Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Bosendorfer Imperial concert grand -- 9 extra keys question

When the fiddle player is jealous of your Bosendorfer's low notes...

https://curiosity.com/memes/octobas...up-close-with-a-curator-octobasse-mimphx

I gather he doesn't bring it to band practice on the city bus!

What about the venerable 275? I think that has 3 extra keys.

Bosendorfer was purchased by Yamaha a few years ago. I went to two master classes at Bosendorfer (2013 and 2014) and asked if Yamaha had started using any Bosendorfer technology or methods and the people at Bosendorfer said no. The two companies are operating independently.

That is true from my perspective. I have made several trips to Bosendorfer, one less than a year after the purchase by Yamaha and one within the past year. Each time I have seen no changes to Bosendorfer materials or designs that would indicate any influence from Yamaha. I cannot comment on Yamaha's use of Bosendorfer technology, but I had also been told at Bosendorfer that there was no sharing of design or methods.

I will add that when the modern Philadelphia concert venue, called The Kimmel Center, was built, they were given 5 Steinway pianos to use and these were switched out every few years. There are "rules" that make it difficult and expensive to bring in another piano to the venue. In spite of that, A Bosendorfer Imperial is regularly asked for. This season an Imperial was used four times.

To my knowledge, no other brand of piano was used besides the house Steinways.

http://www.pianorecording.co.uk/ has a gorgeous and unique Bosendorfer Imperial.

It is great to see passion about highest quality pianos run this strong.

However, experience has shown that it takes a very good piano in combination with strong distribution and marketing to succeed. I have never heard a Stuart but the fact that most in our industry have heard of them, is a success of its own.

I am subjectively partial to the sound of Bosendorfer. At this year’s Frankfurt Musikmesse, the piano that impressed me the most was a Bosendorfer 280. The model was originally launched in 2000/1 but Bosendorfer has made very subtle but very impressive technical changes that you can hear! I can recommend anyone to experience this new 280. Truly impressive!

And as to Bosendorfer’s owner, Yamaha – one can only take off one’s hat. They have been an excellent owner - both patient and supportive towards the factory. They have very emphatically continued to support the longstanding Bosendorfer dealers regardless if they carried Yamaha or not.

On top of all that, they have given Bosendorfer an advantage that Stuart & Sons will most likely not enjoy in the next few years: the option to tie into one of the largest, if not the largest, dealer network worldwide.

Many top makers have gained their fame without the marketing of large dealer networks directed by other manufacturers.This is certainly true for Bosendorfer.

This is also supported by the fact that Yamaha dealers have not automatically become Bosendorfer dealers since Yamaha's takeover. Many seem to be standing on their own and are doing quite well.

Same is true for others earning their kudos by dedication and quality. Independently. It's still the basis for success by those seeking to make a top flight product.Marketing is nice - but it's always second. "Should be" Smaller, high quality companies don't need it. They live by reputation, i.e. "word-of-mouth" Estonia among several others, being a shining example. Sauter, as may suggest, another.

Unless of course, there's evidence to the contrary..

Norbert

How did Fazioli, a small family-run piano maker, get to the heights it's enjoyed for the past decade, despite making a very small number of pianos a year? Surely it isn't because dealers who normally stock Yamaha et al are clamouring to sell it.

In London, the showroom that sells Fazioli and Kawai relegates Kawai to the back and basement, out of sight of passers-by peering through the glass, despite the fact that it sells far more Kawai pianos......

Strong distribution and marketing, I would guess. The family had already been in high-end business for a long time, so they knew the business side of things.

Also they make a nice piano.

I have a Bosendorfer 225 in my living room (92 keys). I like my extra keys.

When people ask "Why?" I tell them it's because I've exhausted the musical possibilities of just 88 keys.

I use one of the keys when playing "Jeux d'eau", but that's about it.

However, I do believe this piano has one of the best sounding bass for a 7'4" piano, probably because of the wider soundboard, and the "extra resonance" when the dampers are up.

Here is a recording I did at my Clavinova CLP-585 as I have made use of the default "Bosendorfer" preset:

https://app.box.com/s/vwmwyfgdf17ap4aeih9fi289hv5hgxod

The quality of the sampled sounds is very good as it gives the player a wide dynamic range.