Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum My Steinway baby grand impressions

Had a chance to play a Steinway baby grand at a piano store today. S model, 5'1". Really nice, clean tone. Smooth sound and easy, light action. Played some jazz ballads and upbeat stuff.

Dare say it was better than the larger Steinways next to it.

I know Steinways can be hit or miss, anyone else played the baby grand and what did you think?

Retail price was low $60,000. Not in the market to buy this high but gave me an idea what I need to save up!! ha.

You know, I don't see a problem with a statement like that. Depending on the type of music you play, having a larger piano may loose that intimate sound in a sense. Especially in the bass, it may be too much.

They are hit and miss because they are indeed all different but also voiced differently.

I played a 5 foot steinway last week as well, I thought it was superb.

60k for a 5 foot. Yikes!

There is something seriously strange going on with piano prices. I bought a B for less than that 12 years ago. I wouldn't want an S under any circumstances, but 60k is just silly.

That 60k was from a large piano retailer. I probably could negotiate a better price, but the clients they cater to here can afford to pay it. I agree even for a Steinway that is much too high.
We are talking Canadian $ so that could have something to do with it.

From what I understand with steinway, the price is the price and there is no negotiations. I'd be happy to hear if anyone has ever successfully negotiated on a NEW Steinway before.

Either way, they are VERY expensive nomatter how you look at it, but they can be worth it

Still 56.5 USD.

Once you have that amount would highly recommend to see what else you can get for same money by others.

Warning: this can be a very intimidating experience...

Norbert

$12,000 a foot is a lot of money!

Wow - $24,000 for a pair of shoes! That's too rich for my blood.

When you pay $60K for something that small, all you are really getting for your $$ is the "mystique" surrounding the name.

The 60k S in the OP is a new one, right?

One could most likely find something much better, a completely rebuilt large grand for $60K... and get a lot more piano per foot.

And I might add probably hold value better. A used Steinway S does not command the price level of the larger models.

I tried that when meeting my wife.

But had to pull other forces to make it work...

Norbert

I recommend the dark side of the force.
But that's just me...

Geek alert!!!

Wow, $60k for a 5-foot piano?! Although, being a "$teinway", I can't say I'm completely surprised.

If I was going to drop $60k on a piano, though, it would almost certainly be a 9-foot or longer piano. (and not 8 feet 11+3/4 inches )

Good luck finding that. And is there any tangible, practical, and sound difference between 8 feet 11+3/4 inches and 9 feet? Come on! Or degrade yourself to Yamahas, etc. because Bosendorfers, Bechsteins, and Faziolis, etc. charge more.

The only new 9-footer @ $60K, that I know of, is the Cunningham Concert. Never played one - but I sure'd like to!

(I think the precise measurement was yet another Steinway slam. )

I said almost certainly. I was mostly thinking older well-maintained pianos and vintage rebuilt pianos. Last time I was there several months ago, Bill Shull had a <$30k ~1920s Chickering concert grand at his store in Loma Linda, and I thought it was a pretty decent sounding instrument.

Guilty as charged, Marty. Pretty much EVERY new Steinway I've played in a store had a totally bland tone compared to what I prefer. I prefer a tone with a very busy harmonic spectrum, I guess. Three examples of tone I like are the Mammmoth upright piano in the Pacific NW, David Klavins' 12-foot upright in Europe and Adrian Mann's 18-foot grand in New Zealand. In the 9-foot category, I've also heard & played a few Mason & Hamlins that I like, too, as well as Faziolis and Yamahas.

As for new grand pianos in the $60k range, I'd be willing to go down to about 7 feet.

Key - Other than the Mason and the Yahama, all of the others are $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and well exceed Steinway. And your thinking about cost?