Thought I would depart from the usual posts and just ask the general piano world family: what is the best piano you have ever played?

Mine: a Concert & Artist (specially-prepped Steinways for the concert circuit) Steinway B.

Second favorite: a Bechstein 6-7 foot (can't remember the exact size) grand.

Bösendorfer Imperial. It wasn't brand new. It was in a little one-man piano shop in Berlin.

S&S D C&A. Just a stunning piano.

VERY close second: My B.

I've got both a Bechstein and a Steingraeber dealer in my area as well, so someday I'll drop in and try some of those, but these two are at the top of my list for now.

I have a local dealer who has a very nice Shigeru SK-7. The action is light and fast, the sound is exquisite and it makes me a better player. I can be more expressive on that piano than most others. I played a very nice S&S B a few years back at a local Steinway event, but I didn't get to play it long enough to come to any conclusions. There were some nice instruments, but I've put a lot of time in on the SK-7 and it's never disappointed me. It's just a lovely, lovely instrument.

Nicest piano I've played: a Very, very nice Mason and Hamlin, probably an 8-9 feet grand with beautiful bass and an almost perfect action. I would've preffered the action a bit lighter, but that thing made clair de lune sound absolutely beautiful. Oh man.

A Bechstein EN concert grand made in 1974. A bass section to die for, and a killer smooth action with lightning speed.

S&SD Hamburg- not mine, one in the C&A dept at Steinway Hall. I was advised it was a very special piano and it wasnt their only Hamburg D.

Grotrian 277 Concert Royale at the factory.
Steinway D under the dome at Steinway Hall.
Fazioli F278 in NC

oh, and a number of others ...

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I guess the ONE best is not something I care to answer. Each of those had different characteristics I enjoyed.

Two fantastic Steinway D's- one NY and one Hamburg. Just unbelievably gorgeous in their own ways.

First: Bösendorfer 280

Second: Bösendorfer CS 200

schwammerl.

Shigeru Kawai concert grand played by Earl Wild. A few D's at Steinway Hall. Boesendorfer Imperial at Boesendorfer New York.

DP

I played a few real stunners:

-NY Steinway D at Bates Hall, University of Texas (in 1999-01) - great tech work, great piano
-Hamburg Steinway B at Colgate University (in the early 90's) - despite lousy tech work the piano was really interesting
-C. Bechstein 7'7" at the NYC store on piano row (last year) - would considering mortgaging everything for this one
-Schimmel 256 at the Schimmel factory showroom (2 years ago) - after getting to play all their Konzert grand sizes in a row, this one really "spoke" to me.

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The Steinway D I played in graduate school.

I encountered an excellent Steinway A last spring. I played several times and almost bought it...but could not reach a deal with the dealer.

Then I met my C7, this particular C7 spoke to me from the very beginning...

A 1940s Grotrian Steinweg monster, rescued from a Russian conservatoir, restored and currently in southern Germany (I get the key when on holiday!)

Equal,

for UNBELIEVABLE sound, 1896 Ibach concert grand.

Writing this, I'm reminded how unhappy I am with the Clavinova I have here at Uni... :-(

A new Seiler 208. It was like falling in love.

The S&S-D at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Second to that is the Hamburg S&S-D at the Ovation Center in Madison, WI.

It was a toss up between a Steingraeber D-232 and my Feurich F227. My Feurich won. I promise i'm not being biased,but i set how to get the best sounding piano with the best touch i could find and then i found it. This is only my opinion! This being said i have heard that the Steingraeber E272 is Fabulous,however i've never had a chance to see or play one.


Terry C.

Mine are EXACTLY the same. This particular concert-prepped B was the most exquisite instrument. I had no idea a piano COULD be like that. The action was so silky - it was almost like it knew what I was going to play next and did it for me.

And the others are all Bechstein 210s or something like that. Love Bechies.

Some favorites... Grotrian-Steinweg 9', don't know model, C. Bechstein 7'7", Ibach 7' and 8', I think F3 and F4, Mason and Hamlin BB, Schimmel 213 and my Schimmel 174. Several others along the way have been impressive, but these stand out as, like someone said, I would mortgage everything for.

