by Stephen N. Reed
The Concert & Artist (C&A) piano department was one of the first at M. Steinert & Sons. The tradition of offering such pianos—lightly used and played by Steinway Artists in concert halls and other venues—began at least as far back as 1892.
That’s the year that Steinway & Sons sponsored a national 75-city U.S. railway tour by Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the famous pianist, composer, and, in later years, Poland’s prime minister.
Paderewski connected with the public through both his piano playing and his magnetic personality. He was the perfect star for Steinway & Sons to elevate further. As the original Steinway Artist, Paderewski was one of the first sponsored music acts in America.
He was also a precursor to the fame today reserved for rock stars. During his U.S. tour, Paderewski became a mass-marketing wonder. He inspired ad campaigns for candy, shampoos, soaps, and party treats.
Children identified with him through a windup toy showing a little Paderewski pounding away passionately at his tiny piano. “Paddymania” even saw ladies in New York embroidering some of Paderewski’s “Minuet” on their stockings.
Steinway’s unique C&A program came into being after the success of Paderewski’s American tour. As more Steinways were used by famous performing artists, regional Steinway dealers were given the opportunity to sell them, with the condition that they also maintain some select, new concert grands for the use of other Steinway Artists to follow. 130 years later, that tradition remains.
Steinway dealers are expected to keep a bank of well-prepped Steinway C&A concert grands available in case a Steinway Artist comes to town and needs one. International and local artists count on Steinway dealers like M. Steinert & Sons to provide concert ready instruments and technical services for their performances.
To this day, no rental fee is charged for any visiting Steinway Artist.
This program is one of the great benefits of being a Steinway Artist. Without this program, a performer would be at the mercy of whatever piano was offered to them.
Meanwhile, a Steinway dealer, like M. Steinert & Sons, can still sell such lightly used Model B and D grands, replacing them as they are sold to the public, as long as they keep some well-prepped Model B and D concert grands at the ready.
“All Steinways are exceptional instruments, but these C&A pianos are among the best,” says M. Steinert & Sons President Brendan Murphy.
“So yes, there’s a certain mystique as to who’s played them,” explains Murphy. “For example, the story is told of how Vladimir Horowitz and Sergei Rachmaninoff, both Steinway Artists, met by accident in New York City’s Steinway Hall. Both had keys to practice on Steinways there.”
However, Murphy is emphatic that the underlying value to a C&A piano is that the buyer is getting a Steinway grand piano that was considered worthy of a top pianist’s performance.
“Steinways account for at least 97% on concert stages today; the other piano companies are vying for that other 3%,” noted Murphy. “Today’s rising stars prefer Steinways because they get the best music out of the performers. Plus, they want the newest, best Steinways out there, so that means we’re always renewing our stock with the latest versions. There are no active C&A pianos over ten years old.”
Today, over 1,600 professional pianists carry the distinction of being Steinway Artists. Each of them owns a Steinway, and all of them choose to perform only on Steinways.
None are paid to do so. According to Murphy, these professional pianists play exclusively on Steinway pianos because they prefer their sound and responsiveness.
Wilmington, Delaware native Craig Maynard discovered that a favorite Boston-area pianist, Grammy-nominated Marc-Andre Hamelin, has played his C&A Model D. Maynard is retired from the California tech industry. Now he offers chamber music concerts in his home in Southern Rhode Island.
Maynard’s Core Memory Music concerts (www.corememorymusic.com) allow rising musicians a place to perform in an intimate setting of about 40 people. “Chamber music is more social than other performances,” explains Maynard. “You get to meet with other guests, as well as with the musicians.”
Earlier in Maynard’s life, he played the flute seriously and enjoyed his interaction with musicians during that time. However, his musical interests were put mostly on hold during his tech career.
He decided that he wanted to give music lovers in Rhode Island a place to go once the well-regarded, annual Kingston Chamber Music Festival ended each summer. That required a suitable grand piano.
“I purchased my Model B Festival piano from M. Steinert & Sons and loved its sound,” said Maynard. “I was able to find out through Steinway that it was played at Tanglewood after it was built in 2014. Steinway retained ownership of it until 2016, at which point it was sold to M. Steinert & Sons. I bought it soon thereafter.”
After those two years, Maynard started thinking about trading in his Model B, at 7 feet, for a C&A Model D, at 9 feet. “I loved the Model B,” said Maynard. “However, because of the M. Steinert & Sons trade-in policy, I was able to get the Model D, which has been a whole new experience. It’s the dynamism of the range. Not only can the pianist play it louder but also much softer when need be.”
