Best Make of Piano

[Axtremus]

But an alarmingly high number of them are. It's amazing how the more an instrument is machine-made, the more like a machine it sounds.

What's wrong with a piano sounding "like a machine"?

A piano is a machine.

[Waldszenen]

A machine it may be, but a few of those machines go beyond what they're made of and actually start making music (*cough* Steinway) whereas the others still sound like metal and felt.

[yamaha2006]

Ein Pianist ohne Steinway ist für mich dasselbe wie ein Sänger ohne Stimme !!!!

Rudolf Buchbinder.

[hiline]

A machine it may be, but a few of those machines go beyond what they're made of and actually start making music (*cough* Steinway) whereas the others still sound like metal and felt.

Sorry, but what is a piano other than a machine that brings out sound?

[tee_dee_es]

"Sometimes a Steinway plays better than the pianist, and it is then a marvelous surprise."
Martha Argerich

"Steinway is the only piano on which the pianist can do everything he wants. And everything he dreams."
Vladimir Ashkenazy

"When one plays a Steinway, there is a warmth and nobility in the sound that is unequalled by any other instrument."
Emanuel Ax

"The Steinway piano is such an incomparable instrument. Due to its virtues, I am able to express all my musical feelings."
Daniel Barenboim

"I want to make music. That means I prefer the Steinway piano."
Alfred Brendel

"The Steinway piano - with its beauty and power - is the perfect medium for expressing the performer's art, drama and poetry."
Van Cliburn

"I wish to thank Steinway for its wonderful pianos which I've been privileged to play in all my concerts. There is no piano like it in the world."
Evgeny Kissin

"I choose to play the Steinway because of its wonderful clarity, tonal diversity and the wide dynamic range that it enables me to achieve."
Radu Lupu

"The more I hear its nuances of sounds, the more I realize the wealth of colors only a Steinway piano can produce."
Murray Perahia

"Steinway grand pianos are the best in the world."
Maurizio Pollini

"My friendship with the Steinway piano is one of the most important and beautiful things in my life."
Krystian Zimerman

"steinway, the way!"
sergei tds

[tee_dee_es]

"Sometimes a Steinway plays better than the pianist, and it is then a marvelous surprise."
Martha Argerich

"Steinway is the only piano on which the pianist can do everything he wants. And everything he dreams."
Vladimir Ashkenazy

"When one plays a Steinway, there is a warmth and nobility in the sound that is unequalled by any other instrument."
Emanuel Ax

"The Steinway piano is such an incomparable instrument. Due to its virtues, I am able to express all my musical feelings."
Daniel Barenboim

"I want to make music. That means I prefer the Steinway piano."
Alfred Brendel

"The Steinway piano - with its beauty and power - is the perfect medium for expressing the performer's art, drama and poetry."
Van Cliburn

"I wish to thank Steinway for its wonderful pianos which I've been privileged to play in all my concerts. There is no piano like it in the world."
Evgeny Kissin

"I choose to play the Steinway because of its wonderful clarity, tonal diversity and the wide dynamic range that it enables me to achieve."
Radu Lupu

"The more I hear its nuances of sounds, the more I realize the wealth of colors only a Steinway piano can produce."
Murray Perahia

"Steinway grand pianos are the best in the world."
Maurizio Pollini

"My friendship with the Steinway piano is one of the most important and beautiful things in my life."
Krystian Zimerman

so do we have steinway songs? who are these people? they all sound horney....

[mila5405]

Steinway is simply the best to play on,.....

[fred smalls]

well, kawais actualy already on there, but who the hell would choose any of the rest?

ACTUALLY

my vote goes to schimmel

[thetrojanhorse]

"Sometimes a Steinway plays better than the pianist, and it is then a marvelous surprise."
Martha Argerich

"Steinway is the only piano on which the pianist can do everything he wants. And everything he dreams."
Vladimir Ashkenazy

"When one plays a Steinway, there is a warmth and nobility in the sound that is unequalled by any other instrument."
Emanuel Ax

"The Steinway piano is such an incomparable instrument. Due to its virtues, I am able to express all my musical feelings."
Daniel Barenboim

"I want to make music. That means I prefer the Steinway piano."
Alfred Brendel

"The Steinway piano - with its beauty and power - is the perfect medium for expressing the performer's art, drama and poetry."
Van Cliburn

"I wish to thank Steinway for its wonderful pianos which I've been privileged to play in all my concerts. There is no piano like it in the world."
Evgeny Kissin

"I choose to play the Steinway because of its wonderful clarity, tonal diversity and the wide dynamic range that it enables me to achieve."
Radu Lupu

"The more I hear its nuances of sounds, the more I realize the wealth of colors only a Steinway piano can produce."
Murray Perahia

"Steinway grand pianos are the best in the world."
Maurizio Pollini

"My friendship with the Steinway piano is one of the most important and beautiful things in my life."
Krystian Zimerman

90% of these artists own and play GERMAN steinways, not American steinways.  You will be hard pressed to get any of these artists to tell you that newer American steinways are worth the powder it would take to blow them to all hell.  Most new American steinways are simply disgraceful to the brand

[grandpianoguy]

Bottom line about Steinways:  there are still some great ones coming out of New York. These are mostly Ds and are almost certainly scarcer than they must have been in the 1920s but also probably more common than in recent decades past.  I've actually been quite amazed by several of the NY Ds I've played in the last year or two  Quality control at the NY factory is also better than it was as recently as 10-15 years ago, when it could be quite dreadful.  Still, in my opinion, quality control in Hamburg is much more consistent than in NY and has been for several decades (just compare the finish on the cases and you'll see exactly what I mean).

