oh, i'm not saving a single $ by going to the factory. I just want a SELECTION to choose from D's since all are different. The transaction is still going through my Steinway dealer here in Portland, OR.
I started about 3 months ago with a new almost 7 foot Bechstein which sounded too harsh. It was not a voicing issue, it just sounded like sh*t in my very live large open apartment. It just hurt my ears when I played, even when played quitetly. The techs (many of them) all blamed my acoustics in my home. So After battling with the Bechstein for about 2 months I had a "hunch": A steinway would still sound good nomatter how "bad" or live the acoustics is.
So I went to the Steinway dealer and told them about my bechstein and my "hunch" about the steinways. (I always loved steinways much better than any other pianos). They agreed to put a B in my house for a couple of weeks. Instantly I could tell the difference. I can play soft, and loud, and it didn't hurt my ears. It produced such a beautiful sound. My girlfriend actually now liked hearing me play. So I bought the new B.
I didn't like the B's polish of the black keys and they were too high. Still, it was an amazing piano. Plus I wanted the longer keys for more control. So I went to the dealer again told him I want a D and that I want many D's to choose from, that's why they made me an appointement at the factory. In the meanwhile, they put a loander 1993 D in my aparment today and took back the B. OMG!!!!! Even this neglected D in desperate need of regulating and voicing is just a totally different ballgame than the B! I can play WAY WAY softer than the B. I was so afraid that the D would be too big for a living room and I read in forums that it is very impractical to have a D at home. BULLSHIT! I can easily make that D whisper, and on FF it doesn't sound loud, it just sounds like volume and color.
So the conclusion. Bechstein - not even close to steinway. And the D's are like the masters of all Steinways. Everything else is just a compromise to the D. Now I can really see why they put the D in Noah's ark in that mercedes commercial.