Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum low-use SK5 vs. restored 1901 Steinway O

I am a new member and have enjoyed reading the forums. I am in the market for an upgraded piano, after having a Kawai GE2 for 20 years. After considering many options, playing at least 15 pianos, and even traveling to another state, I have come down to choosing between a minimally used Shigeru SK5 and a restored 1901 Steinway O. Prices are $5K apart--an issue, but not a deal-breaker. The Steinway has original box, soundboard, and plate. Renner action--not Steinway. Both sound good to me, but of course in different ways. I have some concern about the maintenance and longevity of the Steinway, but appreciate the fact that it has the branding. The Shigeru has excellent tonality and sustain. The Model O plays well and has surprisingly good base for being under 6'. Any thoughts?

Of course it comes down to what sound and action you prefer, but having compared a few Steinway (Hamburg) O's and SK3's myself I suspect that my own choice might be the longer SK5 (if it plays well and if it is in excellent shape). The longevity is an issue but perhaps not the crucial one (and it again depends on the shape of each piano). Has an experienced technician already given an assessment of the two instruments?

Without knowing what processes were employed in restoring the Steinway, by default, my vote would have to go to the Shigeru.

Greetings,
The quality of the Steinway is totally dependent on the quality of the rebuild, regardless of whether factory parts were used or not. If you want to make an informed purchase, you will have to have a tech of your own employ, experienced in Steinways, examine and describe your instrument to you. It is too big an investment not to spend the money and have it professionally examined. Steinways carry so much branding that even mediocre shops with a good refinishing dept. can make money in "rebuilding" them, so caveat emptor. (and, I have never heard of someone keeping the original box! )

I also have used many Renner parts in the past, in performance situations. Many other techs have found better alternatives to the factory supplied parts for older pianos. The new factory parts are NOT the same as the older pianos originally came with, but there are now sources for replacement parts that allow us to make the choice between tradition or performance.
Regards,

Thanks for the responses. Sorry, by "box", I meant the original piano rim and case without modification. So everyone would have an independent technician look at the Steinway, even if it was restored by a reputable restorer?

"...So everyone would have an independent technician look at the Steinway, even if it was restored by a reputable restorer?"

Without exception Yes, whenever you are considering a used piano.

My personal opinion is that the SK5 is very probably the better piano (again, subject to inspection for condition, by a qualified piano tech paid for by you alone, and who is not financially interested in the sale).

Assuming the tech report is to your satisfaction in both cases, it then depends entirely on what you like in a piano.

I am glad you clarified the 'original box' issue--- for a moment there, I thought we were talking about, oh, say, a first release of Hula Hoop Barbie, never played with by grubby rugrat fingers, and in the original box. That sort of thing matters to collectors. The crate in which a piano, over 100 years old by now, was originally shipped could hardly matter less, and if a seller is telling you it does--- run don't walk.

The Model O also fails under the 15-year rule of thumb for used pianos, but an excellent rebuild--- if it is--- vacates the rule. The SK5 has the advantage of the excellent piano technology and materials of today, which has come a long way since the O came out of the factory. But no doubt I am somewhat prejudiced by the fact that I am happy with my RX5, and do not especially care for some several things about the Steinway business practices nor many of their instruments I have played, and I consider it silly to buy a brand for itself alone. To my thinking, a musician considers the music first and foremost.

I have to admire your diligence in making such a thorough search, even traveling to another state to evaluate candidates. The fact that you've ended up with the two finalists you have speaks well for you--- as does the fact that you've had the sense to ask questions here. Not all answers will be useful, but some people here are in a good position to flush out the facts you need. So, I feel confident that you are going to come out ok--- and don't forget, we want to see pictures!

Critical to have them both inspected by a very good tech.

How old is the Shigeru? Is the warranty transferable(thiswould be a plus)? I think a fair number of restorers would say that on a 110 year old piano the soundboard should almost always be replaced. Was the soundboard repaired in any way? If you like the tone and touch equally I think the Shigeru is a far safer choice since you can be surer about the quality of work and design. One would also expect the bass on the Shigeru to be superior to the smaller Steinway.

Thank you for all the responses. Everyone has echoed my own analysis. The Shigeru is not under warranty (2000 year build), but the dealer will give me 5 year full coverage--which would help, I guess, if there was a major problem with the action. As regards the Steinway, the soundboard is original but reconditioned. I believe there were hairline cracks. I inspected what I could see of the soundboard fairly carefully, and it looked fine.
Working on getting someone to inspect the Shigeru...

Thank you for your detailed response.
What is the 15 year rule you referred to?

Some people believe the SK's to be better than American Steinways. For example, read the explanations here

http://www.georgekolasis.com/best-pianos.html

Obviously, on a 100 year old piano, it's all in how it was maintained and restored.

