Any pointers for my trip to the Steinway factory?

[thalberg]

Hello everyone!  I'm going to the Steinway factory in NY next week to choose a 7-foot grand.  I know several of you have done this, and many of you have played tons of pianos.  I definitely know what sound I like, but I'm wondering if there's anything you all have learned from experience that would be valuable to me on this trip.  Any cautions, advice, thoughts, whatever... would be appreciated

[gfiore]

 If you can, request that Kent Webb be there when you are making your selection. He is manager of service administration for Steinway. Steinway actions are all over the map with regards to lerverage ratios and inertia.  He can help you with this.  His number is 718 204-3119.  You can tell him I(George Fiore) asked for him to assist you. Sometimes you may find the perfect piano sound wise, but one with a *****!! up action that you will regret later. It's a give and take with Steinway. You want one that feels and sounds nice, a combination that is hard to achieve with this brand. You might have to make some concessions with tone, (which can be changed a bit later through voicing), but you definitely want to get one with an action that conforms to some standard of acceptability.
 If he can't attend, I would definitely get a tech familiar with the quirks of the Steinway to go with you.

[gralago]

Do you know the price the Steinway? I am interested in buying the piano for my son. What do you think about Estonia?

[pianonut]

that's a neat place to go, especially since you'll be buying one.  i should have asked more size questions - but, also you get to see the process of how they make the pianos (bending the wood in so many layers).  for me, the mid-size pianos would be more durable (moved around, etc) and i think about location and being able to put it into a place and have room for people to be seated around.  but, if that is no difficulty and the piano is not moved much - maybe those are obsolete worries. 

do they give you extra keys?  (suppose you might be able to get keys made afterwards).  i only had one key to my kawaii.  would have liked two.  and, then you have to have a secret place to keep them so students/kids don't take the key and you don't have the option of locking it anymore.

with a nice piano like that, i would be a compulsionist about shutting the lid and putting a cover on (do they come with piano sale?).  it's so common for scratches, etc. after only a few years.  if you leave the cover on the 2nd half, even, you save a lot of wear and tear (books on lid).

insist on meeting henry. say that you won't buy the piano until you shake his hand.  he is very tall and reminds me of frankenstien in a good way.  i didn't meet him, but saw him out of the corner of my eye as he was leaving - and our tour was going the other way.

[shasta]

Thalberg, sneak an extra one back for me.   

[violinist]

Do you know the price the Steinway? I am interested in buying the piano for my son. What do you think about Estonia?

I have prices in US dollars:


Steinway B = 6'10.5 = $65,900
Steinway A = 6'2 = $58,400
Steinway L = 5'10 = $50,900

[thalberg]

Well, I'm back from New  York.  Surprisingly, not all the pianos were that great.  I had five to choose from, and two were pretty bad.  Out of the remaining three, one had a super heavy action, so I eliminated that one even though the sound was good.  The remaining two were very similar--nice sound, nice action.  It was a coin toss.  Eventually, I chose the one with a more resonant bass and lighter action.  I'm just still worried because the treble wasn't quite as strong as I wanted at first.  I had the technician voice it up, then it  was beautiful.  But before I get it, he's going to  work a lot more on the piano and I don't know exactly what he'll do.  I'm afraid--what will it sound like when I get it???  I emailed him to ask and he just said it would be great. 

[rich_galassini]

thalberg,

That is the weakness of the new S&S pianos. I don't know how far you are from New York, but if it were me, I would go back and make sure that it sounds great before it was delivered.

Any very good tech. can make a piano perform better in your home, but it could cost you over $1000.00 to have that done, depending on the required work. Why not have S&S do what they should have before you even sat down at the piano?

Thats what ticks me off about that company. 

[Floristan]

Thanks for reporting back, Thalberg.  My rebuilder, whose work is 90% Steinways, said that Steinways come out of the factory VERY uneven these days.  It's interesting to have that notion confirmed independently. 

I hope the one you picked is the piano of your dreams!  The instrument will sound different in its home environment, and a technician who's a great voicer can work wonders fitting the instrument into its new environment -- first my maximizing the placement of the instrument (if there is flexibility in placement), then by altering the acoustical environment if possible (hardwood vs. carpet, bare walls vs. bookshelves, etc.), and then finally actually voicing the instrument.  It's amazing what a great voicer can do.

[thalberg]

Hi Rich and Floristan,

Well, to go back to New York....that's really great advice--I just wish I heard that before they shipped it!  It's on its way.  It's late though, so the dealership loaned me an upright until it comes in in a week or two--piano is my job so they understood I couldn't wait even a week. 
They're a classy dealership I've found--how refreshing.  They really take care of people, and they guarantee that when the Steinway gets here, they'll get it just the way I want it. 

$1000 to get it sounding good?  Well, I'll spend that willingly if I have to.  A trip to New York would cost half that, and I just started a new job so I have to be here.

But is it the piano of my dreams?  It could be...I wanted a big bass and light action and a certain tone, and it has these.  But the treble worries me.

My trip to the factory really did make me mad at Steinway--because when I played certain of those five pianos in the selection room, I thought, "surely the best piano company in the world can do better than this!!!"  (I say that because they say they're the best) 

[violinist]

Thalberg,

Hello... I just found your thread.  I was actually at Steinway Hall 6 weeks ago.  There was a steinway B that I loved.  It was on the second floor, and it had light action... It was one that was close to the wall... To the left of this piano was several Steinway D's... In fact one of the D's at the time had the tag:  Sold: Lang Lang - I guess someone bought it.

I was wondering if you got the B... that I really liked...

I just got a steinway B... the action is on the heavy side for me... because I've been used to only a digital piano (yamaha) before this.

Let me know..

I'm getting a technician to come to my house in a few weeks to voice my brand new Steinway B.

Congratulations!!!

- Calvin

[gfiore]

 Violinist, Thalberg went to the selection room at the factory to choose his B , not St :)einway Hall.

[violinist]

Violinist, Thalberg went to the selection room at the factory to choose his B , not St :)einway Hall.

Oh.  I see..  Thanks for letting me know.  Somehow I got the two mixed up in my mind.  It would be just so weird if he picked the piano I liked there.

Thalberg... I was just wondering how much it costs (ballpark) for shipping the piano??