Steinway & Sons is among the world’s top piano makers, known for its high-end (luxury) pianos.
Introduction
Steinway pianos are used by the top concert pianists (and also those who aspire to be one); their pianos are used in premier piano competitions, and its one of the most represented piano brand in piano schools/conservatories around the world (US, Europe and few Asian countries).
Steinway pianos have always been a status symbol and a must-have luxury in concert halls for more than a century. However, the last recession did take its toll on the company’s sales. Even though sales have increased in the past few years, they have yet to return to their levels from before the downturn.
When Steinway piano was bought over by investment firm Paulson & Co. (led by billionaire John Paulson) for around $500 million, there were many investors who were in the race to buy Steinway. Steinway’s pianos are not cheap but the fact that companies were willing to invest in Steinway indicate that high-end pianos are still in demand, particularly in the luxury market.
In the coming years, Steinway should see a rise in demand in growing markets such as China.
What Makes Steinway Pianos Special?
Steinways are known as the Rolls Royce of pianos; besides the top class build qualities, their also prices reflect that. An upright piano can cost over $30,000 and for a concert grand you will have to shell out in excess of $150,000.
Steinway artists include Lang Lang, Harry Connick Jr, and Billy Joel.
Its said that Vladimir Horowitz, the famous Russian pianist, used to travel with his own personal Steinway piano, whenever he played concerts around the world.
Most sellers, piano dealers, and technicians usually refer to the Steinway piano in different ways, depending on its age & mostly depending on whether it was rebuilt or any parts replaced, or if its an entirely original one.
A used Steinway piano, even if in good condition, will not be cheap. Its also seen that the closer you live to cities like New York or London, which are considered to be cultural centers, used Steinway pianos command higher prices compared to other brands.
Here’s why many think Steinway Pianos are the best.
- Juilliard School (of music) in New York has the most Steinways (compared to any music school around the world). Stephen Carver, Senior Piano Technician at the school, says “Their sound is unique. There are other great pianos being built, but Steinway has slight nuances or differences of sound from the most intimate warm playing to the crashing Rachmaninoff kind of playing. Their pianos deliver.”
- There are some who say that their are other piano brands that are just as good as the Steinway (for example Fazioli and Bosendorfer) but Steinways are considered to be better because they have done a great job of marketing (over the years).”Steinway was the first to promote artists and give pianos to artists and have them perform on stage on their pianos and so it became the piano that people saw on stage where big name artists were playing. So the name became well-known.”
- Several piano experts say the best investments (value-for-money) are the older Steinways made in the Hamburg factory. They use excellent wood and the quality of craftsmanship is high.
Steinway’s upright and grand pianos are made in New York (for American customers), the factory in Hamburg,Germany caters to customers from around the world.
Interview with Steinway & Sons CEO Ronald Losby – a pianist himself who studied at the famed Juilliard School.
For most owners, owning a Steinway is like owning a racecar. Steinway pianos are also favoured by concert pianists and are suitable for more “aggressive” music pieces as the dynamics of the Steinway are better.
The piano is an amazing example of how raw materials get assembled into the sublime instrument that is priced well over a hundred thousand dollars.
The O.S Kelly foundry based in Ohio has been making Steinway’s plates since 1938. The plate is the cast-iron heart of a piano that holds the steel wire strings with 40,000 pounds of tension, and allows vibrations to arise as music in a concert hall. But that gleaming, elegant piano gets its real start in the flames of the melt shop in Ohio. You can read more here on how the cast-iron plates are made.
The Steinway & Sons piano is one of the world’s most revered instruments. According to statistics provided by the company, around 90% of the world’s performing concert pianists choose the German brand. World renowned musicians, including artists like John Lennon, George Michael, Billy Joel and Lady Gaga have been known to compose and perform at their keys.
An acoustic piano is a complex instrument to make, but did you know that each Steinway piano is composed of around ome 12,000 individual parts, and it takes almost a full year to assemble at Steinway & Sons’ factory in Hamburg, Germany?
Checkout this film, where you can see glimpses of the Japanese pianist Aisa Ijiri performing “Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV 543” by Johann Sebastian Bach as she soundtracks the meticulous process of the piano’s construction.
Were Older Steinway Pianos Better?
For many, Steinway is till considered the finest piano in the world.
However, most piano owners & technicians feel that a Steinway from before 1940 is the best bet if you’re looking for an excellent acoustic piano. The original felt, strings, and wood made an ideal piano. In fact, even the pianos from the other makes during that era were quite good.
Does it mean that the standard of quality of production has declined in recent years?
In a recent interview, one of Steinway’s employees said that besides some materials such as the glues and other minor things, which have actually improved in recent years, nothing much has changed in the overall quality of the pianos. The Steinways that you get nowadays is very much similar to the pianos that you would have gotten back in the late 1800s.
As far as the price is concerned, a used Steinway doesn’t go down in value. At least that’s been the case till now. And I guess, its only with the ‘Steinway’. But With other owners taking over the company, can’t say if the same will hold true in the future as well.
Steinway Upright, Baby, Grand Pianos: Models & Prices
Here are some of the popular Steinway pianos.
Steinway high-tech SPIRIO | R piano
The Steinway SPIRIO | R piano lets you record, edit and play back your live performances. The piano can also play on its own with real acoustic sounds.
Jon Batiste, the pianist from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, performed and demonstrated the capabilities of Spirio | R at Steinway’s launch event in New York. The piano played back exactly how Batiste performed, allowing Batiste to play a melodica on top of what he had played on the piano.
Steinway Spirio pianos were introduced in 2015, but it was more of a player piano back then (could play back songs on it own). The new Spirio | r not only plays songs, it also offers the recording, playback and editing capabilities, all via the Spirio app.