Several that come to mind include a very nice new semi concert grand C Bechstein; every note sang out of it. I played a NY Steinway D at Buffalo State during a student recital that was wonderful and a new 7 foot Grotrian last year blew me away with it's warm, singing tone.

The best was a new Hamburg D. The second best is my Dakota Jackson Steinway A (Hamburg piano with NY Steinway action and hammers)

Hi Pianomadam,

Great topic. Without a doubt, I'd have to say Steinway. I don't know the model but it was at a concert I did here in Carlsbad, CA. Someone told me it was worth $100,000. It felt like it.

-------------------------
Play New Age Piano
http://www.quiescencemusic.com

Steinway D - at the South African Broadcasting Corporation television studios....magnificent instrument.

They unfortunately dropped it during transit and destroyed the superstructure!

I have played many hundreds of pianos in my life but couldn't say there was truly one that was "the best"

Lets not forget as people we are in different mood swings at different times, so things are never all even at all times.

In the final analysis any top 9' concert is a hard one to beat.

Most memorable in my life, in no particular order:

Steingraeber 9'concert at Bayreuth factory
9' Hamburg Steinway at Rhur Festival, Germany
9' Baldwin and 9' Schimmel at Namm show
9'Sauter and 9'Grotrians at factory
9' Fazioli at local dealer,
9' Mason Hamlin at dealer friend in Calgary

Missed any?

Yeah, my 49" upright Sauter at home!

Norbert

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vertical: Baldwin Hamilton (several - mainly from the 1950s) for overall tone. A taller piano (over 142cm) might have better bass tone, for example a 57" upright I got rid of a few months ago cause I wore it completely out, and replaced with a Hamilton. Even in its worn out state, that old upright's bass blew away every single new upright I have ever played, including the Steingraeber 138! I hope my next upright (besides the 2 Baldwin Hamiltons I have now) blows away my old 57" upright I used to have in an even more dramatic way. (and if I get a grand it would need to completely blow THAT upright away - be as much better than that upright as that upright is better than the worst individual spinet that was ever built. The one below may be a possible worthy candidate, except it's $650,000 more than I can afford.)
Hamiltons (especially a few from the 1950s that I play on a regular basis) are the pianos by which I judge the tone of ALL other uprights under approximately 130cm or so.

Grand: Rubenstein R-371. 'nuff said. This grand is THE STANDARD[/b] for me by which I judge ALL other "grand" pianos (i.e. ones that have the strings parallel to the floor when the piano is set up to be played). If the piano in question doesn't AT LEAST match the R-371 tonally, especially in the bass, it's not worthy of being called a grand piano, IMO.

I've also played so many great pianos that I could not possibly list here. So here are two of my choices:

As a young man I played a fully rebuilt rosewood 7 ft. Knabe. It gave me goosebumps.

In new pianos, I haven't found as perfectly balanced a scale as that in a Bosendorfer 225.

My thoughts,

>>>>In the final analysis any top 9' concert is a hard one to beat.<<<<<

Norbert, I knew if I waited long enough we would agree on something.

My M&H "A" is extraordinarily special to me, but I suppose it cannnot compete with concert grands I've played... sigh.

I'm extremely lucky to have regular access to two of the best pianos I've ever played: a Stanwoodized Hamburg Steinway C-227 and a Grotrian 225.

Of the hundreds (thousands?) of pianos I've encountered by chance, one Grotrian Concert Royale 277 got my attention!

I played a Hamburg Steinway B owned by John Browning - that piano was extraordinary in all ways.

Ok who here has played the Rubenstein R-371? *raises hand*

It's very difficult to pick the best piano I've come across, but here are a few that come to mind. A Grotrian 227 I played in Detroit and few years ago. The new C.Bechstein 234. A Bose 225 that I came across in Seattle when visiting my son and a new Steingraeber 225.

As a Grotrian owner, I never heard of the make until I happened to play a 189 owned by a fellow piano student back around 1990. Once I played one I was hooked.

Rich

Ok who here has played the Rubenstein R-371? *raises hand*

Good point. Of all the pianos I haven't tried I'd most like to try that one. However where on earth is there one ???

If I understand the article correctly that's from the Rubenstein web site, they only made one (so far).

From the recordings, it sounds to me like a piano that big really does have a sound worth making available to more artists. It sounds different from a 9 foot piano. I bet for a lot of music it's hard to control (how well do the dampers work on eleven foot bass strings??), but for the stuff they have on youtube it's great.

