Top 10 Things To Know BEFORE Buying Steinway & Sons

[@g.970]

We had a terrible experience with the sales person at our local brand new Steinway showroom. In the end we took delivery of a brand new Shigeru Kawai SK6 from Portland Piano Company. Absolutely love it

[@JayMSinger]

My 1927 Steinway M was rebuilt with new strings, hammers and dampers. My technician insisted on using only Steinway parts so it remains a true Steinway. Fortunately, the original soundboard was in good shape so the fine, mellow tone was retained. He incidentally was able to repair several ivories and polished all the brass bits. The instrument inspires me!

[@brianharris3643]

I enjoy your series. Thankfully, I have owned five Steinways. Being a concert pianist, I have been blessed to be able to purchase a D. When you say “Steinwas, ” that refers to a Steinway that has had the original soundboard removed and another soundboard replaced that was not made by Steinway. The sound is very different. I have played a few of them. The sound board is the life of any piano. Everything else can be replaced by an outside technician and then replaced again, but the sound board is a non negotiable option for me when purchasing a Steinway. Hope this helps. Keep up the wonderful series.

[@zackeryhardy9504]

Honestly I cannot stand the steinway soundboards. I mean from the objective measurements such as the pluck test their manufacturing techniques don't stand up to just about every other brand of a similar quality. I mean the main thing is their process is inconsistant. The optimal way is the curved rib style crown system as opposed to the method used by steinway. As my mentor told me "I would never let a piano leave my shop in such a poor state." Sadly that is the case for the majority of them given that you have to rely a little bit on luck given the incosistancy of the process meaning mabey 1 in 10 are amaizing when 8 in 10 c.bechsteins, Mason and hamlin, and bluthnes are amaizing. Not to mention that about 1 in 3 are horrific sounding.

[@eddiehuss5707]

Steinways have the accelerated action, the best on the planet.@@zackeryhardy9504

[@miltronix]

Sorry, no. STEINWAS refers to an instrument which has received non-S&S parts. It MAY be the soundboard, but could be the pinblock, strings, whippens etc. It's interesting that one's technician can actually get and install better pinblocks strings bass strings and action parts than the OEM, so if you're not going to sell your "Steinwas" (keep it in the family etc.) who cares? Enjoy your possibly *improved* S&S grand...

[@johnschlesinger2009]

I tried several model Bs at Steinway Hall in London: they all sounded virtually identical to the one I had at that time. They had three model Ds, and each one sounded very different. I was lucky enough to own a reconditioned American model D: it was stupendously powerful, and the sound was very lively, but my excellent tuner found it a bit of a nightmare because there was so much falseness in the sound. It had a new set of Abel hammers, which were changed to Renners when they wore out. I never liked the sound with the Renners. Back then, the American pianos had the accelerated action, which I think was manufactured by Steinway in New York; the Hamburg pianos had a Renner action and hammers.

[@yuechens4725]

I think it would be cool if you guys can write a book about all the stories and history behind the piano industry!

[@katiegrundle9900]

theodore heintzman of heintzman and co from canada actually was on the same ship as steinway coming over to nyc. its to verified, but pretty cool story. Steinway, Heintzman, some of the greatest pianos ever built

[@pianomanic71]

Steinway is currently owned by the guy that shorted the mortgage derivatives in the stock market in 2008. I can't remember his actual name, but his character was played by Christian Bale on the "The Big Short"

[@miltronix]

"The price keeps going up..." In 1973 the list price of a *B* ebony was $6810. I know because I worked at a S&S dealer then. Multiply that by the inflation adjustment 1973-2024 and you will be QUITE SHOCKED to see their outlier pricing!

[@dalepistilli6800]

Totally. Model B had a retail price of $8,900 in 1975 which is $52,192 in 2024 dollars. Actual MSRP today is $134,900. So the retail price increased 3x faster. I think this is due to higher labor rates in the US where the pianos are handbuilt. In addition, they have continuously invested hugely in the name. Love certain golden era rebuilt Steinways but chose a Mason&Hamlin BB after playing 15 B’s.

[@pianomanic71]

A used Steinway can be a good investment. A new one...not so much!

[@rennedelorean3341]

Would you please do a video on 'Fazioli' Pianos?

[@qwincyq6412]

Many years ago the local sheet music store had a Conn upright for customers to try out scores on. It seemed a one-off piano. Given what you’ve said about ownership was that actually a Steinway built piano?

