Brand of Piano

[dimu]

Which one the best piano brand???
thx

[rachfan]

Is there some reason Baldwin is missing from your list?

[gyzzzmo]

I voted for Yamaha, since they make great piano's with excellent quality, but arent as rediculous expensive as Steinways 

[kiwi_bd]

actually..i dun really find steinway THAT spectacular...
i just can't understand why's everyone so fond of a steinway piano
i voted for Fazioli..

[gfiore]

I own a Bosendorfer 214 now, but have owned a few Baldwins in the past.

[nyonyo]

Steinway has different kind of tone that other pianos do not have.
To me Steinway tone is my favorite. I do not understand why don't Yamaha make a piano with that sound and sell at Yamaha price. I bet Yamaha can do it if they really want to copy Steinway sound. For price to quality, I have to vote for Yamaha.

Just went to Steinway showroom, the prices are exceedingly expensive. I wonder who really spend that much money for a piano.

[quantum]

Steinway has different kind of tone that other pianos do not have.
To me Steinway tone is my favorite. I do not understand why don't Yamaha make a piano with that sound and sell at Yamaha price. I bet Yamaha can do it if they really want to copy Steinway sound. For price to quality, I have to vote for Yamaha.

Just went to Steinway showroom, the prices are exceedingly expensive. I wonder who really spend that much money for a piano.

It's like saying why isn't nyonyo like John Doe?  That's because they are two different people.

There are other pianos around with similar sonic qualities as Steinway.  Try Kawai (they do make the Boston line).  Shigerus are even better.  Have you played a Mason and Hamelin?

[nyonyo]

I tried Mason and Hamelin and totally not impressed by it. The touch and sound just like Yamaha.

[richard black]

I tried Mason and Hamelin and totally not impressed by it. The touch and sound just like Yamaha.

Yes, but what M&H? What Yamaha? Even pianos from smaller makes (e.g. Fazioli) vary somewhat from one to the next, and from the big makes, who turn out hundreds or thousands a year, they can vary quite dramatically - and that's before they have been played in or anyone has fiddled with them internally. It's like asking what's the best car. Smart, Bentley, Maserati, or a mid-range Nissan/Opel/Ford, they all have plenty going for them and some major disadvantages depending on your viewpoint.

[keyb0ardfweak]

I voted yamaha...I never played on a steinway, so I guess I say yahama..cuz it's the only thing I tried that sounded good.

I remember playing many kawai's, but didn't like the touch..=S

I also tried petrof and an amadeus I think it was...but I didn't like the touch.

And finally, a samick, it was ok, but I still prefer yamaha

[kantsuiex]

ya.. I played yahama for 10 years....and it starts to get worse... ,etc, stuck key...
But I think it is worth it... because yahama is a cheap and guaranteed brand
I want to play steinway..... but no money .....

[iheartpiano]

I'm also a fan of Steinways, but I like Yamaha and Kawaii as well.

I really hate my piano though, Koehler and Campbell.  I wish I knew better at the time I purchased it, but I figured anything was better than what I had.  I'm just dying to get a new piano..

[allthumbs]

I have tried Brodmann. Made by ex- Bosendorfer people. Very good sound quality for less than 1/3 the price of a Bosendorfer.

Check out their site.

https://www.brodmann-pianos.com/

Cheers

allthumbs

[hanrhee]

About Yamaha pianos.
I don't know about the sound but all the Yamaha pianos that I've tried don't have much hammer key actions. The keys feel too light.

[arensky]

Fazioli. Unbelievable depth of tone and an action that does most of the work for you. Incredible instruments.

[stars1234]

For Sound, Hamburg Steinway B.

For price with an equivalent sound as the Hamburg B, it has to be an Estonia.

Faziolis are very nice & expensive.

I don't like the New York Steinway. I don't like Yamaha, except their "S" series. 

Baldwin concert series is good. M& H is good, as is a beautiful Schimmel.

When you are talking about upper-tier pianos, it's a matter of preference and playing them all, until you find the one that speaks to you--"I'm the one, take me."