There was this Fazioli 278 at the store where we bought our 212. If only we had a lot more money and a much bigger home...

Laura

Pianomadam, which specific C&A piano, while my last position was with corporate Steinway & Sons, do you have one in particular? You cant mean all of them, as they are all prepared differently, which is why certain artist request a specific number number.

Grand: Steinway D - The College of St. Rose, Albany, New York

Modern Upright: Baldwin 6000 Concert Vertical (owned by a long-time tuning client...she called me yesterday and wants to sell it!!!)

Older Upright: Ivers & Pond, circa 1900 -- hadn't been tuned in years and sounded like a train derailing pre-tuning...case painted white, ivories falling off as I played. Once tuned, the tone was absolutely gorgeous.

Rubinstein´s words may weigh heavier then mine:

"Well, this Blüthner had the most beautiful singing tone I had ever found", he recalled. "Suddenly I became quite enthusiastic and decided to play my beloved Barcarolle of Chopin. The piano inspired me. I don't think I ever played better in my life. And then the miracle happened. They played it back to me and I must confess that I had tears in my eyes."

Arthur Rubinstein

I, myself, have had wonderful encounters with Steingraebers, Steinways and, of course, Blüthners.

A Bosendorfer 225 at a dealer in HK.

No Competition.

Not even the many Steinway Ds, in any halls, that I've played in can match that Bosendorfer. I was in love... and still is.

Hmmm,

I played almost all grands at Tom Lee in Tsim Tsa Tsui in Hongkong and the one that came up the winner was the Steingraeber. Second came a large Steinway
they had locked in behind glass doors. None of the Bösendorfers made any big impression on me. The dynamic range of the Steingraeber seemed so much greater then the Bösendorfer standing beside it.

That is the dealer that I went to lol. I didn't see the Steingraeber there when I went end of last year. But there was a few Bosendorfers there, and the 225, which I was about to order, and ship to NZ, stole my heart, and remains the best piano I've ever played on. I eventually didn't get it because I went for a cheaper, and smaller Schimmel, fearing the 225 won't fit in the house.

Steinway D in Europe, Poland.

The local Steinway dealer last c&a D WAS ABSOLUTLY stunning. It was head a shoulders above every other piano I have ever played.

The story goes, The Florida Orchestra conductor, Mr. Sanderling (i know i am mis-spelling his name), went to the factory to select a D a wasnt totally impressed with any of the 4 available..

So they went to the c&a department at steinway hall and chose from over 15 d's.

His choice was truly a perfect one.

I just remembered that I played a C&A B once that was very nice, but not as good as my own B.

Best piano I have ever played? see below in the signature line.

I will, however, make allowances for a Steingraeber 272 at the factory in Bayreuth and the Steinway D at the Steinway recital hall here in Munich.

Fazioli, Bösendorfer, Bechstein, Blüther, Förster are all very nice instruments but in my opinion don't quite match the versatility of the Steingraeber.

A 1891 S&S D which was rebuilt by Dave Hughes of Baltimore and which I now own.

Can't remember. I sold it to a local music school.

A 1907 Mason & Hamlin AA. When it's in tune it sings. This M&G AA sounds so much better than its newer relations. M&H did something to their scale design that took away this magic that the pianos used to have.

A 1905 Blüthner concert grand. This piano lives at the Frederick Collection in Ashburnham. The levels of dynamics on this piano are amazing. It's easy to go from a nice fortissimo to so soft that you can just barely "smell" the sound as someone else put it.

A 2008 Steingraeber 168 (I maybe off about the size). This was one nice piano, but way out of my price league.

An 1828 Conrad Graf fortepiano. The tone was so warm coming out of it that the music just glowed. I've heard replicas of these pianos, but they never came even close to this one.

John

Of the limited exposure I've had, my best experiences were from a Steinway & Sons C grand and top of the range Steinway K upright that had the most amazing action with a full, rich tone. Honestly I think the upright will beat 90% of grand pianos in SA.

Both were at the (only) Steinway distributor's in Johannesburg. I also tried a custom D here, but I think the price and exclusivity of it may have spoilt my experience, but it probably will also qualify as my best.