Maynard doesn’t play the piano, but he now appreciates just how unique each Steinway is, not just in different models but also individual pianos of the same model.
A few months ago, a piano technician from M. Steinert & Sons came to Maynard’s home to tune his C&A Model D. “He played a few chords, but mostly just single notes, explains Maynard. “As I listened, I remembered why I decided I wanted this magnificent instrument. The difference between the Model D and my previous piano, a Model B, is like the difference between a total solar eclipse and a partial eclipse. It’s that dramatic.”
Meanwhile, the local community is getting a significant benefit from these C&A concert grands, as well. Not only are they made available to certain local artists, they are also offered by M. Steinert & Sons to select, local music educators who want their piano students to have the empowering experience of playing a Steinway concert grand at their recitals.
So whether your C&A concert grand was played by Yuja Wang, Billy Joel, or Lang Lang, remember that you share with them an exceptional musical instrument that helps you bring out your own inner Steinway Artist.
(Edit: March 2023, The specific piano referenced in this article has been sold, but a new version can be special ordered by contacting us).
Steinway Chippendales and M. Steinert & Sons have a long and storied history. The earliest known Steinway Chippendale Grand was completed on November 21, 1902 and was shipped to M. Steinert & Sons on November 29, 1902.
But long before the first Steinway Chippendale was created, the Chippendale style had endured in generations of fine furniture. Interest in this English Rococo style continues, with Chippendale remaining a household name today.
Thomas Chippendale’s style emerged at a time when England’s furniture craftsmanship was at its zenith in the Mid-to-Late 18th Century. English trading companies sailed across the globe, resulting in new cultural influences in arts like furniture making.
In these exciting times, a cabinet maker like Chippendale could have influences as diverse as Chinese arts and French interior design.
Chippendale’s woodworking was greatly influenced by the Rococo style that was sweeping Europe in the mid-18th Century.
A reaction to the more heavy, formalistic Baroque period, Rococo style is characterized by elaborate ornamentation, asymmetrical values, pastel colors, and curved or serpentine lines. Rococo artworks frequently depict lighter themes of love, classical myths, youth, and playfulness.
The style was highly theatrical, designed to impress and awe at first sight.
Furniture in the Rococo period was freestanding, as opposed to wall-based, so as to accentuate a lighthearted and versatile atmosphere. Mahogany became the most widely used medium due to its strength, and mirrors also became increasingly popular.
Rococo salons often employed the use of asymmetry in design, which was termed contraste. Interior ornament included the use of sculpted forms on ceilings and walls, often somewhat abstract or employing leafy or shell-like textures.
The most elaborate Rococo designs, carved and gilded, were those for mirror frames, girandoles, and console tables. Probably the best-known Chippendale design is a broad-seated ribbon back chair, with a back rail in the form of a cupid’s bow, and the pierced splat composed of carved interlacing ribbons.
Chairs may seem simple pieces of furniture, but their design and style can be quite involved. Two renowned 20th Century architects saw Chippendale’s approach to furniture like the chair as timeless. Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe noted, “A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous.”
Adolf Lous noted that it would be folly to design a new dining room chair, because the one from Chippendale’s time was perfect. “It was the solution. It cannot be surpassed. Like our fork, like our saber.”
The descriptive term “Chippendale” comes from a book of furniture designs that was published in 1754 in London and called The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker’s Director. This book was the first of its kind.
The identity of the designers of the patterns in The Director is debatable in some instances, but Thomas Chippendale was clearly responsible for many of the best designs himself.
The book was enthusiastically received, and furniture based on Chippendale’s designs was crafted in England, on the European continent, and in the American colonies. Hence, Chippendale’s enduring popularity got off to a flying start.
Chippendale designs come in three major styles: Gothic, Rococo and Chinese. Chippendale blended these disparate stylistic elements into harmonious and unified designs. The term “Chippendale” specifically refers to English furniture of the 1750s and ’60s made in a modified Rococo style.
Like the Rococo style generally, Rococo Chippendale was a reaction against the formality of Baroque style furniture design, typified by the work of William Kent who died in 1748. Many of the Rococo designs originated in France, but Chippendale modified them for the less flamboyant English market.
This elegant, dark mahogany grand piano is an exquisite example of the Chippendale furniture style, beginning with its hand-crafted Ball & Claw style legs and feet.
Almost all historical sources believe that the Ball & Claw design was derived from the Chinese: a dragon’s claw grasping a crystal ball, or a pearl, or sometimes a scared, flaming jewel. In Chinese mythology, the dragon, a symbol for their Emperor, is guarding the ball, a symbol for wisdom or purity, from evil forces trying to steal it.