The Spirio | R app lets you modify note velocity and duration, modify pedal data, correct wrong notes, and make other changes. Users can save and share recordings in multiple file formats including MIDI, MP3, and Spirio’s high resolution format.
For more details, visit website: steinway.com/spirio-r
Steinway limited edition ‘Sunburst’ piano
Steinway & Sons limited edition ‘Sunburst’ piano collection pays tribute to rock legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton.
Sunburst finish is very popular with guitars, but for piano, this is probably the first time that a piano has been made available in Sunburst.
Sunburst is what has adorned the guitars of the greatest names in rock such as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton.
And to pay tribute to these rock legends, Steinway & Sons felt there was only one place for them to launch the Sunburst: the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London.
The Sunburst piano has darker colors at the periphery that gradually become lighter to meet in a brightly colored centre that exposes the original wood grain of the instrument. The pattern appears on the inside of the lid and keyboard cover – so you will need to open the piano to see its rock star avatar.
Steinway & Sons Sunburst piano collection celebrates the year 1969: when Woodstock took place, when the Beatles released their legendary album Abbey Road, and the year that Led Zeppelin first made their appearance on the music scene. As a result, Steinway will manufacture only 69 such pianos to be distributed worldwide.
The piano comes with a price tag of £108,000.
Steinway Lang Lang Black Diamond Piano
Steinway & Sons Lang Lang Black Diamond piano pays homage to the world’s rarest diamond.
The piano, created by the American designer Dakota Jackson in collaboration with the pianist Lang Lang, was launched at the Philharmonie de Paris, a day after the fire broke out at Notre Dame. Lang Lang lead a minute’s silence before playing on the piano.
A limited number of 80 Black Diamond grand pianos will be sold, priced £240,000 onwards, along with eight concert-sized pianos costing up to £500,000.
Every Lang Lang Black Diamond comes equipped as a revolutionary Spirio | r, the world’s finest high resolution player piano that includes exclusive performances from Lang Lang, and music by J.S. Bach: Prelude No. 1 in C Major; Ludwig van Beethoven: Für Elise; Claude Debussy: Rêverie; Claude Debussy: Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum; Hu-Wei Huang: The Merry Shepherd Boy; Felix Mendelssohn: Spinning Song; and Yann Tiersen: La valse d’Amélie.
Website: steinway.com/limited-editions/black-diamond
The Steinway Victory Vertical Piano Project
“Victory Vertical” pianos were special pianos that were built during World War II.
During World War II, Steinway was prohibited from building instruments due to government restrictions on iron, copper, brass, and other raw materials, as was nearly every other domestic instrument-maker. Those resources were diverted to the war effort and piano makers were forced to manufacture other products or go out of business.
Realizing music’s potential for boosting troop morale, a plan was made to build small, lightweight, inexpensive upright pianos that could be packed into a crate and shipped to soldiers in the field with that goal in mind. The first prototype for the Victory Vertical pianos was prepared for government inspection by June 1942.
The 40-inch pianos were very boxlike and came with sheet music, instructions and tools for tuning and repair, as well as handles for easy transport. Steinway had to make due with nontraditional materials for these pianos as well. Keys were made with coverings of white celluloid and soft iron was used instead of copper for windings on the bass strings due to the copper restriction. While the pianos were painted with “three coats of olive drab lacquer, slightly dulled,” other colors were used for the Navy, Marines, Army Air Corps, and Coast Guard.
The response to these “field” pianos was great and by the time production ended in 1953, Steinway had shipped more than 2,400 pianos to soldiers on three continents, which provided countless hours of diversion, education, entertainment, worship, enrichment, and outreach had been provided for the troops.
By the time the war ended, Steinway had shipped approximately 5,000 instruments, but not all went to the military. Some were bought by religious organizations, educational institutions, hotels and other places of public gatherings as they were deemed to be “approved essential users.”
Source: messengernews.net
More useful resources:
More Steinway Pianos
Steinway high-tech SPIRIO | R piano records, edits and play backs your performances.
Steinway Lang Lang Black Diamond Piano.
Useful Books, Accessories
A Steinway needs no introduction; its one of the most famous piano brands that makes the best acoustic pianos in the world. Here are some popular books, videos and other accessories related to Steinway.- Steinway Piano Bag (Handbag): Designed to look like a Steinway Piano
- The Making of a Steinway: Best Books and Videos
Steinway Piano Covers
‘All-Steinway’ Schools
All-Steinway Schools are those institutions that use only Steinway pianos on their campuses, be it in the practice rooms or the performance halls. Read more here.
U.S. Marine Band Has a Steinway Grand Piano
The Marine Band, one of the top musical ensembles in the US also have a Steinway grand piano. The Marine Band includes assorted ensembles featuring strings, woodwinds, pianos and other instruments, that play at official functions and public concerts. There are occasions when great pianists visit them and ONLY a Steinway would do justice to them in such a case. Read full story here
External Links
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I want to know how much would a Steinway piano cost? I have had a piano at home for several years now but now I want to upgrade to something much better. I have heard that Steinway pianos are expensive but thought I would check if something -is available in the $5000-$7000 range. Can I get something new – may be an upright Steinway piano for this price range? If not new, for how much can I expect a good used Steinway piano?
Steinway produces one of the most expensive pianos, and most of their products are seen as luxury items. You would probably be lucky to even get hold of a used one for that price range. Their top of the line concert grands are priced well over $100k. The sweet sounding tone and high-quality design of these Steinway Concert Grand pianos are recognized by pro musicians all over the world.
Maybe you can checkout their Boston and the Essex range of pianos to cater to the lower price segment. May be you should be able to find something in the Essex range for about 4k to 5k.
Have you considered looking at some of the high-end digital pianos, something like the Yamaha Clavinova series? Could be a good bet and still within your budget.