Steingraëber 138

[sebmk]

Hello,
I currently have a second-hand upright Weinbach 114 I and a digital Yamaha P155. I hesitate to buy a new upright, a good one. I have tested several brands (Yamaha, Schimmel, Grotrian Steinweg, Bechstein, Blüthner and Steingraëber) and read many critics.

My favorite one, at the moment, is the Steingraëber 138 cm (54''), that is to say an upright that sounds almost like a grand (equivalent to a 170 cm/ 5'7'' said the dealer) but also cost like a grand (nearly 29 000 Euros / 40 000 $).
What do you think about this piano. Some people consider this instrument is not an upright and not a grand, it's a kind of hybrid. The idea to get the piano that only a few ones have is seducing.

What should I do :
 
Save my money and wait to buy a grand (and an house instead of an apartment) ?
Save less money and buy a good but not high end upright ?
Spend all my money and take a credit to buy this piano (and do the same in many years to buy a grand) ?

[richard black]

The Steingräber 138 is a stunning upright, absolutely superb, and certainly one of the best uprights I've ever played - possibly the very best. Its action is a closer approach to that of a grand than most uprights', thanks to some little detail they've included which gives it something more like a proper repitition. It's beautifully put together and sounds gorgeous. I had the opportunity to play one and examine it in detail at the premises of the UK importer and it is really the only upright I've ever played which I believe is better in every way than my own Ibach. If you can raise the money I believe you won't regret it.

And although I can't speak from long-term experience of that model, my experience of Steingräber grands is that they last very well with quite minimal maintenance.