Another interpretation is that the ball symbolizes a polished river stone being held firmly by a crane, who stands watch over her nest. Resting on one leg, with the stone held in mid-air by the other, the mother crane watches protectively over her young. She would quickly awaken if she were to fall asleep and drop the stone.
The designs of Chinese artisans came to the attention of Europeans through trade. Porcelains, chinoiserie, and bronzes would have displayed examples of the Ball & Claw.
This design element first appeared on English silver. Craftspeople in other arts, textiles, furniture, and glass quickly copied this strong image that stirred popular consumer interest in what was then an exotic, faraway land.
English cabinet makers are credited with transforming the dragon’s claw into a bird’s talon or a lion’s paw; the lion representing English authority. The Ball & Claw remained popular in England from 1710 until 1750.
In addition to the Ball & Claw, other Rococo touches include the handcrafted, trademark Steinway pedal lyre and fancy music rack.
Such hand-carved art-case pianos were quite a bit more expensive than the traditional models, and fewer were built by Steinway. As a result, these instruments are rather rare today.-
In the Early to Mid-20th Century, a renaissance in historic period styles took place within the furniture and interior design industries. Some better piano manufacturers built a limited number of “art-case” pianos that reflected these popular historic styles.
This 1963 Chippendale, from the M. Steinert & Sons special collection, is 5’7” in length and was rebuilt and refinished in 2015. With the exception of the replaced pin block, all of the other restored parts were manufactured by Steinway: the board is the original, now refinished, re-notched, and bridges pinned. Additionally, new strings and new action parts –full action—are all Steinway parts.
The action is very smooth and responsive, capable of light pianissimos and grand fortissimos. It is quite pleasing to play. The keys have been re-bushed, and the key tops have been replaced.
Finally, the case has been restored to like new, with refinishing and painting the letters on the plate.
The refinished, dark mahogany exterior makes it suitable for any living room. This Chippendale is an impressive grand piano with a large, clear, concert quality sound for an instrument still small enough for the home.
by Stephen N. Reed
Named for one of the last kings of France, Steinway’s Model M 501-A Louis XV grand piano is in a class all its own. While the Louis XV delivers in all of the ways one expects from a Steinway, its added flourishes make it a genuine piece of art.
Before we turn to the personality of this particular grand piano, a little background to the style of the Louis XV era gives some context.
Louis XV, King of France, ruled from 1715-1774. As a result, his was the last full reign before the upheaval of the French Revolution. Furniture from the Louis XV era features curves, asymmetry, and is characterized by a certain lightness.
Frequently, Louis XV style utilized marquetry, with inlaid, exotic wood in different colors. Later furniture from this period employed Chinoiserie, which evoked Chinese motifs and techniques.
Taken as a whole, Louis XV style stood in great contrast to the more box-like and straightened lines from the immediately prior era of Louis XIV.
The fullness of Louis XV style came in the middle of the king’s reign, from 1730-50, when he was no longer managed by a regent. This was when the asymmetrical and exuberant style called “rocaille” dominated.
Ever since, Louis XV style has come to be known for luxury, imagination, and old world charm.
What popularized Louis XV furniture? One reason is that Louis XV furniture was designed for small salons, not the huge staterooms at the Palace of Versailles.
Furniture from this later period included pieces, especially chairs and tables, that were easily moved from room to room. As a result, furniture from the era of Louis XV was not only ornate but highly functional.
The methodical process that Steinway numbers its various piano models gives us a look into the sheer number of piano drawings Steinway artists have created. In the case of Steinway’s Model M 501-A Louis XV grand piano, “501” refers to the piano’s Sketch Number in the Steinway Art Department files.
When a new sketch maintains the basic design features but incorporates a variation in the music desk, legs, or lyre assembly, then an alphabetical letter is added to the sketch number, like 501-A, 501-B, and 501-C, rather than creating a new sketch number.
The original 501 had a situation that required just such a variation. The legs on the original 501 were too extreme in their ’S’ curve. This left them with the possibility of breaking, especially when the piano was knocked down or set up by a mover.
Thus, the newer design, the 501-A, was born.
Steinert & Sons’ 1977 Model M 501-A Louis XV grand piano has features of that 18th Century style period, being an intricately, hand-carved instrument. It is noticeably different from most Steinway models in that it is made of Circassian walnut wood, with a compelling rich brown finish rather than the traditional black finish.
The carved style, including the legs and molding, as well as the top lid, makes for a dramatic-looking, ornate centerpiece. At 5 feet, 7 inches, the Louis XV has serious power as well as elegance.
