Nordiska vs. Steigerman -- HELP!

[aahhhxchoo]

I'm new here, and I've been looking all over the internet for information on Steigerman and Nordiska. We're buying our first grand piano (3rd piano total, though), and I just wanted opinions from a third party.

Background... I've been playing since kindergarden and am in high school now. I do enjoy playing the piano (mostly classical with a few contemorary songs here and there) and want and upgrade. I currently have a Yamaha U1 that was made in the 70s. I'm looking for an affordable (preferably 10-12k and under), reliable piano that has good dynamics that I will be able to keep for years.

Right now, we're looking at a 5' Nordiska for around 7k and a 5'4" Steigerman for around 10k. I don't know much about all the technical aspects of pianos... I only know how to play them and am completely clueless.

Both seem fine to me, but I wanted some reassurance. What do you know about each brand? Which will hold its price longer? Are these good deals? And overall, which is the better piano? WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Here's more info on each piano.
Nordiska: https://www.geneva-intl.com/Nordiska/PDF%20Files/2006%20Nordiska%20Grands/Model%20D.pdf
Steigerman https://www.steigerman.com/grand_spg161.htm

Wow, sorry for such a long post. Big thanks to anyone who can help. Ask for more details (although I'm not sure there are any left  )

[m1469]

Well, I am no expert by any means, but I did rent a Nordiska for quite awhile (about 2 years), it was a bit bigger than your's and was a *little* more expensive, but it sounds like they were in the same category. 

I was remotely considering buying it and had a technician come and check it out, and there were a number of silly things about the way it was put together.  For example, the 'key bushings' were not cut, they were just placed in the piano in their original form.  Now, how that effects the piano, I am not sure, but I believe most are fitted.  Also, there was a lot of 'play' from side to side in the individual keys (if you wiggled it).  I would have to look at his write-up to say much more than that.  There were good things about the sound quality, I thought, but there was *A LOT* of extra noise, too.

I think the main downfall to the piano was poor craftsmanship.

If you really are not comfortable, pay for a technician that you trust to go into the store with you and tell you all about it, it's worth it.  I have done that three times with three different pianos, and it always opened my eyes (I didn't end up buying any of them  :-).

[amanfang]

I don't know a lot about either brand.  However, there are some Steigerman uprights at the store where I teach, and I do NOT like the uprights.  Maybe the grands are better though.  Play them both for a while before buying.  See what you like.

[daniloperusina]

I only know some history about Nordiska, so here it goes:
There were many pianomakers in Sweden in early 20th century, and later on many of them were merged into this conglomerate called Nordiska Pianon (Nordic Pianos). I think they were nice instruments. Around 1980 they were probably near being bankrupt and sold everything to a chinese company.They apparently even dismantled the factory, the building too, and shipped it to China.

And, as I understand it, Nordiska aims at the low-budget market.
This gives some clues about the quality, but as m1469 says, the absolute safest thing to do is to hire a technician to have a look at it. They will be able to discover if the workmanship is poor despite if the piano happens to sound lovely. That way you'll know better what you pay for.

Is that $ or £? Why not look at a nice restored Blüthner, Bechstein, Grotrian Steinweg or so? Grands of impeccable quality...

[aahhhxchoo]

Well... there aren't many choices where I live. And our budget narrows them even more. One dealer told me that though the Nordiskas are good pianos, they aren't as good as Steigerman-- but that was the man who was selling the Steigerman, so you never know. He seems to be honest and has the whole package.

Oh, daniloperusina, its in $.

The Nordiska was "on sale" that week, so I'm not sure if the price is still the same.

[m1469]

ha ha... I don't trust a word the piano store people say to me .  At least not where I live.  Of course they want to sell you an instrument, it's their business and it puts food on the table -- and, especially if your area is remote (which it sounds like it is), they aren't really too worried about whether or not you get the one that is just right for you (because they know they have limited stock and choices in the first place).  They know the market and they know exactly where they stand -- they also know that they know more about the piano build and makeup than do most customers, even pianists  . 

