Which is the better value for me?
By Stephen N. Reed
Entering the used piano market as a first-time seller can be intimidating. You want to get a decent price for your piano while not taking too long to sell it.
At M. Steinert & Sons, we have been buying used pianos at a fair price for over 160 years. While we’re one of your options for selling your piano, we’re not your only option.
By the end of this article, you will have learned about some options for those who want to sell their used pianos in the Boston area. You will also understand what stores like M. Steinert’s look for when they buy a used piano.
If you have a used piano that you are wanting to sell but have little knowledge of brands and the musical value, you will want to find a piano technician or piano consultant to give you an estimated value. They can give you a decent estimate of your piano’s value.
You need to know that before you sell. After all, what could be worse than selling a used piano, only to find after the sale that it was worth much more?
Formal written appraisals are a worthwhile investment (usually $300-600) if you think you have a piano of significant worth. You can find an independent technician at ptg.org.
The internet has allowed people to sell anything online, including their pianos. You can list your piano on sites like e-Bay, Craigslist, or even in local newspaper classifieds. You and a buyer agree on a price. We recommend including a $300-$600 moving fee to be paid by the buyer if you’re selling in the private market or online.
Another online option is Pianomart. Pianomart is an online, national piano store that buys and sells a wide range of used upright and grand pianos.
Selling a piano online has its pros and cons.
One advantage to selling a used piano on sites Pianomart or Craigslist is the sheer number of viewers who will see your ad or listing.
However, there is a downside. Despite the number of eyeballs viewing your listing, online sales in the private market can take longer than selling to a local piano store, depending on the quality of your used piano.
Plus, if you use a site like Pianomart, they receive a 3% commission off the selling price. Additionally, a local piano store will know its full value more than many online viewers.
The pros and cons are exactly reversed when selling your piano to a local piano store. The piano store wants to make a profit on the future sale of your used piano. So you might make less from a sale to a local piano store.
However, on the positive side, working with a local piano store provides you with the safe and secure removal offered by the professional piano store movers. Another plus when working with a piano store is that the sale can be immediate, and the cost of moving the piano is typically assumed by the piano store.
In the Greater Boston area, East Cambridge Piano seeks good, used pianos. Their online inventory page suggests that they take a wide range of brands and models including Bechstein, Sojin, Yamaha, and Samick.
M. Steinert & Sons is a good example of a piano store that is always looking for top-of-the-line used pianos. A store like M. Steinert’s has a customer base that wants assurance that a used piano still has strong musical value and longevity for many years to come.
Their customers are typically willing to pay a little extra for the peace of mind that comes from dealing with an established store. For this reason, M. Steinert’s can usually make a competitive offer for your piano.
“As a longtime Authorized Steinway Dealer, M. Steinert is always looking for good, used Steinways, whether grands or uprights,” says Brendan Murphy, President of M. Steinert & Sons. “Occasionally we’ll even buy an old Steinway just for the style and design of its case so that we can have it rebuilt.”
Brendan notes that M. Steinert will also buy used pianos from the Steinway-designed lines Boston and Essex. M. Steinert also purchases some Yamaha and Kawai models that are under 30 years of age.
Given a temporary shortage of new pianos, M. Steinert & Sons is actively purchasing quality used pianos.
An interesting detail of such piano company purchases is the finish on the pianos.
“A natural finish on a used piano shows wear and tear,” Brendan notes. “It can fade over time. Plus many of these finishes, like cherry, are no longer in fashion. So we prefer ebony finish, which goes with everything and doesn’t go out of style.”
To understand better what an authorized brand dealer offers both piano buyers and sellers, check out the following article:
What does it mean to be an Authorized Steinway Dealer?
By Stephen N. Reed
How does the word “vintage” strike you? In the familiar context of a “vintage automobile” or a fine “vintage for wine,” it seems to be an adjective with a favorable connotation. But in the world of used Steinway pianos, “vintage” can be either a positive or a negative, even deceptive term.
Unless buyers do their homework before purchase, they can bring home a so-called “vintage” Steinway that has half (or less) the value and a reduced lifespan compared to what they were told by the seller.
How sad one would feel to realize later that a seller convinced you that their kind of “vintage” used Steinway, built in a supposed “Golden Age” year for Steinway pianos, was really just an old Steinway with a superficial facelift.
At M. Steinert & Sons, we are determined to not let that happen to you, whether you are a prospective buyer or just browsing. Since 1860, we’ve helped thousands of satisfied customers negotiate their way through the world of high-quality pianos. Our goal is to help you find the right piano for you–and to avoid being hoodwinked by low-end piano sellers.
By the end of this article, you’ll know better how to discern a good vintage used Steinway from a hybrid used Steinway with non-Steinway parts. Let’s first take a look at the good vintage Steinways in the company’s Heirloom Collection.
You can tell that Steinway & Sons wants to distinguish their Heirloom Collection of rebuilt vintage Steinways from poseurs who simply call any used Steinway from the past “vintage.”
For starters, Steinway markets their Heirloom collection as not only vintage but also “Certified,” to alert the prospective buyer that these are high-quality instruments. Indeed, Steinway notes on their website that the Heirloom Collection was created “to distinguish the finest, rebuilt vintage Steinways in the world.”
Some customers, for sentimental reasons or even ‘style’ preference, may want to restore a unique older piano with a unique cabinet design to a modern, playable instrument.
Heirloom Collection vintage Steinways are rebuilt by highly-skilled artisans at the Steinway Restoration Center in Walker, Iowa. In addition to refurbishing Heirloom Collection pianos, The Center takes in Steinways from institutions, piano technicians, private individuals as well as Authorized Steinway Dealers like M. Steinert & Sons.
Importantly, pianos restored by the Center always use genuine Steinway replacement parts. A complete, new Steinway action is used to completely replace the old.
The Center’s artisans have as their rebuilding standard to make an Heirloom Collection piano to play like new. As proof of Steinway’s confidence in their rebuilding work, all restoration work is backed by an all-inclusive, 5-year warranty, which is the same as for a new Steinway.
A dated certification record comes with the purchase of an Heirloom Collection piano to show that your piano has been restored by Steinway. In a sea of used Steinways today, this certification has real value.
The Steinway Restoration Center receives pianos shipped from all over the world. Once the Center’s work is completed, the rebuilt piano is returned to its owner completely restored.
