Piano...Advices on buying

[softkeys]

I have the possibility of buying a high-quality piano. Can you suggest me some brands? 

[evitaevita]

When you say "high-quality piano", probably you mean an expensive grand one.
How much cost could you afford?

[softkeys]

I have a budget about $ 100.000 ... so what do you advice?

[49410enrique]

I have a budget about $ 100.000 ... so what do you advice?

i'd buya used shigeru sk-5 and save the 65K. or buy a brand spanking new one and save 30K.
i.e.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHIGERU-KAWAI-GRAND-PIANO-SK5-/320790423029

if i was dead set on spending even more, i'd splurge on the sk6
https://www.bettermusic.com.au/sk6-212-cm-shigeru-handcrafted-grand-piano

[softkeys]

I think that the last one is very elegant but I've played it one time and I like it but I haven't felt it was spectacular... 
Do you have another proposal?

[49410enrique]

I think that the last one is very elegant but I've played it one time and I like it but I haven't felt it was spectacular...  
Do you have another proposal?

hmm i'll only really go into either brands or actual models i have spent more than just a little bit of time on.

estonia. fantastic instruments. i would strongly consider the brand new l225
i have played its little brothers, and loved both. i have also played their flagship full concert instrument. i was blown away.
https://heritagepianos.com/blog/estonia-225-semi-concert-grand-piano/

if you live in the los angeles area, i would jump on this right away. rare model in the states, a hamburg model C, i have played the b, loved many of them (not all of them). i played  a recital on a hamburg model D and it was a dream. this instrument new i believe in in the 120-140K + range. that a nice used one is available is pretty incredible.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Steinway-Concert-Grand-piano-Hamburg-model-C-BIG-SOUND-The-Price-of-New-L-/350439712521


if you can spend some time with some mason & hamlins, i would explore those.

also, not as well known but I LOVED IT, is the charles walter grand piano. oh man. it's a dream instrument too!
https://www.walterpiano.com/pianos/grand-pianos/ , if you can swing it i would arrange a visit to their factory, speak with the builder/owners. fantastic instruments. i played a new one at a steinway dealer that was i think in the 60,000 range.

i have also played lots of bosendorfers, and generally i like them very much but am not convinced they are worth their premium. again here i would lookd for a super nice used one.

i have played these, not as common but can be found and negotiated, they are incredible
https://www.steingraeber.de/english/home/grand_pianos_159.html

also look to the august forester, have not played them but my tech, and what i have read points to an incredible instrument
https://www.august-foerster.de/cms/en/5/Home


i have not played fazioli, but from what i've read, it would seem hard to be disapointed.

really at your budget you have your pic of some of the finest houses, also consider (just from reputation i have not played these)

seiler
sauter
grotian
bechstein

or the higher end products form
yamaha (i.e. model just below flagship concert grand)
schimmel
petrof

the best from these guys should be inline quality wise with what some of the other prestige houses build.

that's all i got.

[iansinclair]

Hmm.  Wish I had that kind of money...

Any of the ones 4910 mentioned.  But also don't forget to look at Steinway; they really do make good instruments; it's not all hype!  I am not associated with Steinway, but all the ones I have played (and the three I own) are wonderful instruments.

However, as a more general comment: at that price range, don't buy ANY piano until you have a chance to play the specific instrument (not just the model and brand) you have in mind, and have a really good discussion with a top grade technician as to what changes could be made on it, if you want to make any changes.

[49410enrique]

Hmm.  Wish I had that kind of money...

Any of the ones 4910 mentioned.  But also don't forget to look at Steinway; they really do make good instruments; it's not all hype!  I am not associated with Steinway, but all the ones I have played (and the three I own) are wonderful instruments.

However, as a more general comment: at that price range, don't buy ANY piano until you have a chance to play the specific instrument (not just the model and brand) you have in mind, and have a really good discussion with a top grade technician as to what changes could be made on it, if you want to make any changes.

absolutely. steinway is a given and an almost 'automatic' contender. i was just wanting to broaden the 'scope' of the considerations.

the more i see and read about that used model c the more and more i would LOVE to try that thing out! and to think you can own one for about half of the cost of a new one, wow....

another couple (note i was specifically refering to the modern C not rebuilt new york model C's)
https://www.myperfectpiano.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51
though i am diaspointed in their 'bench' those things are cheap. it photographs well but i would insist they throw in a top of the line paul jansen artist's leather bench.
https://www.myperfectpiano.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=220
used fazioli's are rare, these guys have one
https://www.myperfectpiano.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43

[quantum]

Sauter Omega
Shigeru
Yamaha S series
C. Bechstein
August Forster
Baldwin SD 10


Steinway tends to go without saying.  Personally I would only consider a Steinway if it was 90% or more towards what I would like.  There are so many out there, and so much variability between individual pianos that you might as well find one that is to your liking.  With the premium price they demand, new or used, I would expect it to be very close to my preferences upon initial inspection. 