 But to get close to the Steinway sound and touch, it's Estonia, all the way.

[asimov250]

Here is my article on the best piano brands. By the way for me the best piano brand is Steinway and Sons, but it's too much expensive to own one.

[iansinclair]

It's really apples and oranges, or worse.  Most of the "names" on the list make pianos which are somewhere between very good indeed and superb.  Trouble is, they are all different, and it depends so much on what the individual pianist prefers.  Worse yet, some brands -- Steinway being the most notable example -- have to be qualified by stating which Steinway, and when was it built (there is a much wider variation there than there is between the original NewYork Steinways and the Hamburg ones).  This is true of most of the other names listed as well -- I have encountered some excellent Baldwins, for example.  On the other hand, the absolute worst piano, bar none, I was ever afflicted with was a Baldwin.

For reference on the Steinways -- I have an 1898 A with the original action (my piano tecnician's despair, but that's his problem) which has superb tone and an extraordinarily light but very responsive and positive action (hard to describe).  I personally find the later Steinway actions -- particularly the recent Hamburg variety -- much heavier.  But still positve and responsive -- just different.  I happen to like my A, but then I'm used to it.

[robson]

I voted for Weber (Young Chang) - best build and sound quality to price ratio IMO.  

[wendling]

I  GOT AROUND THE HIGHER COST OF THE STEINWAY BUY FINDING AN OLDER MODEL IN GOOD CONDITION FOR MUCH LESS THEN NEW.  LOVE THE INSTRUMENT  JOHN

[roseamelia]

I have a Yamaha digital.. Work's great still, I've had it for 7 years not a scratch on it. Actually it's almost like new but I don't play it everyday. LOVE my "original" piano!

[bechstein212]

I recently replaced my Yamaha C3 with a C. Bechstein 212.  I had the opportunity to spend a whole afternoon playing a 1995 year Steinway model A, a 2006 C Bechstein 212, and 3 different fairly new Yamaha C3s, along with about 20 older grands.  The Steinway had a lovely action, especially for playing fast trills, but the treble sounded confused with many high pitched clashing overtones (all the pianos were in good tune).  The Yamahas were good but didn't seem to have the depth of sound of the Steinway.  The Bechstein had the nicest sound with clear bell-like treble and deep 'growly' bass. Its action wasn't quite so good at trilling, but overall its sound was lovely and better that either the Steinway or Yamahas.
I guess the choice of make depends on your ear, and also whats available locally at a good price.

[hbofinger]

This is a really tough question, because it really depends on the individual instrument. I have owned a Bosendorfer 200, and now own a Yamaha C7. I currently compare my C7 to many others, and play them at dealership - somehow I just lucked out and got a really good one. But here we go again - someone said the Yamaha action is too light. They should come try mine - I am desperately trying to take some of the weight out of it - it is a  very heavy action.

I do someday dream of owning a Hamburg B or C. I have been to dealerships in Germany and Austria (I am German), and have found them to be truly spectacular. The New York ones generally are not in any way comparable. I have also played a Bechstein here in the Washington, D.C. area that I think may be the best piano on the market in the D.C. area.

I would NEVER have thought I would own a Yamaha. I play serious classical, specializing in very late classical and early romantic (i.e. Beethoven, Schubert, and Chopin are my staples). A friend of mine from Europe told me "what - you bought a Yamaha! But isn't that really a Jazz piano?" They should here the overtones and sustain on this particular instrument - it is phenomenal.

Another thing to keep in mind is that in the U.S. everybody aims for a mellower, softer tone on pianos. The hard fact is that all those recordings you hear by great classical masters, at least for solo, are all really on rather bright instruments. Michelangeli went very bright in his choices. Ashkenazy's piano recordings of Beethoven's late sonatas are on a piano both heavy and bright. Kempff's Beethoven cycle are on a bright Steinway. Even the great names, such as Fazioli, get soften down by the dealership when they arrive in the U.S., I was stunned to find out recently.

The least bright instrument of the Euro bunch is Bosendorfer, by the way.