I'm going to need to get a piano for myself eventually when I graduate from college, and I definitely want a Steinway. From the research I've done, it seems that the most practical pianos for a home are 6-7 feet. However, Steinway produces two pianos in this range, the Model A 'Parlor Grand,' which is 6'2', and the Model B 'Music Room Grand,' which is 6'10'. I have not, however, found a quote for both of these pianos, so if anybody knows the approximate prices (new or used, but please specify, and in US currency would be the most helpful) of these models, please share them! I would imagine that the larger Model B would be much more expensive than the Model A, but my question is is the extra 8 inches worth the extra price, or is it something absolutely ridiculous like another $30,000 for really not that much better quality?Thank you! My 'A' is more powerful and has a deeper bass than many 'B's I've played, and no 'B' is more powerful than it.
When do they start making the 'C' again? Probably the best post 1880 grand piano model made anywhere at any time.LOL the American Steinway people, after years of touting the 'new' models 'L' and 'M' to the detriment of the 'A' and 'O' are abandoning them. Needing to consolidate the factory system between the USA and Germany the American division has had to eat it's words, and swallow their pride. The Germans never messed with a good thing; to the best of my knowledge they never stopped making the 'A' and the 'O', while the Americans were trying to improve sucsess, the Germans stuck to the original formula. And when the chips are down and you need to streamline/consolidate, the original designs are the ones that prevail.Ah is proven right, to the ire of many a pesky salesman who extolled to me the virtues of 'the superior modern manufacturing techniques' used in the newer American Steinways. They would always get angry/touchy when I would disagree.
Oct 10, 2017 Dream Coming True - My new Steinway B. The most beautiful Steinway B which now fills my soul with endless happiness and joy with every note. And my old dear piano friend is now making lots of. The earliest Steinway B's are 6'8 and have 85-keys. They have the potential to be great instruments, and the extra three keys in the treble are almost never required in the standard repertoire. Fully restored Steinway pianos do have the potential to play better than new ones, if the skill level of the restorer is extremely high.
But now, the proof is out. And my old 'A' is worth more now! Not that it's for sale.
Wow that's a tough question. I like them all. I will rate them 1,2,3 in different areas of piano quality. BTW the only Shigeru I've played was a 7' or 7' 4', the equivalent of a Steinway 'C', and the only Sauter was about 6', equivalent to my 'A'POWER: Steinway 'A'/Sauter/Shigeru. My Steinway is almost as powerful as a Steinway 'D'. It is an extraordinary instrument in this respect.
Other 'A's I have played have this powerful sound also, but not all.TONE: Tie between Steinway and Sauter, Shigeru 3rd. This is very difficult to judge, because this is the area where I get tough with judging pianos. The Shigeru has a beautiful tone, but it is thinner and less dense than the Steinway and Sauter tone.
Also the Sauter I played was brand new. My 'A' was 78 years old when I first had it; the sounding board broke irreperably 3 years later, and the piano was rebuilt (new sounding board, action, agraffes, external refinishing and tuning pins (not the pin block) by A&C Piano Craft in New York. However it sounds basically the same, the essential 'vox' or voice of the instrument is the same. The Steinway and Sauter tie in this area; they are different in their tone and projection; they are both complex and multi-colored, the Steinway is more brilliant and powerful, the Sauter is more subtle. I think it's individual preference at this point. The Shigeru tone is very beautiful, but can't compare to these instruments in this area.ACTION: Sauter/Shigeru/Steinway 'A'. My piano's action is non-accelearated, as the guy at A&C said 'This is a recreation of your original action, using new Japanese parts', whatever the hell that meant.
I am not happy with the way my piano's 'engine' has worked out, it was great at first but now it's repetition is poor. I intend to replace it's action in the future with a Renner action or with whatever Steinway is putting into the 'new' 'A's.
Regarding the other two pianos, the Sauter had more depth and variety of touch, the Shigeru was easier to play but it seemed shallow in comparison to the Sauter, which seemed to have five dimensions of touch sensitivity. Playing that piano was a sensual experience. The others were gorgeous too, but the Sauter produces an unbelievable variety of tone and texture, with sufficient resistance (I like that, not every pianist does).
Sauter and Shigeru both employ a Renner or Renner type action, if I recall correctly.And the Shigeru played like a dream, almost too easily. I think we've discussed this elsewhere.What else is there? Let me know, I will adress it. Wow.great answer. I very much appreciate your taking the effort to answer this difficult question. I think I would agree with you completely on the comparisons of touch/tone of the Shigerus vs the Sauter.
Both are very different, but very attractive instruments, with the Shigeru being easier to play (I have a preference for lighter actions), but perhaps less interesting tonally.Another aspect about the Sauter tone is that its power comes from it is cleaner and more penetrating tone. The Shigeru's power comes from its incredible resonance and overtones. The new Sauters I have heard tend to be even more brilliant sounding than Steinways, in part maybe because they use harder Abel hammers (the old ones used Renners). I tend to think Steinways have a warmer and less penetrating sound compared to the new Sauters.Perhaps you should try the new Sauters if you have a chance.the design might have changed somewhat in recent years. Jam, in that class, I like the O better. A and B are, in my opinion, simply sorry pianos.