[@Bangy]

Steinway is the Apple of the piano world.

[@quadricode]

No, that's Fazioli. Steinway is more like Alienware.

[@Bangy]

@@quadricode Faziolis are actually very very good, they're also very expensive.

[@quadricode]

@@Bangy I guess my implication is that Apple computers are also good, at least sometimes. (:

[@eddiehuss5707]

A New York Steinway is the best on the planet.

[@JohnMessina1937]

The oldest All-Steinway School in Ohio, you guys mention, is Oberlin 🙂

[@michaeltroster9059]

I was under the impression that Steinway slipped in quality about 20: years ago. Are they now up to their old standards?

[@zackeryhardy9504]

They slipped about 70 years ago in the 50s with most other pianos. Sadly unlike some of the other companies like bechstein, bosendorfer, and mason and hamlin they never came back. New york steinway that is. Hamergs are completely different in design.

[@ClassicRoyal]

I played 3 over the weekend and loved the time spent in the Steinway Gallery. Exquisite beauty, Rich tone, and such fun to play! I felt and heard the quality! Bought a Boston 5’4”. My heart was won over by the 9’ concert grand, but the Boston fit was me too! Getting ready to train for my encore career!

[@robbicu]

Steinway is nothing but a bunch of bullies. They do twist the arm of schools and artists! The most famous story is that Carnegie Hall is an all Steinway venue, by contract. Several artists over the years have wanted a different brand, specifically Liberace. Whether you like him or not, he was famous and he was a Baldwin artist. He was nearly denied the concert in New York until the venue reluctantly acquiesced at the last minute. Now Steinway is not allowing piano restorers to work on their old pianos, under threat of lawsuit. You cannot even get a Steinway fallboard decal without fear of being sued.

[@katiegrundle9900]

same with billy joel, he was into baldwins for a long time, then steinways. correct me if im wrong, but i think he runs vsts with his grands in concerts. not the actual acoustic instrument anymore

[@quadricode]

I felt this video was not balanced enough. Didn't talk about all of Steinway's lawsuits, their artist lock-in, their wild inconsistency, often poor out-of-factory performance (shipping with sawdust in it !!), and the fact so many rebuilders "flip" them. The best of Steinway's best are world-class. But the best of Steinway usually don't make it into customer's homes.

[@g.970]

They also went through a period when the cats kept in the factory to keep down the rat population were actually peeing on the soundboards. I think they are over hyped .

[@matthiaskalt7041]

A lot of clever marketing, certainly - but without products that really have “soul”, even the best marketing tricks would be useless … nothing compares to a Steinway, period.

[@OlanStephenson]

piano forte invented in 1700's by an Italian

[@robbicu]

It's not a SCROLL! It's a roll. Steinway didn't make players in the 1920s. Aeolian contracted with Steinway to provide a certain number of units per year that were built to Aeolian specifications to fit their Duo-Art player system. In order to finalize the contact, Aeolian had to stop making and marketing their Weber brand piano as competition to Steinway. Was Steinway so afraid of Weber as competition? Weber today is barely a blip on the horizon of the distant past, but at one time it was artist endorsed and played in many concert halls. You can blame Steinway for ending that.

[@eddiehuss5707]

I have played an old Weber that was beautiful.

[@ASvanRandwijck]

Great video, but Patrick try to relax a bit.

[@katiegrundle9900]

ya, he interupts ted. ted is the one with the vast knowledge of the piano. it would be cool to have a beer with ted then play some piano with him

[@matthewraden5210]

Not shown: Model L

[@ohiojab]

Word salad

[@Pianoconnoisseur29]

So Boston baby grands would actually hold their value if well kept? My next long term goal is to go with a brand that appreciates well overtime.

[@JamesSenson]

Bought a Boston baby grand, 10 years later regret it: sounded terrible thru time, action got worse

[@matthewraden5210]

Not shown: Model L!

[@zackeryhardy9504]

Boston's are made by kawai. However kawai makes the boston series worse than their normal pianos. So you get a lesser quality piano out of a boston than you would spending the same on a kawai which is the same piano.

[@quadricode]

No piano will hold their value. It's a myth. They ONLY depreciate.

[@zackeryhardy9504]

@@quadricode Depreciate until restored. Which is costly. The depriciation in a recognized brand name is based 100% on the deteriorating condition of the piano

[@dianapost6444]

Wish the older guy was talking. The younger guyis too loud and irritating because he is hyper and all over the place. Stop yelling!