A grand piano like this one was one of Steinway’s most popular parlor models of the early 20th Century, and it was a favorite of both fine home musicians and professional pianists of the day.
Even today, the M 501-A Steinway is one of the most desired vintage Steinways.
Paul Murphy, President of M. Steinert & Sons, is fond of this 1977 Model M 501-A Louis XV at the 28 Damrell Street location. This particular grand piano has an interesting history.
Paul remembers the day that the wife of the owner of a successful regional supermarket purchased it for their home. Paul’s wife, Pat, a salesperson for M. Steinert & Sons at the time, sold it new to the lady, who enjoyed it for the rest of her life. The piano was then bequeathed to a family member.
However, the family member decided to sell this Louis XV piano back to M. Steinert, as sometimes happens when the heir is not a pianist or is unable to accommodate a grand piano in their home. “This piano must have been sitting in a room near the oceanfront, as we had to restore some of its veneer,” explained Paul.
Steinway has an extraordinary policy regarding such veneer restoring efforts on many of its models. According to Paul, the logs used for each piano’s veneer are kept in a humidity-free and heat-controlled wood “bank” in Astoria, New York.
They are kept there in case they are ever needed to repair an individual piano’s damaged veneer. “Steinway’s thought of everything,” noted Paul.
This 1977 Model M 501-A Louis XV model is an excellent example of a more ornate style more popular in the 1960s and 70s. But a vintage Louis XV like this one draws the eye of many customers who enjoy browsing the 28 Damrell Street showroom.
This 1977 Steinway Model M 501-A Louis XV piano has been fully reconditioned in our shop to include new tuning pins, strings, top action and refinished in American walnut.
New, this style case is available only by special order at a cost over $140,000.
Request more information below to learn more.
We are thrilled to share this look inside our history, talented staff, along with a few reminders about what makes the Steinway piano such a remarkable instrument. This episode of New England Living TV originally aired on WBZ TV, the local CBS affiliate, in the Spring of 2021.
Learn more about Steinway pianos at M Steinert & Sons.
One goal of M. Steinert & Sons is to educate our customers about the relationship between a piano’s price and its value as they prepare to purchase their instruments. Ultimately, the difference between buying an inexpensive starter piano and a permanent lifetime piano is the difference between making a purchase and making an investment.
In this article, I’ll walk you through four critical factors you need to consider when trying to decide if an expensive piano is worth the investment:
In a fine piano, the sound quality is typically defined by the ability to extract a wide range of tonal ‘colors’ over the volume range. Soft passages are not just softer – they can have different tonal characteristics, while a loud passage can extract something totally different, both in tone and volume.
The Steinway hammer (the part of the action actually striking the string) is a legendary combination of the finest felts, enhanced and formed in a way that offers great control over tonality.
This expressive capacity is at the heart of the piano experience – and one that artists count on for the expression of their craft.
Human hearing is remarkably sensitive. Consider this:
Over a range of frequencies (approximately 500 to 4000 Hz) and levels (approximately 35 to 80 dB SPL) in which humans are most sensitive, listeners can discriminate a change of about one decibel in sound level and about a half of a percent change in tonal frequency.
(source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK207834/)
This means that even those who describe themselves as having a “tin ear” – have the innate ability to recognize small variations in volume and pitch.
Fine pianos also feature a longer sustain. The duration of a held note on a Steinway is also longer thanks to the careful balancing of rim strength, soundboard shape and bridge/string interface.
In a cheap piano, you may find that sound has a thin, brittle, overly bright sound with an inability to extract nuance over the dynamic range. The higher tension designs used in many cheap pianos result in a brash tone with shorter sustain due to the very nature of this design. For some music, this sound has become popularized – since it can ‘cut-through’ the band etc. However, for a solo pianist, this will rarely be a sought-after quality.
The touch of a quality piano is generally marked by a consistent, low friction feel that gives the player a sense of power and immediate control since every finger motion is captured by the action.
Touch is intimately tied to the sound – since the two work together to create the vehicle for expression. Assuring long-term quality of feel involves eliminating looseness from the action. Recent advances in touch come from improved tolerance control in action part manufacturing and materials that balance a traditional feel with increased durability.
Many lower quality pianos start off feeling “OK”, but can quickly become inconsistent and erratic. Lower-end manufacturers know that a sticking key is worse than a loose key (sticking keys will yield a service/warranty call) so they will leave things a little loose to begin with. In low-quality pianos this will amplify over time and the net effect of looseness can result in the feel of a cheap portable keyboard.
The high-quality materials of your permanent lifetime piano substantially contribute to its cost. They also distinguish your piano from its less expensive mimickers. The type and quality of the wood, particularly in the soundboard, determine the quality of your piano’s timbre.