I have not played one I liked yet.You say you want a Steinway and one you shall have. My humble opinion, though, is that by closing out other better cheaper pianos you are doing a diservice to yourself and leaving money on the table.Should you explore other makes, Kawai, August Foerster and Irmler are excellent in the 7' class. You roughly can buy two of these for the price of an equivalent Steinway (which in my opinion is not as good as a piano, regardless of price).
Mason & Hamlin BB as well, although the price difference is less dramatic (about 3 for the price of 2). I realized that it is an old thread but I had exactly the same question in mind two months ago when I was choosing among several new model As and Bs. The As go for about $70,000 and the Bs are at $81,000. I went in leaning toward buying an A, thinking that it is cheaper and would fit better to my room but after about 30 minutes I realized that the Bs are worth the extra $$. While the A is a very good piano, the Bs that I played are so much closer in feel and tone to the D that I knew then that I had to go with a B, especially that it may well be the last piano I will ever buy. It also turns out to fit my room quite well acoustically.
My wife thought that it is not that much louder than my old M but it certainly has a much larger dynamic and color range. Very interesting question - and all of the above comments have merit. It often comes down to the individual instrument (which, at that price range, you most assuredly should try!). That said, there is a difference between the A and the B Steinways, and it isn't just the length. It is the exact scaling (length vs.
Diameter/weight) of the strings. In many ways the A is closer in overall scale to the concert grand D than the B is, oddly enough. I have heard it said, by quite reputable technicians and fine pianists, that the A has perhaps the best balanced scale and hence overall tone of all the Steinways. But the effect would be really subtle - and could easily be overwhelmed by the variations between individual instruments.Disclaimer: I happen to own and play daily an 1898 Steinway A!
![How How](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125643953/623242327.jpg)
159 Facts About Steinway And The Pianos They Build. In 1836 Heinrich Englehard Steinway built his first piano in the kitchen of his home in Seesen, Germany which is commonly reffered to as the “Kitchen” piano. The piano is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Heinrich would build 482 pianos over the next decade. Heinrich Engelhard Steinway and his family would emigrate to the United States in 1850.
On March 5, 1853, Steinway & Sons was founded, setting up shop on Varrick Street on the West Side of Manhattan, manufacturing square grand pianos. In 1853, the family decided to Americanize their name to “Steinway”. In 1853, the family decided to Americanize their name to “Steinway” The company’s first piano, serial no.
483, was sold to a New York family named Griswold for $500. It is now displayed at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. By 1854, just a year after founding the company, Steinway & Sons was making 2 pianos a week, and sold 74 pianos for the year. By 1856, Steinway & Sons sales rose to 208 pianos for the year, from 74 just 2 years before in 1854. In 1857, a piano was created with a lavishly carved case and legs. This piano, Serial #1225, is believed to be the first ever Steinway Art Case piano.
On December 20, 1859, Patent #26532 was granted to Henry Steinway Jr. For the Overstung Plate, where by the longer bass strings were drawn over sections of other strings. By 1859, Steinway's least expensive piano sold for $275. In 1863, Henry Steinway became an American Citizen. Steinway & Sons opened the first Steinway Hall on 14th Street in 1866, which had an auditorium of 2,000 seats. 1867, William Steinway estimated that 90% of American Piano output was square pianos, 5% were uprights and 5% were grand pianos, he also characterized that grand sales were 'scarce as angels' visits.' .
In 1867, Steinway became the first American manufacturer to receive the “Grand Gold Medal of Honor” at the Paris piano exhibition. In 1871, William purchased the. The Mansion overlooking Bowery Bay on Long Island Sound was owned by Benjamin T.
Who owned an optical supply business. He sold the estate to William for $127,500. The Steinway Mansion was recently put up for sale for $3.5 million in 2011. In 1871 Henry Englehard Steinway, founder of Steinway & Sons, died at 74 years of age.
In 1871, Steinway sold 2,553 pianos, and was making pianos at a rate of 1 piano per hour, or 10 pianos per day. William Steinway engaged the great Russian pianist Anton Rubinstein to play Steinway pianos during an American concert tour in 1872, with 215 concerts in 239 days. It was a triumph for both Rubinstein and Steinway.
In 1875 Steinway Hall opened in London. 1877 Oberlin College Conservatory, Oberlin, OH, becomes the first.
1881, William Steinway, Son of Henry, became a millionaire, one of 400 in New York. 1881, Steinway manufactured more than 2,600 pianos. 1883 Alma Tadema Piano Model D #54538, The piano was sent to London in 1884 for inlay and paintings by noted Victorian Artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema for Henry Marquand, Art Collector and 2nd President of the New York Metropolitian Museum of Art. Painting 'Wandering Minstrels' above the keyboard. 9 Muses on the lid. Returned to NY City in 1887, then auctioned for $8,000 in 1903. Then moved to the Marin Beck Theater in Manhattan.
In 1980 the Alma Tadema was sold at an auction for $360,000. Piano was then on loan to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. 1884, Model D, #51,257 was completed in New York City on January 31, 1894.
It is the very first modern Steinway Concert Grand Piano. Its salient features were developed by C.F. Theodore Steinway. 1888-Theodore Steinway enters into agreement with G. Daimler of Mercedes to manufacture parts for the American Mercedes Automobile and the engines as well as marine engines. This arrangement lasted at least until 1906. 1888-The last time a Square Grand was advertised.
1890-Steinway Hall on 14th Street Closed in anticipation of Carnegie Hall. 1891-Carnegie Hall opens.