At the opposite end of the scale, my greatest dissapointment (though it wasn't a bad piano) has to be a Yamaha Concert grand from which I was expecting a far better experience. (I have a Yamaha CP300 digital stage piano at home which offers a better experience but simply lacks the individual character an acoustic.


Bruce C

In the early 1980's, I played a 9' Baldwin SD-10 that had been shipped to the dealer in Wilmington, NC for a nationally known concert artist's performance. There was a standard 5' 8" beside it, the difference was like night and day. (at the time, it would have likely sold for more than my total net worth.)

Currently, the local college's S&S model B.

Verticals: any of a number of Baldwin Hamilton studio models also in the 1980's time frame.

Electronic: My Kurzweil PC3X set to the "Recital Piano" preset. I know it is not a real acoustic - but - I can play it any time I wish, this is (sadly) not true about the SD-10.

Jim

Until recently it was the Hamburg D that resided in the concert hall at the Banff Centre. I played this a number of times in the late '70s and you could lay your hands on the keyboard, think of how you wanted it to sound and it just did it - quite remarkable. It was hand picked by Gyorgy Sebok who headed up the piano program at Banff in those days.
Rivaling this is my own NY B worked on by a Hamburg trained technician.
Recently however I've come across two others that possibly jump to the top of the rankings. First a Fazioli 278 I played while passing thru NYC. Great tone, absolutely perfect touch. My other memorable experience was at Boesendorfer Haus in Vienna where a 214 exhibit quite remarkable touch and control. It was possible to play a quiet pp without using the una corda pedal. The tone still ranked it behind the Fazioli and my Steinway, but it was still a remarkable instrument.

I would have to say that the best piano I have ever played was a Fazioli 308.

It was not my favourite piano, but from an objective point of view, it was the best. I prefer Steinways due to the nature of their sound, but the Faziolis are better pianos, hands down.

The nicest piano I have ever played was the Bosendorfer 225 at Cathy Harl's shop (also the nicest shop). The Bosie was followed by a Steingraeber 205 she had on consignment. I also love my Bluthner, of course. Other than those, there is lovely bubinga wood Steinway L at my local Steinway Gallery that is one of only 2 or 3 instruments I've played there that I'd consider.

Incidentally, I am neither an accomplished pianist nor a technician. So the sample size of my personal survey isn't anywhere near as large as it is for many if not most of you. I've probably played fewer than 100 grands in my life, the majority of them Yamahas, Kawais and Steinways. I've been fortunate to have played some of the more "exotic" European brands (e.g. the Bosie, Bluthner, Steingraber, Bechstein, Sauter, Grotrian) but in those cases it was perhaps only 1 or 2 examples of these brands and not for very long.

On the other hand (and this was a surprise for me) I really have had a strong preference for certain individual instruments. Most of the pianos I've touched play, some play well. However, the ones I've listed above, really sang to me. When I played them, I suddenly felt like a better player--which in my case is really good thing!

Happy new year.

Stuart & Sons!!!!

Could I ask which size it was (2.2m or 2.9m) and where it was located?

Regards
Chris

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10. Petrof (about 5'8")

9. Yamaha S-7

8. C. Bechstein

7. My former teacher's Steinway "B"

6. Estonia L190 at dealer's

5. Our Estonia L190

4. S&S NY 1878 "B" Fully restored.

3. S&S "D" prepped for concerts--not sure whether it had a CD designation or not.

2. Bosendorfer--not sure of model, but very long--years ago.

1. 1906 S&S "B" (or that size at least) Hamburg-fully restored in the city of its birth. Beyond beautiful. When you touched the keys, Angel's voices came out of it.

Russ

You guys and gals have played some nice pianos.

Not counting plinking out a scale or two at a dealer's place, the nicest piano I have played for any real amount of time is the Kawai K-5 where I take my lessons. It has great keytops, the touch makes it easy to get differing shades of dynamics, and the tone has no imperfections.

I'm hoping that as my K-2 matures, it is still an infant, it will approach the tone of that K-5 somewhat.

For someone who has played a great number of pianos in his life, this is a very difficult question to answer.

While it is relatively easy to belt out names like "this or that brand", the more seasoned answer what be IMHO examining also the particular circumstances and "settings" involved.