The Steinway Diaphragmatic Soundboard plays a key role in producing the “Steinway Sound.” This patented soundboard is only available to Steinway, which does not sell its soundboards.
Thus, anytime a Steinway’s soundboard is replaced, only the Steinway Restoration Center can provide you with a genuine Steinway soundboard. Steinways are built to last, but their soundboards can have cracks that naturally occur with age.
As a result, any Steinways over 50 years old often receive a new Steinway soundboard at the Center.
In the end, the main advantage of buying a used Steinway from the Heirloom Collection is simple. You are tapping into Steinway knowledge, experience, facilities, and materials. No one else can give you that, which, in turn, means that no one else can give you a restored Steinway that bears two official Steinway imprints on your instrument.
First, it was handcrafted and birthed as a brand new piano by Steinway. Second, it has been restored by Steinway, which alone has the same kind of parts and skilled workers to render it worthy of a new 5-year warranty.
Still, all of this Steinway expertise costs money, leaving many to seek their options in the used Steinway market beyond those restored by Steinway.
A good used Steinway–with authentic Steinway parts and labor–can be found on the market for between $30,000-$90,000. Yes, such used Steinways do exist, but the problem is in finding them.
Without a skilled piano technician or a seasoned piano consultant as we have at M. Steinert & Son, many used Steinways can be passed off as being better and worth more than they really are.
But some used piano buyers go one step further, making an audacious claim, namely that a certain “Golden Age” of used Steinways are even better than new Steinways. Used Steinways built in the era of the 1920s and 30s are among the many older, “vintage “ Steinways which can be dressed up and made out to be rare jewels that deserve to fetch a higher price.
We rebutted that “Golden Age” of Steinways myth in a previous article, which debunks the claim that such “vintage” used Steinways can ever be better than a new Steinway of the same model.
Given the sheer number and wide variety of used Steinways on the market today, the careful buyer needs to understand the value of a Certified Pre-owned Steinway. Such a piano is the only way to make sure that authentic Steinway parts and skilled labor were used for any repairs.
A Certified Pre-owned Steinway has two advantages. First, such a piano is usually less expensive, at least at the beginning. Also, if it’s under ten years old, it has substantial playing life left in it.
But a non-Certified, used Steinway can be part of a murky market, where a “lemon” of a piano is always a possibility. Questions abound. Who did the maintenance work? Where did they get their parts? (If the seller is not an Authorized Steinway Dealer, they can’t get authentic Steinway parts.) How many people have owned the piano?
Non-Authorized Steinway Dealers know that they are up against a high standard with a Certified Pre-owned or Heirloom Collection Steinway. How to compete with Steinway or its authorized dealers, who alone have access to genuine Steinway parts and labor?
But if their non-Steinway parts and labor don’t work well, or if the soundboard is not certified, what a headache for the buyer who was so proud to bring a “vintage” Steinway home.
We’ve seen the difference between good vintage and bad vintage used Steinways in this article. The good vintage Steinways are those older models that have been completely restored with authentic Steinway parts and labor at the new Steinway Restoration Center in Walker, Iowa.
The restoration staff there does such finely-tuned work that Steinway is willing to stake its reputation by giving each of the Center’s restored pianos a five-year warranty–the same as a brand new Steinway.
But such a masterpiece in the Heirloom Collection can be pricey, as many of the pianos that are sent there are rare models. Add in the high-quality restoration process, and you can be looking at a six-figure piano.
The Certified Pre-owned Steinway piano is more affordable for many while providing peace of mind in knowing that it has passed through the certification process we have created at M. Steinert and Sons
The Certified Steinway is a sound compromise between the exceptional Heirloom Collection models and the so-called vintage used Steinways which often leave many questions unanswered as to any repairs or materials used to restore them.
The proof is in the pudding. Come into M. Steinert & Sons to play some Certified Pre-owned Steinways. One of our seasoned piano consultants can give you the background on any such pianos that we have in stock.
Yes, you can find an affordable used Steinway. Just make sure that you find it as a Certified Pre-owned Steinway to give yourself the security of knowing that your Steinway has plenty of life still in it and has passed our rigorous 88-point test.
To read more on buying used pianos, click here.
by Stephen N. Reed
You’ve decided that you can afford a good, used Steinway. You’ve heard of the “Certified Pre-owned” option, but you wonder if this is primarily a marketing term. But actually, that designation makes a big difference when it comes to a used Steinway.
If each unique, handcrafted Steinway is a little different when it comes out of the Astoria, NY factory, how much more different will they be after they have had several years of playing, exposure to humidity, and the natural effects of aging that any piano has?
Given the range of quality and age in used Steinways, you are well-advised to bring an expert with you to examine a piano you are interested in, much like bringing a mechanic to look into a used car you are considering. Otherwise, your used Steinway purchase could be a lemon.
What could be worse than spending thousands of dollars on a large musical instrument that, in the end, disappoints you? In short, you need to check out your piano and look beneath the hood, so you know what you’re getting.
M. Steinert & Sons has been dealing in new and used Steinways for over 150 years, making us the oldest Authorized Steinway Dealer in the world. The main reason we’ve been around this long is because of thousands of satisfied customers who feel that we helped them find the right piano for them.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of the used Steinway market and the value of a Certified Pre-owned Steinway from an Authorized Steinway Dealer.
What makes a Steinway piano is the design, along with the quality of the material used in its construction and the workers who build it. A used Steinway piano that departs from these essentials can become so different as to no longer have the touch, tone, and musical range of a Steinway.
In short, not all “rebuilt” Steinways are the same and deserve scrutiny as to the parts and labor used.
The Steinway Piano Gallery of Spokane has a helpful list of criteria when looking into the Used Steinway market:
The Steinway Certified Pre-owned piano program addresses all of these tough questions listed above in the affirmative. An Authorized Steinway Dealer has access to genuine Steinway parts and uses only such authentic parts in any needed repairs to a Steinway piano.
A Steinway technician in charge of such repairs has been to the Steinway factory for training within the last five years. In a piano over 20 years old, the action has been completely regulated. Finally, the Certified Pre-owned Steinway has a dynamic range and character similar to a new Steinway.
