Steinway Model D vs. Bosendorfer Imperial vs. Others?

[llvvbb]

Hello everyone, I've been browsing here recently and I have had a thought about concert grand pianos.

In my area, there is very little pianos for me to try out (only "gallery" around only carries low-end Yamaha and one single, lonely Baldwin.) and I have always dreamed of getting a large concert piano, something like the Steinway Model D or Bosendorfer Imperial, or something of the other European makers.

Has anyone ever tried out these wonderful pianos?

[awesom_o]

I recommend the model D. Either NY or Hamburg. Select a good one, or have someone who knows how to select a good one help you.

What area are you in?

[polishookm]

If you're looking to acquire a really first-rate instrument, and it sounds like you are, the first step is take your time. Don't let anyone like a dealer rush you to a decision.

There's a world of top-tier pianos out there. Steinway & Bosendorfer are in that world. So are Bechstein, Steingraeber, Estonia, Phoenix, Grotrian Steinweg, Bluthner, and others.

When you're looking for an instrument that high up on the chain it really is worthwhile to travel if dealers in your area don't have a large selection. Actually most dealers won't have a huge selection of top tier pianos from which to choose. But some will.

As you try different brands and different pianos of those brands you'll quickly find there's a lot of difference and variability among them. They have personality. And at the top tier level it's also true that Steinway is one out of a bunch of choices. All top tier pianos are hand-made. Although what exactly that means is variable.

With top tier pianos it's also the case that the best one aren't automatically the top-of-the-line concert grands. You may'll find amazing instruments that are less than 9' and they may appeal to you more or less for a variety of reasons.

Take your time, do the research, and the piano you should have will appear. It may take a while or it may not. One of the joys of the process is the learning you'll do along the way. Which comes down to differentiating tonal quality from the top of an instrument down to the bottom. Thee evenness of tonal quality from top to bottom. How the piano sounds with lid open, lid closed, half-stick, etc. And how the piano feels - meaning the action.

It's also worth figuring out which dealers you meet along the way who you feel will give you the best service - who are most responsive to your needs, as it were.

I don't want to name brands but I will say that some offer better service and are more flexible than others. So for example, if a dealer says the piano is perfect on the showroom floor, well, that's not a good sign. Most pianos, if not all, will benefit from having a good technician do some voicing in situ.

Here's a 5-part series on my blog about selecting a piano.

https://www.polishookstudio.com/2013/12/on-picking-piano-part-5.html

In my case it came down to a Steinway B or a Steingraeber 205. I ended up w/the Steingraeber. After I had done all the research that was the best choice for me. But it might not be for you. The blog posts explain how I eventually came to the decision I'd did.

Here's  another post on my blog about a recording studio in the UK with a Bosendorfer Imperial. It's an interview w/James Bacon who's a miracle of a recording engineer who specialises in piano recordings. In the interview James covers a lot of ground about about sorts of thing related to choosing a piano.

https://www.polishookstudio.com/2014/01/james-bacon-on-pianos-recording.html

Put the time in, do your research, bring your knowledge of pianos to a higher level and you'll end up with a magnificent instrument.

Good luck!

[llvvbb]

I recommend the model D. Either NY or Hamburg. Select a good one, or have someone who knows how to select a good one help you.

What area are you in?

Currently I am in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina, and soon I'm moving to the Charlotte area.

[llvvbb]

If you're looking to acquire a really first-rate instrument, and it sounds like you are, the first step is take your time. Don't let anyone like a dealer rush you to a decision.

There's a world of top-tier pianos out there. Steinway & Bosendorfer are in that world. So are Bechstein, Steingraeber, Estonia, Phoenix, Grotrian Steinweg, Bluthner, and others.

When you're looking for an instrument that high up on the chain it really is worthwhile to travel if dealers in your area don't have a large selection. Actually most dealers won't have a huge selection of top tier pianos from which to choose. But some will.

As you try different brands and different pianos of those brands you'll quickly find there's a lot of difference and variability among them. They have personality. And at the top tier level it's also true that Steinway is one out of a bunch of choices. All top tier pianos are hand-made. Although what exactly that means is variable.

With top tier pianos it's also the case that the best one aren't automatically the top-of-the-line concert grands. You may'll find amazing instruments that are less than 9' and they may appeal to you more or less for a variety of reasons.

Take your time, do the research, and the piano you should have will appear. It may take a while or it may not. One of the joys of the process is the learning you'll do along the way. Which comes down to differentiating tonal quality from the top of an instrument down to the bottom. Thee evenness of tonal quality from top to bottom. How the piano sounds with lid open, lid closed, half-stick, etc. And how the piano feels - meaning the action.

It's also worth figuring out which dealers you meet along the way who you feel will give you the best service - who are most responsive to your needs, as it were.

I don't want to name brands but I will say that some offer better service and are more flexible than others. So for example, if a dealer says the piano is perfect on the showroom floor, well, that's not a good sign. Most pianos, if not all, will benefit from having a good technician do some voicing in situ.

Here's a 5-part series on my blog about selecting a piano.

https://www.polishookstudio.com/2013/12/on-picking-piano-part-5.html

In my case it came down to a Steinway B or a Steingraeber 205. I ended up w/the Steingraeber. After I had done all the research that was the best choice for me. But it might not be for you. The blog posts explain how I eventually came to the decision I'd did.

Here's  another post on my blog about a recording studio in the UK with a Bosendorfer Imperial. It's an interview w/James Bacon who's a miracle of a recording engineer who specialises in piano recordings. In the interview James covers a lot of ground about about sorts of thing related to choosing a piano.

https://www.polishookstudio.com/2014/01/james-bacon-on-pianos-recording.html

Put the time in, do your research, bring your knowledge of pianos to a higher level and you'll end up with a magnificent instrument.

Good luck!

Thank you so much!