But don't let the "Steinway" name influence you. Those who know pianos hold Shigeru Kawai in high regard.

Suppose the tech reports are A1 for both pianos, which would you choose and why?

I posed myself a similar question in the London showrooms a few weeks ago. What stays in my memory is the touch of a Shigeru and the sound of a Hamburg Steinway B.

Faced with your choice I'd go with the Shigeru, once I'd convinced myself it was better for me, but then it's an early version as Robert points out in the next post.

Otherwise I'd go on shopping until I found a piano that won hands down if the Model O had not already proved itself to be that instrument.

If we look at the negative aspects of both pianos, I would think that the Shigeru Kawai instrument would be the wiser choice. The Shigeru is certainly not a new piano and a 2000 model would be approximately from the first year of production. There have been refinements and improvements to Shigeru Kawai pianos since then.

The Steinway is more than a hundred years old and has an original soundboard. That would concern me, although the piano may still be tonally good.

A rebuild on a Steinway piano of that age would probably have compromised the original parts and components of the piano.

The Shigeru is out of its warranty although it seems that the dealer is prepared to offer a 5 year warranty on the piano.

"Minimal" use for the Shigeru Kawai would also concern me as I would infer that the piano may also have been neglected, without regular maintenance and tuning. Moderate use of a piano is better, I would think, than minimal use.

A 12 year old Shigeru may also start to show its age. Even with minimal use, a piano still degrades and although the first ten years may be an arbitrary time span, many believe that those are the best years of a piano's life.

Without seeing or hearing either of these quality instruments, I would believe that both offer a very different tonal and touch experience. However, considering just the long term reliability and maintenance requirements of each piano, I would lean towards the much newer Shigeru Kawai.

All the best for the decision.

Kind regards,

Robert.

Greetings,
>>As regards the Steinway, the soundboard is original but reconditioned. I believe there were hairline cracks. I inspected what I could see of the soundboard fairly carefully, and it looked fine.<<

The test for this board is to stretch a string under the bottom, and see if there is any crown left. I doubt it. I don't remember more than one or two Steinways with good 100 year old boards in them, they just weren't made that way. Like buying a beautiful antique car with a worn out motor in it.
Regards,

Whenever I read these threads, folks are evaluating the either/or on the basis of the piano, and that is certainly valid, and usually what the OP has asked for. Here's the thing: would you rather be selling a Steinway, or a piano that most folks have never heard of? The market for the latter will be smaller. Not arguing here, and I think all the above advice and judgments are the right ones. But a piano is, along with everything else, an investment. If you buy the Steinway, you're PROBABLY going to get more of your money back out of it when that time comes. Should be considered, right? (Dons asbestos coveralls)

"...What is the 15 year rule you referred to?"

My personal suggestion--- not everyone agrees--- is that a person who is buying a used piano may do better to buy one which is not older than 15 years. While it is true that a good piano can last, with proper care, 40 - 50 years or even longer, they do wear out, and a newer piano will have more usable life left in it than an older one. The greatest depreciation will certainly have run its course over 15 years (probably sooner), so there is not much added financial benefit to the buyer from waiting longer--- in fact, inflation will have started to nudge the dollar price in the other direction. Besides that, maintenance and repair of an older piano becomes more expensive as it ages.

This rule of thumb doesn't apply so much to fine pianos of the sort that it would make financial sense to rebuild. And there are exceptions for ordinary pianos, too--- for example, rebuild of an aging piano which has sentimental value.

The "investment" component is negligible to me. Unfortunately, nobody else in my family plays at this time, and if I get 20-25 years out of this, my time will be over and I won't be concerned about what value it has. There are much better (or used to be) investment vehicles than pianos. If I was younger, the investment component might be more important, especially as a trade-in on a future upgrade.

The test for the board is whether the piano sounds good or not. There is no way to determine that by any visual measurement.

Yes, I would completely agree that the listening test is the best way to gauge how well the board is functioning. However, does the measurement of down bearing provide an indication of the amount of "crown" in a soundboard?
Apologies for this digression.
'
Kind regards,

Robert.

The measurement of down bearing only measures whether the strings are bearing down on the bridge. There is some importance to this, since if the strings do not bear down enough, they will lift off the bridge when you are playing, and that can cause buzzing and other problems.

What it the measurement means in relationship to the crown of the soundboard depends on what the intended relationship was supposed to be when the piano was designed.

For a new or newly reubilt Steinway vs. another new piano the depreciation advantage of the Steinway is just a few percent...basically insigniicant. In this case one is comparing a newly rebuilt Steinway to a used Shigeru so the the Shigeru will actually have the advantage in terms of having a smaller depreciation over a given period of time. This is because the greatest amount of depreciation occurs at the beginning of a piano's life.