Essentially, the difference between a Used Steinway and a Certified Pre-owned Steinway is two-fold:
With an investment of thousands of dollars, you want to have peace of mind knowing that your used Steinway is not going to be a problem. While a non-certified used Steinway can be found out in the market, you’re playing roulette. You may luck out and find a well-maintained, used Steinway or just as easily take home a lemon without knowing it until later.
But with a Certified Pre-owned Steinway, you know that it’s a solid, safe, and high-quality purchase, one that an Authorized Steinway Dealer is willing to stake its professional reputation on publicly.
We invite you to read the following articles for more information about used Steinway and the issue of piano construction and the effects of time.
by Stephen N. Reed
For over 160 years, M. Steinert & Sons has seen the latest developments as new pianos have been introduced to the public. In all those years, Steinway’s Spirio | r has been the most impressive and exciting new development. Spirio | r is a revolution in player piano artistry and technology thanks to its easy-to-use ways to record, edit, and share piano performances.
What makes the Spirio | r special is its high-resolution, live performance capture and playback. This capturing of live performances is especially remarkable in that the individual playing the Spirio can record and edit their own recordings with the same high-resolution quality as a Steinway artist receives from recording in a professional studio.
Jonathan Kotulski, a piano technician at M. Steinert & Sons, describes the unique experience the Spirio | r provides:
“It’s fun for the person playing because it’s a kind of Do It Yourself project with the recording and editing the Spirio | r provides,” Jonathan notes. “Obviously, you’re not going to have a team of audio engineers in your home like a professional recording artist would have in a studio. However, the Spirio | r’s technology makes it accessible to you.”
As a result, you can develop your audio recording and editing skills, sharing your recordings with a teacher, colleague, or friend.
Plus, when you want to take a break from your own piano recording and editing, Spirio features a unique and growing library of over 4,000 high-definition performances, some digitally-remastered recordings from Steinway Artists of yesteryear and others from today,
But how does the Spirio | r actually work? This article will explore this remarkable piano model–how it works, its impressive capacity, and its high-resolution quality. Steinway’s goal was to enter the player piano market and quickly dominate it by delivering exceptional new technical features without compromising the instrument’s renowned Steinway tonal range and color.
Steinway’s great investment of time and energy into the Spirio line has clearly paid off, as now one-third of all Steinway sales are Spirios.
Yamaha began to develop some early player piano models in the 1980s. Then they created a new model, known as the Disklavier MX80 series, created in the early 1990s. Like the prior models, the MX80 series was recorded on floppy disks and recorded performances in a Yamaha-proprietary file format.
This system was a forerunner of the subsequent industry-standard file format known as Standard MIDI Files. Technical innovations found on these early model instruments included hammer sensors for recording, as well as recording and playback of incremental pedal data on the Yamaha Disklavier “wagon” Grand (featuring a large, rolling external control unit).
After rigorous research and testing, Spirio’s playback edition first entered the market in 2015. In order to achieve high-resolution recording, Spirio had 1020 levels of key and hammer velocity, along with 256 increments of positional pedaling.
Then, in 2019, Steinway introduced the Spirio | r, which is capable of both reproducing and recording high-resolution piano music for later playback. The key here is “high-resolution.” In fact, the Spirio | r features the highest resolution for recordings by player pianos today.
How did Spirio | r arrive at this level of high performance? Happily, the engineers involved in creating Spirio have explained the essence of the process.
IPS is an engineering firm that worked with Steinway on Spirio. They explain how Spirio’s state-of-the-art high-resolution audio is made manifest.
IPS notes that their hardware and software engineers carefully added to the traditional Steinway grand piano a high-performance, embedded control system, consisting of distributed microcontrollers networked for the high-speed movement of data.
These controllers provide precise timing in a multi-step note-driven process, producing accurate timing and dynamics of note events. This process allows Spirio to reproduce the nuances of the original performance.
Additionally, hammer velocity and proportional pedaling are monitored hundred of times per second. The high-resolution recording hardware captures the artist’s performance, thereby ensuring the most accurate reproduction to date of dynamics, timing, and pedal motions.
Multiple self-calibration processes allow the control system to adjust its note-driven waveforms, maintaining consistent sound quality and precision.
For more detail on IPS’s engineering work on Spirio, click here.
All of this is extraordinarily advanced, 21st Century audio technology, software development, and electronic engineering. It is designed to produce the high-resolution, nuanced sound any audiophile seeks. This level of high-resolution technology is needed to record a Spirio player’s exact, subtle, soft and loud key strikes.
Whereas Yamaha’s Disklavier library often relies on low-resolution data files, Spirio’s entire library is recorded at the highest resolution possible. Steinway has created a proprietary data file format that captures the nuances and full range of emotion from each artist’s level of performance, resulting in a heightened level of playback and recording.
Spirio | r’s nuanced playback and recording come from a combination of both the proprietary data file format, along with Spirio’s ability to replicate smaller increments of velocity on both the hammers and proportional pedaling.
This technology captures a range of subtlety and nuance that, before now, has not been possible. Spirio | r allows the player to experience that same range in their own recordings.
Clearly, today’s Spirio | r is an impressive blend of traditional craftsmanship and state-of-the-art, high-resolution technology.
However, if such an instrument is difficult to use, all that superior technology will come to naught. Part of the opportunity Steinway saw was to make Spirio easy to use for the average person.
Spirio’s iPad interface is one everyone can learn to use. The elegant interface has made this 21st Century self-playing piano extraordinarily popular.
A person with very little experience with technology can suddenly entertain dinner guests like a tech pro, simply by accessing a selection of songs from the Steinway proprietary music catalog. With the advent of Spirio | r, that same person can record, edit, save, and send friends their own latest piano recordings.
Best of all, Spirio only takes one step to access the piano’s technology, while others in the industry can take up to four steps.
“Spirio’s simplicity is a virtue that removes barriers, enabling pianists of all ages to engage with its software through an iPad Pro,” notes Patrick Elisha of the M. Steinert & Sons Education Department. “Whether studying and improving upon one’s playing or capturing a special performance in the home or concert setting, Spirio | r captures piano playing in a new and dynamic recording medium that will influence the way that we learn and experience piano playing for years to come.”
The Spirio | r is another example of Steinway’s commitment to easy-to-use technology. The Spirio system is operated through the same Steinway Spirio App, which detects when connected to a Spirio | r piano and provides a seamless recording interface that is both intuitive and easy to use.
