What Happened to Steinway?

[terrygreene]

I’ve been servicing Steinway since the middle of the infamous ‘teflon era’ through the current ‘plastic’ finish era. They have suffered from various ups and downs, production issues, and other frustrations. I do the service for Bruce Hornsby and he has three Ds in his studio which span the 80s up to the 2020s and all have their virtues and vices. Overall I think that if your Steinway is maintained and voiced properly, the tonal qualities and response cannot be beat by other instruments…..they can sometimes be as good, but never better. The reason I think that is that the piano as we currently know it has reached it’s final evolution in tone and touch, much like a vintage violin has reached the penultimate point in quality. All future attempts will be ‘how to make it less expensive yet be as good’. The blending of electronics with the instrument, while very cool, one wonders how the electrics will last given changes in computer hardware and software. All in all, it’s hard to laud enough the wonderful era between the early 1900s to the late 40s when Steinway still had the old world wood workers and skills thereof that seemingly have gone away or replaced by computer controlled machinery. I still am their greatest supporter.

[thearm]

A Steinway rep recently told me over 50% of Steinway grands just sit as ornaments in living rooms and are never or very rarely actually played.

[ilovebach]

"A STEINWAY is so expensive that you can't afford it! That TRUE!"

[kv]

I own a 1894 upright model, old and good history. The sound is so beautiful that my family cherish it daily❤❤

[SevenPlus]

I have a completely restored 1914 Smith & Barnes player. It's beautiful and has been in my family for over 100 years. My icon picture is the piano. I'm fortunate enough to own hundreds of rare and amazing piano rolls that span decades of time to include the likes of Lee Sims, Zez Confrey, and others. They are posted on my own YT channel.
There are many of us who very much appreciate a beautiful Steinway, but there are millions of other amazing pianos in the world, and if you have an old family heirloom piano that you treasure with its nicks and dings, it's priceless to you. To me, that's where the true value of pianos is found.

[rednekokie]

I own a Model L, made in the 1920's -- I wouldn't trade it for any other piano on the face of the earth. It has a unique, special sound that I have never found in any other piano, and I cherish it.

[russ]

I was able to get all of these points right, some of which were just plain depressing. It makes me glad that the maker of my piano, Mason & Hamlin, doesn’t have these egregious marketing schemes and monopolistic strangleholds on concert artists. I could get a decal tomorrow without fear of being sued. I could even use whatever parts I wanted in a rebuild without fear of it being called a “Masonwas & Hasbeen” or something equally diminutive as “Steinwas”. The newer BB and CC models I’ve played (and some top-tier rebuilds) have outperformed the new Steinways I’ve played and at a fraction of the cost!

[andrewrodell]

I love both of my Steinway’s! One I bought from you! Bob, you have always supported myself and piano players ! Your the best, Andrew

[raymondgood]

Retired public school teacher here. I bought a new Steinway B thirty years ago. It’s a matter of priorities.

[shooshieroberts]

My Model D gets about 6 hours a day. It’s the greatest instrument I’ve ever owned, and that includes flutes and saxophones. I cannot express in words how great an instrument is the Steinway New York Model D. I had hit a brick wall in technique on my Boston grand, and no matter how much time I spent working on those things, I could not get any further. Then I bought the Model D… Whooaaa! I cut through those technical problems like butter. The dynamics are incredible — the smoothness at pianissimo is magical. In my opinion, Steinway makes the best pianos in the world, and by a huge margin.

[MultiPetercool]

I have a 1926 Steinway OR with a working Aeolian Duo-Art reproducing player action. It’s interesting that Steinway originally fought tooth and nail to stay out of the Player market. In the mid 1920’s 80% of all pianos produced in the US were players.

The reason my piano exists is Steinway relented to Aeolian under the condition Aeolian’s Weber brand cease sponsoring Paderewski who would switch to Steinway Aeolian was also required to buy a specified number of Steinways regardless if they needed them or not. That agreement led to Aeolian’s bankruptcy around 1929.

[gscott]

Steinway won't let Grotrian-Steinweg (a German company founded by one of Henry's relatives) import their pianos into the US under their full name - the US pianos say only 'Grotrian' on the fallboard. But I fooled them and bought my piano in Germany, then imported it myself.

[Forenza]

Not too long ago, I wandered through a Steinway store. I've played piano since I was a kid, but haven't played many pianos. I have a 1908 Emerson upright and I love it. The touch, the tone, etc. Just playing around with the Steinways, the first one that I thought, "this is as good as my piano" was $125, 000. -- I paid $400 for my Emerson to buy it, move it, and tune it. I was not impressed with the Steinways and would likely spring for a Mason & Hamlin if I were to buy new.

[SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans]

The "not selling brand decals" thing is their right since they own their brand mark, but unless they can (other than by appeal to snobbery) keep un-refinished Steinways from being repaired by third parties while keeping the old decal, it's kind of hypocritical. There's a whole issue out there -- "right to repair" -- which I wonder if it might impinge on this eventually. I don't have to take my Cadillac to GM dealers to be repaired in order to sell it later as a Cadillac.

[JayMSinger]

Re: Steinway not producing uprights in USA. I think the digital piano (see Kawai MP series) has evolved to the point that relatively inexpensive uprights can't compete with the latest electric pianos. My MP 7SE has Boesenorfer, NY Steinway and German Steinway samples, for example. My gigging instrument. a Casio has weighted, graded keys, a good piano sample and weighs 24 lbs. good, too!

[SuiGenerisMan]

Bought one during COVID 2021. Enormous discount, they'll never do that again.
I'd tinkered with piano through the years but haven't had a lesson since I was 10.
I practice once week since I got it, but I play with it all week long. Its gorgeous sound is addictive, even when I was just learning.
I'm pretty decent now. Novice level for sure.

[KR-lldj]

My mom's 1908 Steinway Model A--she'd inherited it from her aunt--was left to me to deal with when mom died. I gifted it to the Peabody Institute, where her aunt had played and taught. Transport wasn't cheap, but it seemed appropriate. I hope some up-and-coming talent is making the best of it.

[chrissahar]

My favorite brand is NOT Steinway but a Pleyel from France. I got the chance to play one at one of the few high-end piano stores in Manhattan. Love them -- the sound to me is superior to Steinway. The feel of playing it fantastic. Unfortunately there aren't many made and they are expensive.

[wotan]

When I was shopping for a grand, I simply couldn’t afford a Steinway. I eventually found a 6-ft Sohmer parlor grand from 1928 that sounds better than many of the Steinways I tried out. It cost a fraction of the Steinway, mainly because the cabinet was pretty beat up. But I wasn’t looking for a piece of furniture; I wanted a good instrument.

[ritasokol]

I was trained classically on a Steinway, for 17 years! There is nothing like a Steinway! My husband wanted to purchase a new grand piano for me and because the cost was prohibitive so we purchased a brand new L190 Hidden Beauty Estonia about 5 years ago because the action (and it's hand made with Renner Hammers) was similar to the action on the Steinway. I do love it! However if I ever have the financial opportunity I would love to own and play daily on a Steinway, the Black Diamond for Lang Lang is incredibly stunning! This was great and fun information! Thank you for all your videos!