Steinway, New York or Hamburg?

[arensky]

I own an old New York Model A, but have always wanted a Hamburg Steinway, preferably a Model C, although a B or A would be just fine.

[richard black]

The C is pretty rare but some Bs are really very nice instruments. All the instruments of that model I've ever played are Hamburg ones 'cos in the UK we don't see many NY Steinways. Funnily enough, all that said, the Steinway I currently play most often is a C (Hamburg) and it's terribly disappointing - lots of people have tried it and it's very hard to put a finger on what (technically speaking) is wrong with it, but it just lacks bloom in the sound. I'm not at all suggesting it's an intrinsic problem with the model, though.

[john11inc]

Unless you intend to play nothing but Mozart and Scarlatti on your piano for the rest of your life, I can nearly guarantee you that you'd be happier just to stick with the NY.  The NY models are almost invariably more lush and bold, while the Hamburgs are usually considered to be somewhat more refined and clear.

[netzow]

It totally depends on your idea of piano tone. A Hamburg in general will have a Cleaner more pure sound and a NY will generally have a dirtier sound. The craftsmanship on the Hamburgs I have seen is more refined than that of the NY