In addition, Spirio | r features connectivity options through the internet, WiFi, USB, Bluetooth, MIDI, and HDMI, allowing for exceptional interoperability.
Steinway & Sons embraces innovation at the company’s core. In October 2021, Steinway announced a bold new feature on new Spirios: Spiriocast. In a nutshell, Spiriocast allows multiple Spirios to connect for live performances anywhere in the world. A top piano performer could be playing at a concert hall in Sydney, Australia, while you enjoy the performance with friends in your home.
But this is not simply a remote broadcast, as you might experience on television. The piano performer’s music is channeled directly through your Spirio keyboard, bringing you a more enlivening, intimate, interactive experience.
Imagine pressing a single key on a piano, and simultaneously, across the world, that same key moved on hundreds or even thousands of pianos – that is the magic of Steinway Spiriocast.
Video of the performance is remotely relayed as well, but the main attraction here is the stunning clarity of the music, since it is live, coming from your piano, right in your own living room.
Whether it’s a masterclass by a world-renowned teacher, or a performance by a friend, family member, or artist from anywhere in the world, Spiriocast adds some incredible possibilities.
As with the rest of Spirio’s technological innovations, Spiriocast is easy to use, as demonstrated by Boston-area groups successfully linking up to Spiriocast performances.
At M. Steinert & Sons, our goal has always been to help customers find the best piano for them. Increasingly, we find ourselves fielding questions about the Spirio, especially the Spirio | r. Prospective buyers appreciate Spirio | r’s potential for helping students and others with their development as a musician, along with the exceptional high-performance audio and video entertainment options it offers.
For the curious, the best way to learn more about the Spirio | r revolution is to come into one of our showrooms in Boston and Newton to try it for yourself. Our seasoned sales consultants can walk you through the easy-to-use interface and demonstrate the full capacity of this modern player piano.
Meantime, read more about the Spirio from these additional articles:
Could the Steinway Spirio ever become obsolete?
by Stephen N. Reed
Since becoming a Steinway dealer in 1869, M. Steinert and Sons has been helping a wide range of customers in their piano search. Oftentimes, that search comes down to the brand you determine most fits your needs and tastes.
For example, take two of the piano industry’s heavyweights, Yamaha and Steinway. Which among their top grand pianos might best meet your needs?
We’re focusing on the CF and SX series in this article because they represent the latest efforts by Yamaha to challenge Steinway’s dominance of the premium piano market. Steinway’s position in that market is bolstered by the fact that over 95% of piano performers worldwide prefer Steinways.
That statistic has been a thorn in Yamaha’s side for years. To the Japanese company’s credit, they have invested a considerable amount of funding and energy to build a piano series that they hope will compete with Steinway’s grand pianos, particularly Models B and D.
Imitation is the highest form of flattery, and Yamaha has tried hard to achieve some of the same quality features as Steinway. But does this Japanese piano company succeed in creating a Steinway-like concert grand? After reading this article–and visiting Steinway and Yamaha showrooms–you can decide for yourself.
In contrast to Steinway’s single standard of quality in all of their grand pianos, Yamaha grand pianos come in several different series of varying standards of quality, based largely on the materials used. These Yamaha grand series are GB1K/GC, CX, CF, and SX.
Although each model has the Yamaha name on its fallboard, not all Yamahas are created equal. An informed piano buyer will want to study the specifications of each of Yamaha’s piano series as differences are not always obvious initially.
As a result of these quality variations, grand pianos on Yamaha’s lower end, like their GB1K/GC series, are peers not with Steinway but with the Steinway-designed Essex line. Their CX series is more in line with the Steinway-designed Boston models. See more on this in our previous article, Boston vs. Yamaha, which also traces the interesting history of the different production processes used by the two companies.
Again, for this article, we aim to give a dispassionate look at some models in the two highest Yamaha series to date–CF and SX–to discern how they compare to Steinway’s top Models B and D.
Let’s take a look at each company’s top concert grand: Yamaha’s CFX (9’ in length) and Steinway’s Model D (8’11 and ¾” in length). Steinway’s Model D has long been considered the standard of the industry.
So it’s no big surprise that Yamaha would want to pattern some aspects of their CF series, considered their “flagship concert grand,” after Steinway’s own concert grand, the Model D. However, the degree to which Yamaha tries to copy Steinway is breathtaking. This quote comes directly from their CF series website summary:
“Yamaha craftsmen hand-select the top one percent of wood from around the world at our Kitami Mill in Hokkaido, Japan. The inherent resonance of these woods, from European Spruce in the soundboard and ribs to mahogany and maple in the rims, helps give CF pianos their huge, well-rounded sound and extraordinary range of colors.”
But for the reference to Hokkaido, Japan, that section reads like a generations-old Steinway grand’s description, which for several decades has included references to a long history of innovative Hard Rock Maple rims, rare Sitka Spruce in the soundboard, and a rounded tone, offering a wide range of colors. Indeed, such features are some of the main reasons people buy the Model D.
Some commentators are not convinced that the Yamaha CFX has reached the summit yet. They find that the CFX sounds thin compared to the more powerful Steinway Model D, which they find to be well-blended.
Others believe Yamaha’s move towards handcrafting such top models is a step forward, conceivably bringing Yamaha to a better position to challenge Steinway’s dominance in concert halls and universities around the world.
A trip to M. Steinert’s showroom and a Yamaha dealer is the best way to decide which is the better piano for you.
Yamaha proudly notes that their CFX is the product of two decades of research and development. From the above description of Yamaha’s CF concert grand models, one wonders if they have been studying Steinway’s 165 years of constant research and development that has gone into making their Model D concert grand.
Again, imitation is the highest form of flattery.
Concert grand pianos like Yamaha’s CFX and Steinway’s Model D are typically the most expensive models in a brand’s lineup. Check out our article on the most expensive pianos for more information.
In a comparison between Steinway’s popular Model B (6’11” in length) and Yamaha’s S6X (7’ in length) and S7X (7’6” in length), again one sees that Yamaha’s effort is to replicate Steinway’s work.
Small wonder as the Model B is often referred to as “the perfect piano” and is a well-balanced and versatile grand piano that is especially sought after for teaching studios, mid-sized venues, and intimate settings.
While both of these Yamaha SX pianos are almost entirely handcrafted, the Model B is entirely handcrafted. One of the more intriguing features in this SX line is something Yamaha calls its “patented Acoustic Resonance Enhancement process,” which speeds up the aging process for these pianos’ wooden rims. Steinway continues to age its rim woods the old-fashioned way.