What people don't realize is that the environment, including the "mood", directly seems to influence the perception of how a piano performs and *sounds*.

This is simply because we *play* pianos differently at different times - often subconsciously.

This is very evident when people try very same instruments at different times and - under slightly different circumstances.

For many the experience of "best sound" is when emotionally in high or at least "even" spirits, without the constraints of other constraints [such as "buyer's anxiety" ]

For me, my own best *perception* of sound is when I can play my very best, unencumbered by other distractions.

Catch yourself at different times and different moods - and the *perception of sound* may very well be very different.

That this varies constantly for just about everybody ever trying or playing a piano, is part of why we will never "agree" on this subject.

Nor should we....

Norbert

OK-Norbert: Where memorable "settings" were concerned, I once walked up on the little "stage" in Aspen Where Alicia De LaRocha had just given a master class--and played middle C.

On a more memorable note still, while touring Mozart's childhood home in Salzburg, I gently reached past the barrier rope and barely touched the corner of his piano--at least I'm pretty sure it was not a harpsichord.

And yes, I know, I could go to hell for that.

Russ

I'm glad to hear Dave Ferris' Steinway D is finally starting to perform the way he was hoping when he bought it. That news is worth reviving this old pianomadam thread.

I think Norbert's comments are very perceptive. What we hear and like at any particular moment depends on our mood, our hearing at the time, the instrument, the acoustic surroundings, the company we are with (if any), the humidity in the environment, and of course the piano itself. We all know our own pianos are more satisfying on some days than others, and if we catch a showroom piano after a good regulation and tuning it ought to impress us. The only thing I can generalize about is that the quality of all pianos on average has improved dramatically in the past 30 years, thanks to competition.

Related to that, the most memorable piano I ever played was the Horowitz piano when it was on tour through Steinway. Looking at all the scars on it, feeling the keys, knowing where it had been and most importantly, who had played it all had a profound effect on me. Playing it was very moving and almost spiritual.

.

I certainly can tell you the best UPRIGHT I have ever played. That would hands down be the krakauer I owned. That thing had the beauty of a grand, and played like a dream.

The one that connected most with me was a Shigeru Kawai SK6 that I played at a local(ish) dealer. The combination of exquisite tone, gorgeous sustain and super responsive action was something else - definitely one of those moments where it felt like the piano knew what I wanted to do before I did. Preferred it to both a Bluthner model 2 and a Hamburg S&S D (used) in the same dealer, actually.

I do miss the Steinway D in the concert hall of my alma mater, though. Fantastic action and I always loved playing in that big hall.

I bet if I played this piano...
http://cgi.ebay.com/Fazioli-Grand-2005-M...#ht_4003wt_1167

My mind would change. But until that dream...

Geeze those cost a LOT new!

Wow this thread brings back memories. The best piano I've ever played remains a certain C&A Steinway D...I'm convinced that there is no piano out there than can touch it. It's pretty beat up from years of concert service, but oh, does it ever sing!

sophial: As a sidelight on Horowitz's piano, when Glenn Gould's beloved CD318 was dropped and shattered beyond real repair (they tried but it was never the same), one of the trips he made was to New York to look for new pianos--even though he hated to travel. Horowitz's tech (the lead for Steinway, but I forget his name) didn't even show him VH's piano--which had an action that supposedly rivaled 318. As a result, Gould flew the coop and bought a Yamaha on which to record his second rendition of the Gouldberg Variations--which he finished the week before he died.


Brandon: I had a Krakauer upright--heavily engraved and at least partially rebuilt. It had a honky tonk sound, but never was suitable for classical music. It was covered with red mahogany finish, but when I stripped that off, it was walnut veneer with solid walnut carvings. I put 20 coats of hand-rubbed tung oil on it.

Regards,

Russ

Yes, Russ, A Romance on Three Legs, by Katie Hafner, is a fantastic book about Glenn Gould's life with his piano.

I played one of Horowitz's NY Steinway D pianos at the Tattered Cover Bookstore a number of years ago as it was put on a tour for short displays around the country. I don't know if was the best piano I've ever played, but it was simply magical being able to sit and play at the same keyboard as did VH.

