Steinway or Bösendorfer?

[xenon]

I know.  It was just a joke, hence the smilies .

[Axtremus]

Does anyone have a good recommendation for Kawai?

Try the Kawai RX-A model. I played one, and it left a very, very good impression. [Edit: RX-A may no longer in production -- go try the Shigeru pianos instead, SK-2 through SK-7. SK-5 is the closest to RX-A, size-wise. The RX-2 to RX-7 series are no sloth either.]

[Axtremus]

And for all your Fazioli fans out there, the Pearl River folks just came out with a GP-328 model, a 10'9" monstrosity that eclipsed the Fazioli F-308 in terms of size.

See https://www.pearlriverpiano.com/sprp/product/catalogs/piano/gp328in.htm

And they hired a Japanese designer to do it. No doubt about it. The Chinese are working very hard to catch up.

[eventemp]

Well, let me add my two cents:  as a jazz player, I tend to like the more mellow toned pianos, so it has taken me awhile to find one that I like better than my Yamaha C-3.  I played about a dozen Steinway B's, and didn't come close to liking any of them.  I did find a 7' Bosndorfer that I really really liked, but it was in one of those super fancy cabinets that ran the price up over $125,000.  What did I finally fall in love with??  A three year old Steinway Model L.  But understand its for my ears and my hands.  
Another key point:  I live in New Jersey, close enough that Steinway technicians from the factory can work on the piano...from what I've experienced so far, I would not buy a Steinway if I lived in Iowa farm country...they just require too much skilled attention.  

[eddie92099]

I found the picture of the Fazioli I was trying to (unsuccessfully) upload online...https://www.piano-world.co.il/cover.gif ,
Ed

[rachfan]

Hi Axtremus,

I saw your post from September on trying that Baldwin SD10.  Yes, it is the piano to die for!!  And, at a lesser cost than Steinway too as you suggest.  You're not the first to say that they like the SD10 better than the Steinway D.

About 15 years ago I wanted to get a larger piano than the Steinway M (5'7") I owned at the time.  The Steinway from 1926 was starting to get verdigris in the action, which is a woeful sign.  Given my space limitations, I was considering the Steinway L (5'10") versus the Baldwin L (6'3").  Mason & Hamlin had not pulled itself up by its bootstraps by then, and was not yet a solid contender again.  So between the two, the Baldwin had the longer speaking length on the bass strings, but the Steinway had the square tail to afford a larger soundboard.  My sense was that there were some wolves in the Steinway L scale.  The Steinway sound was very ample, but not always pleasant to my ear.  The longer Baldwin L with the tapered tail could raise the rafters too.  Its scale was very consistent, even at the breaks.  Moreover, it seemed to have a richer, and slightly darker sound which I like.  Steinway did not discount.  Baldwin did.  So I got about 45% off the list, the final price leaving Steinway far back in the dust.  Never once have I ever regretted that decision.

[Axtremus]

I found the picture of the Fazioli I was trying to (unsuccessfully) upload online...https://www.piano-world.co.il/cover.gif ,
Ed

Eddie, is that an F-278 or F-308? I thought the F-308 needs three sticks to prop up the lid.   (By the way, played yet another F-228 two days ago, along with a two other smaller Faziolis, all autographed by Paolo Fazioli himself on the plates -- still mightily impressed by the F-228. )

[xenon]

Actually, I've seen pictures of the F-308 with both 3 sticks, and one stick (such as on Fazioli's website).

[eddie92099]

Actually, I've seen pictures of the F-308 with both 3 sticks, and one stick (such as on Fazioli's website).

Yes, what is with that?
Ed

[xenon]

One stick is standard, three sticks are optional, and the sticks can be altered to any position, I think.

I played in a masterclass yesterday, and I found a new revelation.  At the U of M School of Music, all of the student practise rooms have bad pianos (K. Kawais, with an action you need a sledgehammer to play).  But, the teacher studios have very nice pianos.  My teacher's studio has a Yamaha 7'6" and a Yamaha 6'4".  The studio where I had the masterclass had a 7'6" Bosendorfer and a 9' Grotrian-Steinweg.  I've changed my mind, and I like that one better than the Bosendorfer .

But I've yet to play the Fazioli

[The Tempest]

The following is a list of the ideal music to be played on each different piano, IMO.

Hamburg Steinway: Baroque  Romantic

Bosendorfer: Classical - Impressionistic

Yamaha: Jazz, Modern

Fazioli: Classical - Romantic

NY Steinway: Eww


Overall: Hamburg Steinway or Bosendorfer. HS for the subtle, romantic and round tone, Bosendorfer for a powerful, impacting one.

[Jemmers]

Wow goodness all the expensive pianos. I was once quite thoroughly impressed by the relatively cheap Yamaha concert grand (at about... 32k singapore dollars. which is... 20k US dollars very roughly). And that's ridiculously cheap. But of course it was perfectly well-tuned and in a chamber that the dealer had specially built for very good acoustics.
Since then, I've never had that good an experience with any Yamaha grand.

[classicarts]

Do you really guys care how many sticks they used to prop up a lid on a Fazioli F-308?

[xvimbi]

The following is a list of the ideal music to be played on each different piano, IMO.

Hamburg Steinway: Baroque  Romantic

Bosendorfer: Classical - Impressionistic

Yamaha: Jazz, Modern

Fazioli: Classical - Romantic

NY Steinway: Eww


Overall: Hamburg Steinway or Bosendorfer. HS for the subtle, romantic and round tone, Bosendorfer for a powerful, impacting one.

Here is my list:

Steinway: Cage 4:33
Bösendorfer: Everything else

(It's a joke, people, don't get all riled up )

There is only one answer to the original question "Steinway or Bösendorfer". It is: Steinway AND Bösendorfer.

[leahcim]

There is only one answer to the original question

I counted over 60 and they took over 2 years to make

[dinosaurtales]

ROTFLMAO!