Yamaha has developed a redesigned hammer for its SX line, which they maintain helps to produce that wide palette of colors that performers have found so inviting in the Steinway Model B.
So how close does Yamaha’s SX line come to overtaking Steinway’s Model B? Some piano commentators will tell you that it’s purely a matter of taste between the two.
While the S6X is seen by some as having an improved sound over the Yamaha C6, it still has the typical, bright “Yamaha sound.” Similarly, some commentators say the S7X’s tone is reminiscent of Fazioli grand pianos, known for their crystal-clear tone.
This would suggest that Yamaha’s efforts to mimic Steinway’s well-rounded tone have fallen short. Still, many leave impressed with the S6X and S7X while still preferring the Model B’s tonal preference.
As with the previous comparison between the two companies’ top concert grands, the informed buyer will try out both Yamaha and Steinway showrooms to try these grand piano models for themselves.
At M. Steinert & Sons, our seasoned piano consultants will listen well to your priorities for this important purchase. Some of our piano consultants have worked for both Yamaha and Steinway dealers, allowing them to fairly present the better attributes of these two legendary piano makers.
To date, Yamaha’s SX and CF series are an improvement over past Yamaha models. However, they are more comparable to a Certified, Pre-owned Steinway rather than a new Steinway Model B or D.
So while we naturally feel that the Steinway is the better piano for many people, we acknowledge that Yamaha has produced some good models, as well. What is most important is that you find the best piano for you.
Consider a visit to one of our showrooms in Boston or Newton to test some Steinway models for yourself. Meantime, you can learn more by reading the additional pieces below:
Is the Steinway Selection Process for me?
Steinway’s Model D: The iconic concert grand of choice
What does it mean to be an Authorized Steinway Dealer?
by Stephen N. Reed
Authorized Steinway Dealers are on the front line for the Steinway & Sons company. They have not only played a key role in selling the company’s famous handcrafted pianos to the public. They have also helped to add greatly to the solid reputation of Steinway & Sons.
For example, Henry Z. Steinway, the last member of the Steinway family to be president of Steinway & Sons, had enormous respect for the way the dealer network burnished the company’s reputation among concert pianists. This, in turn, means that Steinway Model D grand pianos were increasingly placed on concert stages everywhere.
How so? Because a performing artist could find a dealer with a Steinway Model D on which to perform almost anywhere in North America and much of Europe.
Today, over 95% of the world’s leading concert pianists choose to perform exclusively on the newest possible Steinways—the world’s most technologically advanced pianos. That achievement could not have occurred without the quality service and product knowledge of the Authorized Steinway Dealers and their staffs.
But what does it mean to be an Authorized Steinway Dealer? What goes into that distinction?
By the end of this article you’ll know the various aspects of being an Authorized Steinway Dealer–and why buying your Steinway piano from such a dealer has significant advantages.
A Steinway dealer is literally unique in his community because there is only one. Steinway studies the market and determines who would best represent their pianos based on the dealer’s integrity, knowledge of the piano, financial stability, and commitment.
Here’s what this means for the Steinway buyer/owner. For over 160 years, Steinway & Sons has become an international brand that has carefully built up its reputation as producing the world’s best pianos. If Steinway has chosen this individual to carry the banner for their company and brand in their region of the country, they must have great trust in them.
As a result, the buyer goes into a discussion with an Authorized Steinway Dealer’s staff knowing that Steinway & Sons believes the dealer to have integrity and a sure knowledge of the piano.
These dealers and their employees are required to attend William Steinway University (WSU) to become educated in all things Steinway. WSU is an ongoing series of week-long seminars conducted at the Steinway factory.
Subjects include the history of the company as well as the history of the piano which continues to evolve with improvements. Steinway devotes much time and effort to these improvements in their quest to build the best possible pianos.
The theme undergirding WSU’s seminars and echoed by artists the world over, is that the best Steinway one can buy is the one that was built today.
Over the company’s 169 history, Steinway & Sons engineers have developed 139 patented engineering improvements in Steinway design–one every 15 months on average.
Because of these ongoing, technical improvements, Steinway is frequently the choice of major symphonies, music conservatories, and leading universities worldwide.
After all, such institutions invest only in the latest technically advanced, brand new pianos when piano purchases become necessary. Their consistent Steinway purchases constitute a compelling third-party endorsement of new Steinway grand pianos.
WSU also has programs for hands-on training in the factory for piano technicians. Steinway certifies the technicians assuring the Steinway owner that they get the best when they call for service.
Only Authorized Steinway Dealers have up-to-date, highly-trained piano technicians. With an investment in an instrument as intricate as a Steinway, having a certified Steinway technician working on it gives the owner great peace of mind.
Plus, the fact that Authorized Steinway Dealers have invested in their certified piano technicians and their training indicates long-term financial stability. Thus, the buyer knows that the Authorized Steinway Dealer will be there for them should they need any service in the future for their Steinway piano.
Used Steinway dealers clearly value the Steinway brand—that’s why they sell them. And they would love to sell new ones but can’t. Only an Authorized Steinway Dealer can sell new and certified used Steinways.
Authorized Steinway Dealers are a small group–Steinway only has 60 such dealerships in the entire United States–they are the only showrooms that have exclusive rights to offer new Steinways. As we’ll see below, this is a serious advantage for the Authorized Steinway Dealer.
While used Steinways for sale in good condition certainly exist–like the certified used Steinways sold at Authorized Steinway Dealers–no used or restored Steinway can compare in quality or innovation to a new Steinway.
Used Steinways of any kind, whether “as is” or “rebuilt,” are bested by new Steinways for the following reasons:
1. Wear and tear: Just like automobiles, pianos cannot possibly improve with use. The mechanical action, with some 56 individual parts in each of the 88 keys, inevitably suffers wear and tear, affecting responsiveness, sensitivity, and the ability to control the sound.
Over time, even major structural components such as the soundboard, bridges, and pedals suffer deterioration. This is why there is an entire industry devoted to the restoration of pianos.
2. Design obsolescence: As mentioned above, only new Steinways enjoy all of the engineering improvements of the past 169 years, making pre-owned and older Steinways always outdated to some degree.