By the way, I play both New York and Hamburg instruments frequently in the US and in Europe, so I have the luxury of comparing them.  Also, I have a Hamburg Model C and a New York Model D in my home, and have been over both instruments very closely,  both inside and out, so I'm speaking from direct personal experience, not from hearsay or speculation.

Fazioli and Bosendorfer both make absolutely wonderful instruments, by the way. On the whole, I think they are much more consistent than Steinways (the American ones anyway)  but I also believe there's no piano that can match a truly great Steinway. 

Incidentally: of that list of eleven Steinway artists, at least nine live in Europe. So of course they would play German Steinways!

[pianistimo]

once u know the best make of piano - how do u get one without selling everything u have?  will the average person ever own the piano they really want?  knowing this information just makes u want to forget it again.  fazioli, petrov, bosendorfer, steinway -  any one of those will do.

tds is ur first name really sergei?  please don't keep everything such a secret.  now what are u up to?  any recitals coming up in/near phillY?

[grandpianoguy]

Postscript to my message above:  I should rephrase my first statement to read "there are still potentially great" instruments coming out of the New York Steinway factory.  I say "potentially" because they almost always need at least several days or even weeks of additional prep work by a really good technician to become great instruments.  Unfortunately Steinway in NY doesn't routinely do this the way they do in Hamburg, at least not for pianos not selected for the C&A fleet. 

It has been my experience that if you play ten new Bosendorfer concert grands, at least eight will be extremely good instruments and of those perhaps two or three will be splendid; if you play ten Hamburg Steinway Ds, at least six will be extremely good and one or two may be exceptional; if you play ten new New York Steinways Ds, you'll be lucky if two or three are extremely good and one is exceptional--but after thorough prepping to your specifications, you may actually prefer that piano to any Bosendorfer or Fazioli. 

By the way, I haven't played enough Faziolis (only 3 or 4) to speak with any authority about them.  However, each of those I played was extraordinarily fine--beautiful sound, very even tone throughout all registers, and silky but precise touch.  I suspect the Fazioli people won't let anything leave their factory that isn't prepped to the nth degree and as close to perfection as human hands can make it.

[thetrojanhorse]

Ok, GOOD.  We're all in agreement.  Bosendorfer makes the best piano in the world. 

Its simply that not all of you LIKE them the best. 

[grandpianoguy]

No one here said Bosendorfer makes the best piano in the world.  I certainly didn't.

[netzow]

The question is are we talking about piano's that have been made or piano's that are being made. The Piano's that have been made I would have to go with Steinway, they have the track record that Yamaha and  Fazioli don't have they havent been given the time to tell wether there insturments wil stand up when they are 100 plus as Steinway's have. As for the piano's that are being made I don't know.

[shmainpiano]

Hehe, I knows more about made in China pianos.
the quality is not the best. but the price vs quality rate is quite good.

[dnephi]

I have got to hear a Fazioli.

[yooniefied]

I have got to hear a Fazioli.

Same here.

[mdshimazu]

"Sometimes a Steinway plays better than the pianist, and it is then a marvelous surprise."
Martha Argerich

Like how I suddenly have great dynamic control on a Steinway? lol

[benjaminb]

Hey why isn't Schimmel in the list ;-)

[rockwellkc]

I guess these pianists all have some kind of contracts with Steinway for doing "commercial" for them. I wonder what kind of deals Steinway gives them. But I'm sure many of them don't play Bosendorfer or others not because they don't like them but they are not allowed to under these contracts. These are just some dirty business tactics by Steinway to surpress its competitors. I feel very sorry for these pianists since there are plenty of lousy New York Steinways in the US and they have to use them even if a wonderful Bosendorfer is available. I'm luckier than these guys to be able to play all kinds.

Bechstein's glory days ended after World War II because of Nazi. Bosendorfer was somehow also greatly affected after the war. Steinway, the "USA piano maker", started dominating the market even though everybody knows only Hamburg Steinways are good these days. Part of the reason is that it adopts German Renner piano-actions. N.Y. Steinways to me are like GM and Ford. I picked Bosendorfer. It has the best Austrian strings and soundboards, with great Renner piano actions!

[deboerbarry]

I love my Bechstein. It doesn't feel like a Steinway and doesn't sound like one.

I could go to the Bechstein website and pull out some quotes like the Steinway ones but they are all non entities - like Debussy, Greig, Schiff and Schnabel - so I won't.

Bechstein went through a lean period after WW2 when they made some pianos which didn't live up to their reputation (as did Bluthner) but since 1990 they have produced  pianos as good as the early ones. I see the Berlin Philharmonic Hall has just replaced its Steinway with Bechstein.

[sirpazhan]

quality control in Hamburg is much more consistent than in NY and has been for several decades (just compare the finish on the cases and you'll see exactly what I mean).

You're right on the money baby.... the (ebony satin) finish on NY steinways are real sloppy.