Given that the function of the soundboard is to transmit the vibrations made by touching the keys, it makes sense that the close grain of Alaskan Sitka spruce used in Steinway soundboards provides a fuller and richer tone than that of inferior brands, some of which use laminates for the construction of their soundboards. Steinway buys the top 1% of flawless Sitka spruce for use in their soundboards.
The cost of Sitka spruce, as well as the cost of other high-quality materials used in your piano’s construction, contribute to the price of the instrument at the time of purchase. However, Sitka spruce endures; it withstands the many hours of practice and performance required by the dedicated musicians who play your family’s piano without compromising the instrument itself. It is the foundation of both the sound and the longevity of your piano.
Steinway pianos have long been regarded as the best pianos in the world. Each one is handcrafted by highly-skilled artisans who carefully match the grain of the wood in each adjacent part during construction. Additionally, the patented “diaphragmatic” design of the Steinway soundboard allows the notes to resonate fully from the instrument.
The skill, quality and care that is the foundation of Steinway construction contributes to the cost of the piano at the time of purchase. A Steinway piano takes a full year to construct from start to finish. By contrast, brands that are not designed by Steinway are mass-produced in factories which lowers both the cost and the value of these instruments.
While perhaps a bit harsh to suggest, it is a fact that many cheap pianos rolling off assembly lines today will be candidates for the landfill in as little as 10-30 years. By contrast, many Steinway pianos are often rebuilt and have 2nd, or even 3rd lives as musical instruments (although many rebuilds do not adhere to the quality standards set by Steinway and become what is known in the piano industry as a “Stein-was”).
As New England’s premier, and only factory-authorized Steinway dealer, M. Steinert and Sons fulfills Henry E. Steinway’s vision to “build the best piano possible” and to “sell it at the lowest price consistent with quality.”
To that end, we offer you and your family the broad options of the entire Steinway Family of Pianos–Steinway & Sons, Boston, and Essex in all upright and grand models, sizes, and finishes.
Both Boston and Essex are designed by Steinway to have what has become known as “Steinway DNA”. It’s a term that captures Steinway’s design philosophy of touch and tone that is adhered to across the Steinway-designed brands of Steinway, Boston, and Essex.
As you anticipate purchasing your new piano, please remember that music is an experience, not an object. When you invest in a Steinway or a Steinway-designed piano such as Boston or Essex, you are ensuring the quality of the musical experience – for both the musician and the audience.
Lifetime pianos, particularly Steinways and Steinway-designed pianos, guarantee the highest quality materials, craftsmanship and longevity for both amateur and professional musicians, and the quality of the resulting sound is evident to both the trained and untrained ear immediately.
To invest in a more expensive piano is to ensure quality of musical tone, regardless of who plays it, and to guarantee the longevity of the instrument. While the initial cost of a lifetime piano is higher, the satisfaction of owning the best is rarely a disappointment.
By contrast, inexpensive pianos will often meet the needs of the budget-conscious shopper who is limited in their purchase options but may want to upgrade in the future. Many future Steinway buyers start with the more economical Boston/Essex pianos and upgrade to Steinway at a later date.
At M. Steinert & Sons, our new Lifetime Trade-Up to Steinway program allows the purchaser at ANY TIME IN THEIR LIFETIME to receive 100% of their purchase price towards a new Steinway.
To learn more about the unique characteristics and see videos of each new Steinway, Boston and Essex piano, please check out the full range of our pianos.
Or, try our piano recommendation form that lets us understand your situation as we recommend 3 pianos that fit your needs and budget.
We invite you to visit one of our locations to experience the Steinway family of pianos and our Roland Digitals, and above all, to try an instrument before you consider purchasing one!
(by Charles Johnson, Updated November 2021)
Are you looking to purchase a Steinway piano? Or just curious, and aren’t sure whether to buy new or rebuilt? In this article, we explore the pros and cons of new vs. rebuilt Steinway.
When the possibility of Steinway ownership first occurred to me – I focused on the brand – and forgot that I was purchasing an individual instrument. The idea of owning a Steinway, any Steinway, was powerful – it’s what almost every pianist aspires to.
However, I didn’t ultimately inquire about the details of the piano and a pending rebuild which didn’t include certain Steinway parts.
Now, with the sweetness of a lower price forgotten and daily exposure to the touch and tone of new Steinway pianos, I’ve come to realize what I didn’t get. My next piano will be a new Steinway.
Suppose you are considering a rebuilt Steinway. In that case, you will need to consider every rebuild on its own specific merits and history to avoid the investment into a potential’ knock-off.’