Some of the improvements are absolutely crucial to sound and touch, others less so, yet every patent is significant and makes the newest Steinway ever better than before.
3. Investment: The newer the Steinway, the more it is worth; the older the Steinway, the riskier the investment. Every piano eventually wears out–it’s just a matter of time, environment, use, and condition.
4. Warranty: Only new Steinways receive a factory warranty guaranteeing repair or replacement in the event of a manufacturing defect in materials or workmanship. Only Authorized Steinway Dealers can provide customers with a Steinway factory warranty.
Click here for more details on the difference between New and Used Steinways.
The Authorized Steinway Dealer is also closely associated with many of the musical venues, orchestras, schools, universities, and societies within his community.
Through the Steinway Concert and Artist program, the dealer becomes acquainted with international performers as well as some of the finest pianists within the community. The dealer will supply Steinway Artists with Steinway concert grands whenever they come to the dealer’s area.
Most Steinway dealers host a Steinway Society within the community. The Society conducts annual competitions that highlight and encourage musical talent at all ages.
In short, Authorized Steinway Dealers live for the piano. They love the piano and the music it produces, then share that love with their customers.
Morris Steinert understood the value of being formally associated with Steinway & Sons back in the 1860s. In 1869, he secured the distinction of being an Authorized Steinway Dealer. Today, M. Steinert & Sons is the oldest Steinway dealer in the world.
Many of the programs that Steinway implements today were developed at Steinert. In 1988 Steinert was awarded the first-ever “Henry E. Steinway Award,” which was given to the dealer who best exemplifies the vision of Steinway’s founder.
The benefit for the M. Steinert & Sons buyer is that they are working with an Authorized Steinway Dealer that has had a close, working relationship with Steinway and its pianos for 152 years. We have followed every change, every improvement in Steinway pianos and continue to earn the trust of Steinway & Sons as their regional dealer.
Moreover, we are a company that has become the trusted friend of tens of thousands of New England families, the region’s music community and schools, and performing artists.
Having sold Steinway pianos since before Lincoln was president, our roots across New England are deep. We would so enjoy getting to meet you and helping you discover the right Steinway for you.
Why not come into one of our two showrooms in South Boston and Newton to start looking at our various piano models? Learn about them, play them, and then discuss your piano needs with one of our seasoned piano consultants.
Meanwhile, read some more about Steinway & Sons and their handcrafted pianos in the articles below:
by Stephen N. Reed
What if today’s best piano performers could perform live, right on your piano?
This is the high-resolution promise of Spiriocast, a new technology that connects Steinway & Sons Spirio | r pianos in real-time.
Imagine pressing a single key on a piano, and simultaneously, across the world, that same key moved on hundreds or even thousands of pianos – that is the power of Steinway Spiriocast.
Video of the performance is relayed as well, but the main attraction here is the stunning clarity of the music, since it is live, coming from your piano, right in your own living room.
Whether it’s a masterclass by a world-renowned teacher, or a performance by a friend, family member, or artist from anywhere in the world, Spiriocast adds some incredible possibilities.
For the first time, on October 25, 2021, Steinway broadcast a performance by Steinway Artist Kris Bowers from a piano in California to pianos in its dealerships across the world. With this, a new era of piano performance possibilities began.
Spiriocast is a new streaming technology whereby musicians can capture a live performance on their Spirio and share it with others virtually. Simply put, Spiriocast allows a performer to replicate his performance, in real-time, between Spirio pianos.
But we’re not talking only one-to-one live music sharing. Any number of Spirio users can join in on the streaming that carries music from a single piano performer’s Spirio. As a result, this concert of the future will eventually form a high-resolution, live music community of thousands of Spirio owners.
People understand the streaming aspect of Spiriocast. However, the actual music being played on one’s Spirio needs a bit of description.
The ability to originate a Spiriocast is a feature of the new Spirio | r piano. Spirio | r allows you to record, playback, edit or save performances through the accompanying iPad.
A cutting-edge, high-definition sensor system on the Spirio | r captures the movements of the Spirio | r’s keys and pedals, recreating an authentic acoustic experience for each of the Spirios participating in the cast. On all Steinway Spirio pianos receiving the cast.
Additionally, each performer’s audio and video are captured through each Spirio’s iPad, which broadcasts together with the music.
When looking for the best option for a self-playing piano these days, often you’ll hear it boiled down to Yamaha’s Disklavier and Steinway’s Spirio. Both have their strengths. Recent innovations in communication technology have made it possible to expand the possibilities of the self-playing piano.
You want a self-playing piano that gives you and your family options, in addition to the ability to record your own music or draw on the increasing number of high-resolution pieces in the Steinway Artist audio library. Spiriocast adds a whole new element to Steinway’s content library.
Steinway already offered a growing Spirio music library including thousands of high-resolution Steinway Artist recordings. That allows the magic of Steinway Immortals like classical composer and pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff or jazz legend George Gershwin to be channeled through any Steinway Spirio piano.
Spiriocast brings unprecedented intimacy to live piano performances by both mega-star professional musicians, and by friends and family in the Spirio community.
“The degree of intimacy we can experience with other people live, at long distance, through a musical instrument and remote screen was amazing,” notes Katherine Murphy, Director of Strategic Operations for M. Steinert & Sons. Katherine has spearheaded M. Steinert’s participation with the very first Spiriocasts and tests this year.
“When my colleague, Steve Hauk, and I sat in our comfortable little seating area in our Boston showroom by the Spirio | r, the test cast really did create the feeling that the pianist was right there WITH us, playing THAT piano,” Katherine notes.
Steinway’s newly-launched series of Live Spiriocast concerts, culminating this year with an upcoming holiday concert from the artist’s own home, have shown an ability to experiment with format and to deepen the intimacy of the experience.
“The most recent Spiriocast with Steinway Artist Lee Musiker’s performance taught me so much, as he introduced each piece, highlighting interesting information about the composer and also his own history with the piece and why he selected it,” says Katherine. “He was so engaging–I got shivers watching from our Boston space, as he played OUR Spirio piano!”
Why not come into one of our showrooms and see a Steinway & Sons Spirio self-playing piano for yourself. See if you’d like to become part of the 21st Century’s new live music community. And for more information about Spirio, read the following articles:
by Stephen N. Reed
Fitchburg State University’s music department wanted to be sure to pick the Steinway grand piano that was just right for their school’s diverse needs. According to Jane Fiske, DMA, Professor of Humanities at Fitchburg and a member of Fitchburg’s Steinway Selection Committee, the school has selected Steinway pianos. for sixty years. Their last piano, a Steinway Model B, was purchased in 1996 with a Mission Fund Grant.