Also, the really good ones will come across as very nice, charming, sincere people -- they want you to trust them and make a purchase . 

You should also not feel rushed into this, at least not by a store salesperson.  Anytime I start feeling rushed my hackles go up and I get pretty stubborn  :- -- what's the need to rush/push/pull a person if they know that they have something you will love and that meets your needs ?

There are a lot of factors that go into getting an instrument that you are planning to spend a lot of time with (which it sounds like you are planning to have it for a good while).  If it *really* matters to you, take the footsteps to make sure that you at least know what you are getting into.  Give yourself the opportunity to at least make an educated decision.

[iumonito]

These are tiny.  You can get bigger if you buy used.

Where are you?

I have played modified Nordiskas at Pianocraft in Maryland and they turn out fantastic, but I am afraid that's only because of the modifications Pianocraft does to them.  I have never played an unmodified one, so all I can say is they can be made to sound and play nice.

The ones I have played were bigger than what you are looking at, BTW.

[daniloperusina]

I had a quick look at your links. Well, first, the action in Steigermann is made by Renner, this is a quality insurance! Renner is the leading company in this. It's a german company.
The action in Nordiska is made by themselves, but the hammers are by Abel, another german top-quality maker.

Warranty on Steigermann is 12 years, Nordiska 10 years. Steigermann doesn't specifify where they are made, but I gather between the lines that it's China.

So far, because of the Renner action, I would say the Steigermann has an advantage.

Which will hold its price longer?

None of them. The only pianos worth anything second hand are Steinway, Bösendorfer, Blüthner, Bechstein, Grotrian Steinweg, Yahama and Kawai. Did I forget anyone?
For $10K your options are limited. With luck you could find a restored Blüthner, Bechstein or Grotrian Steinweg. The best part of that is that if you sell them later you can get all your money back. But if you live in a remote place it could be difficult to find such a shop, of course.

[Derek]

I tried a 7' foot nordiska and the bass sounded really weak, and the treble very tinny and unpleasant. and it was 20K. a 7k 5 footer must be absolutely terrible by comparison. That's just how I reacted to nordiska though. the only real test is trying out the piano for yourself. don't make a decision too hastily, it is a big investment and you won't be able to reverse it easily without losing a lot of money and going to a great hassle.

[iumonito]

the action in Steigermann is made by Renner
The action in Nordiska is made by themselves
The only pianos worth anything second hand are Steinway, Bösendorfer, Blüthner, Bechstein, Grotrian Steinweg, Yahama and Kawai. Did I forget anyone?

I generally agree, although not all Renner actions are created equal.

Mason & Hamlin and the older Baldwin pianos are nice too.  Rebuilding an old Chickering is an act of love, wisdom and luck.  Knabe also is very much worth rebuilding if you can find one.

By the way.  They have Nordiskas on ebay on that size for under 6K.  A very good looking Baldwin 7 footer goes for 7.5K.  I would look at that very much first.

[aahhhxchoo]

Wow! Thanks for all the feedback!

Sorry... I didnt exactly make myself clear. The salesperson isn't rushing me into things... it's really my dad. He doesn't really understand why I even want an upgrade in the first place and thinks that I'm procrastinating. And on top of that, I'm feeling kind of guilty for asking for such an expensive gift.

I guess I'm not that remote... I live in the Atlanta area. There are basically 2 good dealers here (4 total, and I didn't like the salespeople in the other two).

--EDIT--

We went back to the store today. I replayed the Steigerman, but it felt different than I remembered, so we didn't buy it. We did, however, purchase a used Yamaha C1! I didn't do much research on this one, but I am more familiar, which makes me more comfortable, with Yamaha. We originally didn't look too closely at this one because we thought it was out of our price range, but we got the numbers to work for us, and well... I'm excited! Thanks you guys, and sorry for not being able to use your advice.

[daniloperusina]

To me it seems like you made a good choice, especially since you were concerned about value for money, and how the piano will keep it's value. Second hand Yamaha's are, after all, quite sought after.