First, let’s examine the term “rebuilt.”
Typically an older fine brand piano, acquired by a rebuilder to profitably resell by replacing critical parts to make the piano seem new.
Rebuilding is not to be confused with restoring a piano, meaning repairing existing parts. Rebuilding often includes replacing major structures and significant-finish work to retain aspects of the original instrument.
The piano rebuilding industry is dominated by the Steinway brand purely because Steinway is arguably the most prestigious and widely recognized brand of a fine piano.
Simply put, it is worth it for rebuilders to attempt to rebuild a Steinway piano since the brand name itself confers so much value. Rebuilders can charge a hefty premium for any piano that says Steinway on the fallboard or plate and “looks” like a Steinway.
Other pianos that will get rebuilt include Bechstein, Bosendorfer, Mason and Hamlin.
Typically, Yamaha and the other production pianos are not rebuilt. Their foundation structures are not conducive to this process and don’t have value on the rebuilt market.
There is always at least one rebuilder who will rebuild ANY piano, even if the rebuilding costs more than the piano is worth before or after the rebuild.
Dealers of non-Steinway brands often advertise that they carry used and restored Steinways to attract the Steinway shopper. See our new vs. used article for a deeper look at aged vs. new Steinway.
It still “says” Steinway on it, even if it’s only a label at that point.
As described in the “Cons of Rebuilt” Steinway – the shortcuts and cost-saving techniques employed by rebuilders will tend to reduce the end price. Note: a Steinway Factory Rebuild costs about 80% of new.
Steinway does offer a rebuilding service at their NY Factory – and a properly rebuilt Steinway can approximate all the features and characteristics of their new instruments.
The factory rebuild is a good choice if one has a family heirloom Steinway with sentimental or historic attachment value but wants it rebuilt to the quality of a genuine Steinway.
The expertise and resources needed to properly deconstruct, repair, and reassemble a fine instrument without falling prey to inevitable shortcuts is the province of Steinway alone.
Virtually all rebuilt Steinways are no longer authentic Steinways (except those rebuilt BY Steinway).
The heart of the Steinway sound, the patented Diaphragmatic Soundboard, cannot be made or installed outside of the Steinway factory.
The legendary wood selected for a Steinway soundboard is only available thanks to long-standing relationships with the best Sitka spruce suppliers. Steinway requires Sitka Spruce from trees on a north-facing slope – focusing on the straightness of grain, and 10 to 12 growth rings per inch.
Then, artisans select and match the planks for assembly and utilize a $500,000, custom piece of laser-guided machinery to complete the proprietary soundboard manufacturing process.
Essentially, no matter how hard they try, rebuilders and dealers can not recreate the sound of a Steinway soundboard. They can not manufacture their rebuilt pianos in the same manner or with the same materials. Steinway does not sell its proprietary soundboards or pinblocks to any rebuilding shop, dealer, or distributor.
In addition, the patented Steinway Hexagrip Pinblock is essential to Steinway tuning stability and overall piano tonality. The Steinway pinblock would be nearly impossible to manufacture outside of the Steinway factory – and if someone tried – it would cost as much as Steinway’s.
Rebuilders are forced to use generic substitutes of these critical components from various suppliers or create their own parts, resulting in an inauthentic Steinway piano.
Think of rebuilding a Ferrari, without using a Ferrari engine, and you get the idea.
Rebuilders leverage the likelihood that few buyers of rebuilt Steinways understand or will inquire about the role of these critical components. Buyers are often told they’re ‘no big deal.’ Yet, the unaware buyer is now getting a “Stein-was.”
To attract buyers to generically rebuilt Steinways, used Steinway dealers and rebuilders have perpetuated elaborate myths about a Steinway “Golden Age.”
Rebuilders created and now attempt to perpetuate this myth to suggest that Steinway pianos were somehow better in the past. They infer something mythical or magical about this period to propose that a Golden Age piano is better than a new Steinway. The reality is that there isn’t a “Golden Age” period. The rebuilt Steinway you purchased will not sound or play as well as a new Steinway.
The new Steinway retains old-world building methods where appropriate. Yet, Steinway also embraces new tools and technology where applicable as well. Continual investment in new machinery and ever-refined processes yields a new instrument with a broader range of tonal color and a more consistent touch.
Uninformed and unsuspecting consumers often fall for these romanticized lies. The well-documented fact is that the vast majority of leading concert pianists and professional music institutions worldwide have always performed on and invested in new Steinways for over one and a half centuries.