Having secured the funding for this important instrument through their school’s budgeting process, a three-person committee to see how their Steinway is made in a Steinway factory tour and to sample six, brand new Model D concert grands before choosing the winning piano to come to Fitchburg State.
This Steinway Selection Process was the last, important step in a long journey towards acquiring a Steinway concert grand for their university.
For many years, M. Steinert & Sons has offered this one-of-a-kind experience for interested customers: a trip to Steinway & Sons’ Astoria, New York factory to handpick their very own Steinway grand piano. We can attest that every customer has enjoyed the experience, which can also include a guided factory tour to see up close how meticulously Steinway pianos are made.
Accompanied by your own M. Steinert piano consultant, you get to try six brand new Steinway grands, narrowing their choice down to one particular favorite. This bonding process is the very beginning of the joy of owning a Steinway, choosing it for its tone and touch. All Steinways meet the most exacting of standards, but because they are handcrafted, each is unique, as well.
In this article, you’ll see how Fitchburg State used this process quite effectively recently to help their school in its quest to become an All-Steinway School.
Institutional customers like higher ed institutions, going through the Steinway Selection Process, frequently send a committee to Astoria. This is due to the variety of tasks the selected piano will be used to perform, as compared to the less complex purchase by individual customers who may simply want to entertain themselves and friends.
Typically, the committee will be selecting a piano that will be the focus, even the centerpiece, of their school’s concert hall. That centerpiece piano is often the Model D, which will be played by special guest performers, faculty, and promising students.
Such a piano might also be pulled in to help with fundraising events and university ceremonies.
“Our piano will be used for a variety of things at the school in our main auditorium, Weston. Ensemble rehearsals and performances, chamber and solo recitals, and community events,” says Amy McGlothlin, DMA and Director of Bands at Fitchburg State University.
“We wanted a piano that had the sensitivity to play music that was soft and legato as well as a piano that can have a big presence and be heard over a larger ensemble,” McGlothlin explains. “I think we found that in the piano we selected that day.” The committee members took turns playing the six Model Ds, narrowing the field gradually until they agreed on the one they liked the most.
McGlothlin recently served on Fitchburg State’s committee that went to Astoria for their school’s Steinway Selection Day. The others serving on their committee were fellow members of Fitchburg’s Music Department: Jane Fiske, DMA, and Robin Dinda, DMA.
For Fitchburg State, this current Model D purchase, right from the factory, is a key step in their drive to become an All-Steinway school.
“For many years our school has invested in Steinway pianos,” says McGlothlin. “We have been fortunate that our administration recognizes that the pianos built by Steinway represent the finest craftsmanship and durability.”
McGlothlin notes that reading articles about Steinway, as well as the Note by Note documentary helped to educate administrators about the value of Steinways. “Those things have helped administration and finance to see that we are purchasing a work of art that retains value and durability and not just a mass-manufactured instrument, McGlothlin explains.
Fitchburg State, like many schools, had to develop a long-term strategy to eventually become an All-Steinway school.
“We have been working on replacing the piano in our auditorium for quite some time. As you know, it’s a large expense,” says McGlothlin. “The current piano in that space is a “B” model, a bit smaller, and frankly, not big enough for the space. It’s also about 60 years old, which for an academic institution is quite a long life. It’s really a tribute to how well the Steinways are constructed.”
Perseverance is a key ingredient for any school wanting to replace older pianos with new Steinways. While private schools might have other fundraising strategies, music departments like the one at Fitchburg State typically must go through their school’s budgeting process. That may mean multiple attempts before securing the needed funding.
“We have been requesting the Model D for at least as long as I have been here,” says McGlothlin, who has been at Fitchburg State for three and a half years. “We have an annual funding request process that our school uses,” explains McGlothlin.
“Each spring we submit our funding requests to the administration and through a series of meetings they decide which requests will receive funding,” McGlothlin notes. “So, every year, they are seeing this request, and we just never stop asking until we get it funded, which was now.”
Institutions are all about accountability. Knowing that the music department’s three-person committee would be going through a Steinway Selection Process and Astoria factory tour could give assurance to university administrators this was going to be a hands-on, very knowledgable decision.
Securing the funding this year to buy the Weston Auditorium’s new Model D was a win for Fitchburg State on more than one level. The school now has a piano that is the standard of the industry for any top piano performer that comes to Fitchburg for a concert. 97% of all performing pianists prefer Steinway. Plus they have a piano to help with significant university celebrations and fundraising efforts.
Additionally, having a Steinway Model D, one that your school got to handpick right from the Steinway & Sons factory floor is a significant encouragement to Fitchburg State music faculty and students. Such a purchase conveys that the school believes these musicians are worth the very best.
“The faculty were surprised to hear, this summer, that we would be getting a new Model D for that space,” says McGlothlin.
“We are pretty grateful that the administration recognizes that the piano needs to be replaced and that it should be replaced with the piano that the space needs.”
That piano, a Steinway Model D with a rich tone and a powerful bass, was unanimously agreed upon by Fitchburg’s three-person committee, according to Jane Fiske. “Although each of the pianos we tried was of the highest quality, we all agreed with our final selection; it will easily project to the back our concert hall.”
Regarding the Steinway Selection process, Fiske says that it was an exceptional experience. “Our hosts at Steinway made the experience of selecting the Model D more than we could have hoped for,” says Fiske. “It was a privilege to be a part of the university team sent to Astoria to select this once in a lifetime, one-of-a-kind piano.”
The Fitchburg State committee learned a great deal about how their Steinway was made during their factory tour. The Steinway Selection Process followed with the unique opportunity to handpick their favorite new Model D for their school’s main auditorium.
This was an exceptional due diligence effort by the committee to select the “just right” piano for Fitchburg State. They can now look forward to the arrival of their Steinway later this month.
Would your institution be interested in learning more about the Steinway Selection Process and how it can help you to achieve All-Steinway School status? Contact our institutional sales department at M. Steinert & Sons, the oldest Steinway dealer in the world, helping individual and institutional customers choose the right Steinway for them since 1860.
