Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Grand Piano - Steinway vs. Estonia

Oh, my apologies! Here in the UK, I think I can get a Steingraeber cheaper than a Steinway. However, I'm not sure about Estonia! They're extremely scarce here as we have no main dealer/distributor. Which is a shame because they seem like beautiful pianos.

No apology needed! The Piano Buyer is USA specific I believe. It seems like prices are higher in Canada and Australia, especially for Yamaha and Kawai. Sounds like each country is different.

I think William is referring to Steinway Hamburg not NY?

You should be able to get the Estonia L190 in low to mid 30's.

or a used one in the mid 20's...

Yes, indeed. I am referring to the Hamburg Steinways! Not the New York ones. The New York models are almost unheard of here in England - they're never seen. I don't know if the Hamburg models (when converted to USD) are more/less expensive than the NY ones?

However, Koyuki is in Vancouver, BC, Canada. That's Astoria's territory.

My purpose of the grand piano is similar to yours. I play mostly classical music, I use it to prepare for exams and competitions. I've heard that the piano tuner can tune it in a way so it sounds like you are playing in a concert hall? or the sound can be darker (more suitable for chamber music)? Do you think the Estonia is better or similar to the Steinway? like in what ways?

black, matte, so it's not glossy

Although tuning can change one's perception of tone to some extent, there's no tuning that will make your piano sound like it's "in a concert hall", no.

If you want a darker sound, you want to find an instrument that is inherently this way from the start and hire a technician who is skilled at voicing make adjustments as needed. There are other attributes besides "dark" that can work well for chamber music, btw. "Clear" or "pure", but not overpowering works well too- I opted for a Bosendorfer Imperial over a NY "D" in a recent concert for that reason.

I'm not qualified to say; I've tried quite a few Steinways over the years but only two Estonias. I loved both Estonias in terms of both touch and tone. The Steinways have been all over the map. I think an Estonia has a sweeter, more singing tone, perhaps. As for the ability to produce an "angry" tone or percussive sound, maybe the Steinway has an advantage there.

Maybe someone else can chime in here; I've often wondered how to characterize the difference between how pianos sound. Does the Estonia have a classic "European" sound or is it somewhere between European and "American" as I've read somewhere? What is the best way to describe the tone of a piano? One thing is certain: an Estonia does indeed sound different than a Steinway. But HOW?

This is not necessarily true when comparing to Hamburg Steinway.
While not sounding exactly 'same', both pianos belong to same "sound family" of Euro pianos with certain similarities.

[as opposed to "American tone" i.e. Astoria, Mason Hamlin etc]

Especially the 9' concert Estonia is often compared to Hamburg and we had customers who had chosen the piano for exactly that reason.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n79IjH_0QOs

Having said that, the unique beauty of European pianos has always been the variety of sound they offer.

They pronouncedly [also historically speaking..] do not wish to offer you exact same - why should they?

At least Estonia doesn't demand mega-dollars to offer this option to their appreciating owners.

Norbert

I personally found the Estonia between the overtone-lush Steinway and the more fundamental Western European pianos, but that's just my biased untrained opinion. That's one of the reasons I liked it.

If the prices were similar I probably would've gone with Steinway but at the current prices it wasn't even an option.

May I assume that you were comparing to a Hamburg Steinway, rather than the New York version?

Actually, for me and for most American consumers, and I assume the original poster as well, the question pertains more to the NY Steinway, as the Hamburg Steinways are not widely available here. None of us would be comparison shopping Estonia vs. Hamburg Steinway, only Estonia vs. NY Steinway. So the more pertinent question is, how does the Estonia's tone compare to that of the NY Steinways?

Being both European pianos, Estonia IMHO compares more to the Hamburgs than New Yorks. it's also what our customers tell us - and and when they can compare.

For one, both pianos are using very similar philosophy of clarity of tone and musical expression of music. Estonia's history was founded by Ernst Hiis, a German immigrant who had worked at Steinway in Hamburg before.

Hamburgs, generally speaking, may have a more powerful, projeting type sound based on the fundamentals of sound spectrum but at same time can be also brighter and "more piercing"

Estonias are often preferred to Sauter grands, pianos belonging to same "tone family" as Hamburg Steinway.

To our surprise, in side-by-side, many buyers seem to actually prefer the more melodic, "sweet" and resonant sound of Estonia to tier one piano Sauter - even in cases where they could have afforded a much more expensive piano.

Norbert

The best way to compare them is to play them. Seems pretty basic to me.

I think the case could me made that the Estonia is of higher quality than a NY Steinway.

Upon close examination of the fit and finish, quality of materials used, build quality, and the all Renner action made in Germany, it's tough to beat at any price. You can also get them in exotic wood finishes like Pyramid Mahogany.

Koyuki, please compare and let us know what you think.

Then what's the difference between NY and Hamsburg Steinway?

Based on all the positive comments here, I am really excited about trying it out! But just curious about the price for an Estonia model 190 and 210! Since Tom Lee quoted me $74K (with tax) for Model A, can the 190 be like $37K with tax included as well?

That could be an entirely different subject to be discussed on another thread.

I just wanted to give you some of the highlights of the Estonia; things to look for when comparing.

Ultimately you should decide what matters most to you.

Also, prices are higher in Canada.

Prices are not "higher" but Canadian dealers have an additional 7% import duty. As dealers we do not pass on this tax allowing for best possible discount on final price.

The biggest issue for Estonia dealers is getting stock.
We have presently 2 pianos pre-sold with customers waiting.

Another issue is 'warranty'

Only pianos bought from authorized Canadian dealers will be covered by full factory warranty.

This is issue is black & white hugely affecting 'value' - especially 'resale value'

Norbert