Only select dealerships can sell a new Steinway piano. Any business can sell a used or rebuilt one – and the golden age myth plays perfectly into our historic sympathies and sense of nostalgia.
The range of expertise among piano dealers and technicians in rebuilding old Steinways is vast, so buyer beware.
Some workmanship is low-grade at best, while others sincerely do the best they can within the limits of parts and materials available to them. Since they cannot obtain all the genuine Steinway parts and equipment they would prefer, there truly is no way a rebuilt Steinway can sound exactly like a new one.
There is no standard for accountability or consistency in the rebuilding industry, and the results and risks to the consumer vary widely.
New Steinway pianos (manufactured at the New York and Hamburg Factories) reflect all the experience, design refinements, and evolved selection of materials to maintain the reputation of the world’s finest piano and their place on the world’s concert stages.
In a heavily used institutional setting, a properly maintained Steinway & Sons piano has a lifespan of approximately 50 years. In a home with standard usage, that lifespan can often be much longer. The famous rim construction process creates the shell/foundation for a very durable instrument. Contrast this to other brands where a 10 to 30-year life is ordinary.
Only new Steinways have enjoyed the accumulated knowledge, expertise, and legacy of the Steinway factories since 1853. Steinway has produced 139 engineering patents to date, 13 in the last ten years alone.
Since 2016, Spirio technology has revolutionized the way many experience the sound of Steinway.
To maintain the quality standards set by Steinway and demanded by its customers and artists, the company must absorb the price of materials and the costs of skilled labor to produce these remarkable instruments. For this reason, the cost of a new Steinway has generally increased often at a rate greater than the annual inflation rate.
Since its founding in 1853, Steinway & Sons’ mission statement has been simple; “Build the Best Piano Possible.” This mantra is plastered all over their factory. Steinway will not compromise their mission statement to achieve a price point. So, as labor and material costs increase, the Steinway piano price must also increase.
There are only about 2600 Steinway pianos produced worldwide each year. Many of these go to China, where there is a burgeoning demand for them. Only a select group of dealers in the US are authorized to carry new Steinway pianos.
You will need to decide if it is worth the worry and stress to go the rebuild route. Determining whether a given piano is authentic and a technician is experienced and disciplined enough is a daunting task at best. Sometimes techs that at one time were highly disciplined don’t hold to the same standards over time when they realize they can cut corners and costs and still sell their wares.
We remind our new Steinway shoppers that 97 percent of concert pianists worldwide choose new Steinway pianos over rebuilt ones, so why shouldn’t you? As Lang Lang said, “I’ve been playing Steinway pianos exclusively for many years. In my experience, they keep getting better every year, and I have no doubt that the best Steinways ever produced are the ones being built today.”
To learn more, please view our Piano Bits Video about the role of design and time in piano manufacturing featured in our New vs. Used Steinway article.
Are you in the Boston region? Feel free to make an appointment to experience a new Steinway at one of our Boston area locations.
You can also fill out our contact form or piano finder form to assist you in finding the perfect Steinway piano for you.
Pianists performing with the world’s major symphonies continue to overwhelmingly choose STEINWAY & SONS, as evidenced by STEINWAY’S most recent symphony survey taken following each concert season to assess piano preference; during the 2018–19 season, over 97% of piano soloists performing with orchestras played on STEINWAYS.
The survey includes data from 794 performances with 100 orchestras around the world. These orchestras reported that 777 of their piano soloists performed on STEINWAY & SONS instruments. The rating is consistent with results of surveys throughout the last decade. STEINWAYS have never accounted for less than 95% of the performances reported in a given year. It is this data that consistently supports the assertion that STEINWAY is the choice of 9 out of 10 concert artists and is the preferred instrument of countless pianists, professional and amateur, throughout the world.
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at M. Steinert & Sons (please, regional customers only).
How do you celebrate 160 years of uncompromised service during a global pandemic? M. Steinert & Sons – believed to be the oldest American music store in continuous operation – is finding a way. The business has survived countless challenges, enduring many of them while anchoring the city’s Piano Row District.
Morris Steinert emigrated from Germany to the United States, eventually settling in Georgia in 1860. A master of multiple instruments, he worked his way north at the onset of the Civil War as a piano teacher and tuner. Among his many musical endeavors, he formed a family band that became the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
In 1869, Morris inked an agreement to sell pianos with William Steinway. It remains one of the longest business partnerships in the nation. “The relationship between M. Steinert & Sons and Steinway & Sons has endured from generation to generation because both companies share a common goal of bringing the best quality instruments to market,” says Steinert President Paul Murphy Jr. “The Steinway piano is the reason Steinert has been in business for 160 years,” adds Brendan Murphy, Vice President and Director of Institutional Sales.
