I still think Keith is just trying to sell me an M he has laying around the shop. BTW, Keith, nice 'drive-by' reference to Peabody.
Peabody, Juilliard, Curtis, Moscow Conservatory, whatever, it don't mean sh*t until you hear someone play.
Actually, my business partner Shaun Tirrell does most of the selling, and he is the real pianist. He is regularly engaged for concerto performances all over the world, and is just a monster player. If I can figure out how to post his recording of Liszt Totentanz, I will. It is better than Cziffra. Scary.
When I record something worth listening to, I'll let you know. I may have to make a copy of the Totentanz CD and mail it to you. I am a total technophobe. What is an MP3?
I was also trying to say that the problem in communicating about piano tone quality is a complex one and is adversely affected by the tendency for consumers to want to talk in competitive terms about brands and models of pianos. This is a problem of consumerism generally and has much to do with advertising and marketing techniques to which we are all susceptible. ...As a musician (and minor sort of piano aficionado), I find I can enjoy many different pianos (and other instruments too, of which I have several). I can enjoy and appreciate most, if not all, pianos which are well-designed, well-built and well-maintained. As I mentioned above, I owned and played a Steinway L for many years. I now own and play a Walter studio piano. It's not the same piano; it is in many ways not as good. But it is still, in and of itself, an excellent and immensely enjoyable musical instrument. I very much like hearing in detail about how people appreciate various pianos, even those which are not "the best." When I was working as a technician, I remember well that all of my customers who owned Ms very much liked and appreciated their pianos. Your comments have helped me remember and affirm what is most important to me.
iumonito--I apologize for telling you what is evidently not so with the L and the O.I was mistaken, thinking that the the L and the O had the same string lengths and thus they had the same scales. Actually, I had read this somewhere and it may reflect something that was true at one time. If the current wire sizes and tensions vary, the bridges vary and the soundboard design varies, then they do not have the same scales and indeed are quite different pianos. Vive la difference! I am happy to know this.I do know that their current overall sizes are not exactly the same, reflecting their differently-shaped tails, but that is beside the main point, which is that they not alike in tonal design.It also occurs to me that a skillful rebuilder might be able to rebuild an L, as mentioned in the original post regarding rebuilding, and change the scaling, by means of string tensions and sizes, and bridge and soundboard design, to make it more like an O, and thus a better piano, according to the iumonito taste.I guess I am learning that if I am going to post comments here, I need to spend more time hanging around piano shops. Which is, unfortunately, not something I can do. O for the life of the connoisseur!
I'm the guy that stated that among techs and pianists I know, including myself, it was generally accepted that the M is prefered to the L.I don't know how to say this without sounding really conceded or arrogant, so I'll just say it. I was going to qualify my comment as " among techs and pianists that are really discerning, and comparing outstanding versions of both Ms and Ls, the Ms are generally preferred. Same for Os over Ms and Ls." Sorry if this makes me seem like an a,sshole.I have known people I respect who prefer the L over the M, and a case can be made for that as well, and I wouldn't make that big an issue out of arguing it one way or the other.With out getting too into it, I find the M to be just about Steinway's most successfully designed piano, and even mediocre examples tend to be musical and work well. I find Ls to have less overall balance than an M, and for lack of a better term, they are less musically satifying, although certainly louder in the bass, and the action on the L can be fine as well.I have to confess that while I was a student at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, the common practice pianos were Ls from the 80s, and they sucked pretty bad, partially, but not entirely from insane overuse, and this may be slightly biasing my opinion.
(Makes me wish i were more discerning)
The model A has been considered one of the best scales Steinway created. Steinway discontinued them in America, but still build them in Germany. Go figure!
Hey, this is my first post here.