The Steinway D at Grusin Music Hall comes to mind as a magical instrument under my fingers. It was the most well-prepped, superbly sounding, most responsive piano I've played.

Glen

Haven´t had the privilege to play on many different pianos (yet!), but so far my favourite would be my teacher's August Förster baby grand, and I don't think that will change any time soon!
It's a lovely piano, I'm glad I get to learn on it every week!

I know many of you will find this hard to believe but the best piano I've ever played was a Knabe 6'4" grand that was made in the 30's and restored by the Camaleri piano works in the seventies. I played it in the early 80's and it belonged to a dear friend and writing partner who got it as a surprise gift from his wife. I can still remember what a delight that piano was.

According to Franz Mohr's book, H. forbade them from allowing Gould to try the piano.

Still can't get over the first time I played a Bosey 225 in Duluth, GA. Still my dream piano. Don and Sam, one day. And really it seems (others say it too here), just about any new Bosey 225 seems to be just incredibly perfect. It could be the perfect piano.

Close second was a Fazioli 228 in San Francisco at Piedmont Piano or whatever they called the SF store before it closed. Wasn't thinking I'd like it but it had superb action and awesome tone I thought. I still don't like the art deco looking logo. That makes it second. I think if I found that perfectly just barely used 228 (pretty rare I'm thinking), I might take it over the new Bosey 225.

I bought my C6 only a year or a year and a half old and that made me feel pretty good about it. Hard to find those. Still have no regrets, even though I'm still paying for it.

And really one of the best too was at Piedmont in Oakland. Again, a surprise, they had a Yamaha CFSIII 9-footer and it just played like a million bucks. It may have been one they rented although it was in perfect condition and so it perhaps was broken in just perfectly. So again, it played so easy and sounded so good, it was definitely one to be proud to own.

However, since I probably would never want or require a 9-foot piano in my home, the 7-footers (the 225 and 228) became the pianos that made the top of my list.

One of the best pianos in memeory were all the Hamburg Ds my friend Marek Korcjak is tuning each year for the German Rhur Piano Festvial. Put a monster technician to a super piano and all "hell breaks loose"...

http://www.marek-korczak.de/

Hope we can get Marek come visit us again when our new Estonia 9' concert arrives....

Norbert

1. Steinway D at a recital at the University of Illinois School of Music auditorium

2. New Baldwin L at Ric Overtons's PianoSD store in San Diego. It had been given the Stanwood prep treatment. So much for "they don't make 'em like they used to..."

3. 1935 Steinway L that I play at a weekly volunteer gig

Horowitzian: Yes--Franz Mohr was the head tuner whose name I forgot. Apparently Gould called him directly (not asking for Horowitz's piano--but simply for A piano--and Mohr kept his mouth shut about the Horowitz instrument. An argument could have been made that, had Steinway realized Gould would do the unthinkable and buy a Yamaha (or, I think, TWO Yamahas, for God's sake!) they MIGHT have reconsidered. After all they did own the piano--and although there was no love lost between Gould and Horowitz (on either side), I doubt Horowitz would have been as likely to renounce Steinway as Gould was. Personally, I would have done what Mohr did. I suspect that Vladimir had given the company a lot less grief than Glenn did.

[edited to correct mistake]

Regards,

Russ

You mean Gould in that last sentence, right?

I looked in the book, and all Mohr actually said is that H. would have never allowed Gould to use his piano. Apologies for misquoting it!

I think Horowitz was indeed very happy with Steinway. He once told about how he played numerous pianos upon arriving in Europe from Russia. He tried all the major brands (I believe he mentioned Blüthner, Grotrian-Steinweg, Bechstein, and Bösendorfer specifically), but he settled on the Hamburg Steinway as his choice there, and of course he began playing the New York instruments upon his arrival here in the US.

Duh, yes--can't walk and chew gum at the same time. (Put me in charge of health care )

No problem with misquoting--I do it on a daily basis-sometimes without meaning to.

Russ

Thanks and Cheers!!

A 220cm rosewood Stuart and Son's piano at Piano Time in Melbourne. Just amazing!

It was a long Fazioli at Rich Galassini's place in Salt Lake City. It was during a competition so I didn't take a very close look at what the model was. I had to focus on Rachmaninoff.

There are also 2 Hamburg D's at the U which were very nice last time I checked.