Morris established headquarters at 162 Boylston Street in 1896. He hired a young bookkeeper, Jerome Murphy, starting a new family pedigree forever linked to the fortunes of M. Steinert & Sons.
Like William Steinway, Morris’ son Alexander was business savvy. To promote live music, he constructed Steinert Hall some 40 feet below street level in the basement of the six-story building
. Steinway immortals Ignace Paderewski and Sergei Rachmaninoff were two of many star performers. “Among operatic singers of international renown, the Hall was called the “Little Gem” because of its fine acoustic properties,” recalls Paul Murphy Jr.
For years, Steinert ordered hundreds of Steinways as the business expanded to more than 40 stores in New England and New York. Hard times following the Great Depression, coupled with Alexander’s death, brought Steinert close to the edge. In 1934, with the Steinway partnership still intact, Jerome Murphy went on to acquire the assets and rescue the company by focusing solely on the piano business.
“M. Steinert & Sons has survived all manner of ups and downs artistically and economically a year before the first shot was fired at Fort Sumter,” notes Brendan Murphy. “While the piano industry has been in decline for many years, we strive to manage the company in a fiscally responsible way. Demand for high-quality instruments remains steady and we plan to serve our market for generations to come.”
As Steinway dealers since 1869, there have only been a few times in that great history where Steinway has had to announce a shortfall in Steinway Grand production due to extraordinary circumstances.
The last time this happened was World War II – when they stopped for three years and built the GI piano (a fascinating story at steinway.com). The Coronavirus period has just become one of those rare moments that has forced a change in Steinway’s production.
Steinway always sells every piano it makes. In 2020 there’s going to be a shortfall given the sustained demand in the overall market for quality instruments. We are fortunate to have a reasonable stock of Steinway pianos at this time. Consider an appointment at one of our showrooms to view and play the finest pianos in the world.
The following letter from Ron Losby, CEO of Steinway & Sons, describes the situation (pdf version):
by Chuck Johnson, Updated February 2022
You’re considering buying a Steinway piano, and have heard differing opinions on the merits of new vs. used. M. Steinert & Sons offers both new and used Steinway pianos, and we are frequently called upon to help our customers make this choice. Having played the piano for 48 years, and worked in the piano industry for 30 of those years, I still find it surprising there are few agreed-upon facts, especially when it comes to new and used Steinway!
Let’s explore when both new AND used Steinways make sense – and admit upfront the answer could be “neither”. Before spending thousands of dollars, you need to make sure that you’re making a sound decision.
Our goal with this article is to teach you what you need to know about buying the right piano for you based on the best information available.
While time takes a toll on all organic materials, the piano’s overall design makes it particularly susceptible to aging. Unlike other stringed instruments, the percussive nature of the piano hastens wear-and-tear. This erosion comes from three things:
There are a lot of myths about old pianos out there – but with very few exceptions (of historic/artistic value), old pianos will become virtually worthless and musically inert in time – EVEN STEINWAY PIANOS.
We’ve developed a way to explain the effects of time on pianos. This explanation is BRAND AGNOSTIC.
Every piano exists on a curve of musical quality over time. This is a highly subjective area! It would be hard to get two people in the piano industry to agree on the curve for a brand, model, or even a specific Steinway piano. However, it doesn’t change the reality that all pianos begin at their best (or very close to it) and then lose tone and touch over time. The severity of the instrument’s decline is determined by the design and factors mentioned above (Tension, Wear, Environment).
This all begs an important question: Where is my piano on the curve??
Each piano will start decaying at some point – but when, where, and how is extraordinarily difficult to determine. Most people find that the only way to assess a used piano’s condition accurately is play it vigorously and to hire an independent and reputable piano technician – one NOT connected to a store or the seller. It is equally vital to understand some technicians will do these evaluations in hopes of offering rebuilding services. This makes it very hard to find an unbiased participant to evaluate the quality of a used piano.
Spending 10 to 40 thousand dollars on any used piano is a lot of money and yields considerable uncertainty. So if buying a new Steinway is financially possible for you, it’s almost always worth the peace of mind in the long run. Used is tempting, but you need to get to know the piano very well before making any investment.
A Used Steinway typically fits those who:
A New Steinway works well if you:
Learn more about new Steinway pianos or visit our used piano department for specific used options.
Footnote on Boston pianos: Many shoppers considering used Steinway learn the nuances of piano design and begin to understand the effects of aging. Steinway designed and built the Boston brand pianos – Steinway’s solution for a mid-priced piano that leverages their experience with design, materials, and workmanship.