[evitaevita]

I think Bechstein and Schimmel could be good options.
Personally, I love their tone and touch. (I've played in both.)
If I could afford a high-quality piano, I would consider bying one of these ones.

https://bechstein.com/en/home-page.html
https://www.schimmel-piano.de/

[softkeys]

Thanks for your answers! I’m looking for more a piano room. Someone has already named some, but who can tell me about specially characteristic of piano Steinway?

also on Fazioli please.. the latter I’ve heard of it but I’ve never played them…someone has played them? what do you think about faziolis???

[john90]

I have the possibility of buying a high-quality piano. Can you suggest me some brands? 

I would personally buy 4 instruments. No single piano will do everything. 100K will pretty much do everything though.

No 1, would be a c1900 or a little earlier American, Canadian or European upright (depending on where I lived), $800 max, tuned, reshaped hammers, new strings and pins, tuned up by a local tech. Try a few local techs on it until you are happy. People could put their drinks on it, kids could bang around on it. Great for pop, doesn't take much space. Good, hard working utility instrument. Next would be a Midi keyboard, so I could do silly noises, take it on holiday, play at midnight in hotels, etc. that is the small change.

The only piano as a main toy, to last a lifetime, would be a new Steinway D, Hamburg or New York, depending on which was closest. Insist on a really good discount, and take your friendly tech (from above) with you. I might consider something up to 5 years old. 80k. You get that nice sharp crisp accurate sound, very responsive action, does what you want, no compromise due to being too small. Common enough that it can be kept at near 100% performance day in day out.

With the change, I would buy a Bosendorfer Imperial, old and battered, 13k or so.
Two grands don't take that much more space than one, ans they can snuggle up.

I think the above is good practical, and financial advice. Any other choice, and in 5 years, you could end up having lost 50k, and be wishing you bought a D. At least this way, you might loose 50K, but you will have a D.

[quantum]

who can tell me about specially characteristic of piano Steinway?

It can be difficult to put a finger on exactly how you would expect a Steinway to sound.  There can be vast differences between instruments of the same Model.  New York instruments tend to be known for this "characteristic" if one could call it that.  

I once attended a piano sale where there were four Model M pianos on the floor.  They were so contrastingly different, it was as if they could have been made by four different piano builders in four different countries.  You need to play and experience a Steinway in person in order to absorb the details of what a "Steinway sound" entails.  Don't fall into Steinway's marketing strategy: if there is another piano that you much prefer, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  

[john90]

Don't fall into Steinway's marketing strategy: if there is another piano that you much prefer, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.  

Don't fall for any marketing strategy, very good advice. Steinway probably have the best marketing strategy, so watch out.

It is very very difficult to get a perfect piano. I have tried say 40+ restored Steinways, Bechsteins, Bosendorfers that all make me cringe for one reason or another, yet I can go up to a new one of the above and most often be happy, or sometimes something that has seen no major work in 20 years and be happy, because my expectation is much lower, and the instrument really delivers more than it should somehow.

It is difficult to know what sort of person you are, why you want a piano. perhaps you can't play yet, your are successful, have a apartment or house, and want a gorgeous object that is functional too, that looks cool, that you can enjoy as a beginner, as a concert pianist, and when you play those big chords, you sound like Rubinstein, then I would just get a Steinway D, and fall in love with it. Not too difficult to do. No question. I would actually go as far as to advise against any other Steinway in these circumstances. Alternatively you could by a used D from an auction for 25K if you want a few dings and a shabby chic 1920s look.

Oh if we all had 100K to spend like this...

[benk88]

Maybe next week I will get a new piano..thanks for this!
womens flat shoes

[richard black]

You can't really go wrong with Steinway, though that said, always try the _actual instrument_ (so not just one of the same model) you are going to buy, of Steinway or any other make, because they vary somewhat.

Steinway is not the be-all and end-all of piano, but the instruments have a wealth of colours available, respond beautifully and, importantly, survive very well. They are incredibly well made and will still be playable after abuse that would render most pianos into sawdust.

Fazioli and Bösendorfer also make pianos in the same league. In my experience, 'Bosies' need a bit more looking after than most. Also worthy of mention in the same breath are Bechstein, Blüthner, Grotrian Steinweg (I've heard mixed reports of recent production from them, but they have made very fine instruments in the past) and Steingraeber. The last is not a well known name outside Germany but don't let that put you off: they are superb.

Then there are 'boutique' brands that produce really small quantities of pianos per year, such as Stuart (Australia). I've played one of theirs, briefly: it was lovely.

I don't much care for Yamaha's pianos, apart from the concert grands, which can be very fine indeed. I've never played a Shigeru.

Any of the above-named will sell you a very fine piano which will give decades of pleasure for the sort of sum mentioned. Don't be taken in by generalisations about 'this brand sounds like so-and-so', most of which are unhelpful not least because, as I mentioned above, pianos are individuals and vary from one to the next even among examples of a specific model made in the same year. And anyway, an experienced technician can make some quite major changes to the feel and sound of a fine instrument.

[deighve]

Get a Steinway.  Audition each piano first before handing you check to the seller. Each piano sounds different from the next one. Select one that appeals to your ear and emotion.  Also, your new piano will definitely sound different in your home. Move it around the music room and see the best placement by playing something on it.