Additionally, read these articles below for more information about the Steinway & Sons company and their world-class pianos:
by Stephen N. Reed
One of the most potentially helpful features of buying a Steinway & Sons piano is the “Steinway Selection Process.” In this final stage of purchasing a Steinway, an interested customer and their M. Steinert piano consultant can come to Steinway’s Astoria, New York factory. There the customer can pick their own, particular Steinway piano, complete with its year and unique serial number.
Imagine the excitement of picking your own brand new Steinway! When you move it into your home or concert hall, you know that’s the one you selected over all the others. In short, it will never be just another piano. This piano was adopted by you and is now a part of your family or school community.
In this article, you will learn how the Steinway Selection Process works. You’ll discover why Steinway’s technical staff prepare six pianos for you to try, allowing you to pick the most perfect Steinway for you.
This is a unique opportunity offered to customers by Steinway and M. Steinert & Sons to bond with your own piano from the start, adopting it fresh from the factory floor. For the long life of your Steinway, you’ll always know that you had a decisive role in choosing this specific Steinway.
But did you adopt it, or did it adopt you with a rich tone and feel that spoke to you? In this article, we’ll help you discover whether the Steinway Selection Process is for you. Other Steinway customers are fully satisfied without going through the Steinway Selection Process.
But if you want to be a little more hands-on in the last stage of purchasing their piano, Steinway has developed this selection process for buyers like you.
The Steinway Selection Process is offered to both individual and institutional Steinway customers. As we’ll soon see, Steinway makes the process simple and straightforward. For individuals, the process is particularly easy except for the possibility of choosing between two outstanding pianos at the end of the process.
For institutions, like a school or university, the process is the same except that the different uses for the same chosen piano are uppermost in mind. Moreover, a committee usually participates in the selection process rather than a single academic. As a result, a consensus is part of the process for institutional customers.
Institutional customers going through the Steinway Selection Process are selecting a piano that will be the focus, even the centerpiece, of their concert hall. Not only will promising students be playing this Model D Steinway but also distinguished guests and faculty.
In addition to traditional concerts, such an instrument may also be played at university ceremonies or major donor fundraising events, where the Steinway brand will be noted and appreciated.
A Model D may look like a showhorse, but the truth is, this instrument is a serious workhorse with multiple, important functions. Selecting the best possible concert grand for one’s school is likely the most important purchase a college’s music department will make that year.
M. Steinert & Sons is the oldest Steinway & Sons dealer in the world, tracing our connection with Steinway back to & Sons is the oldest Steinway & Sons dealer in the world, tracing our connection with Steinway back to 1860.
We keep strong ties with Steinway and enjoy arranging, then taking, interested clients to Steinway’s Astoria, New York factory, just minutes from downtown Manhattan.
Whether you’re flying solo or part of an institutional committee, you’ve likely been interested in the Steinway Selection Process already and have a great fondness for the Steinway brand. A Steinway grand piano often reflects your aspirations, whether as an individual or a music department, to arrive at a place where they can purchase a piano that is the standard of the industry.
Led by your experienced M. Steinert piano consultant, you’ll arrive at the Astoria factory with great anticipation. For pianists, coming to Steinway’s factory to sample several brand new Steinways is like a dream come true.
If time permits, the individual or institutional customer can take an Astoria factory tour, which takes a little over an hour. Having the tour allows one to appreciate more fully the meticulous craftsmanship involved in the making of a handcrafted grand piano.
While all Steinway pianos meet exacting standards, no two Steinway pianos are alike. Each has its own unique personality. Watching how the Steinway artisans get into the details of each section of the piano-building process is both educational and inspirational.
Steinway’s technical staff has prepared for the customer’s visit by expertly tuning each of the six Steinway pianos of the same model already decided upon back in Boston. The Steinway Selection room at the factory accommodates six concert grands, all in a row. Each piano has been completed within the last several weeks.
A Steinway Selection staffer explains the process in an adjoining boardroom to the Steinway Selection room. This is where school committee members meet afterward to compare notes on the different Steinways tested that day.
Now at last comes the time for you to engage with the six Steinway grands set before you. The goal here is to play each piano for several minutes to get a feel for each one’s tone and action/touch, then compare them with the other five. The fact that one is grading Steinway pianos may understandably feel a bit surreal for you.
Ultimately, this will be a process of elimination, one made challenging by the highest standards of quality achieved by the Steinway craftspeople. “But they’re all so good!” is a common statement during the selection process.
A customer may eliminate a couple of the pianos after playing all six, allowing them to focus more on the remaining four. After another round of playing, the individual or committee may narrow the field down further to just two.
By the time the six grand pianos have been winnowed down to two finalists, additional considerations may come into play. For example, while one piano may have a perfect tone for one use, the other may be more versatile for the multiple uses envisioned by a college committee.
In addition to giving each piano another play, committee members may stand back and listen to the two pianos as if they were in the audience back in their college concert hall.
The committee members then take their notes with them and adjourn to the board room. There they hear each other’s final take on the two remaining pianos. Frequently the winning piano is so outstanding that a consensus is already emerging before this last discussion begins.
But by the time this collaborative process is over, like a unanimous jury, the committee makes its final decision with confidence. They have found their Steinway! The Steinway Selection staffer confirms the selection by putting a little marker denoting that the chosen Steinway is now no longer for sale.
The same process works well for the individual customer. While the final decision is wholly the customer’s, both individual and committee customers often draw upon their M. Steinert piano consultant and the Steinway Selection staff for information regarding the six pianos arrayed before them.
Let’s face it: purchasing a Steinway grand piano, whether for one’s home or a school’s concert hall, is an expensive proposition. Steinway owners will tell you that their pianos are worth every dime they paid for them.
However, in the name of due diligence, many Steinway customers will feel even more comfortable with their purchase by directly taking a role in their piano’s final selection.
A college president can rest easy, knowing that the music department took the extra step of ensuring that this new Model D concert grand will perform all of the functions the college envisions for it.
An individual purchasing a Model B for their home will take pride in knowing that their selection was the one that beat out five other excellent Steinways.
Is the Steinway Selection Process for you? Come into one of M. Steinert’s showrooms to find out. You may decide that your process will end at the Steinway factory in Astoria, New York to choose your own Steinway grand. We’d love to take you there.
For more information on different Steinway models, read these articles:
