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I've seen numerous posts about how great Steingraebers are. Not many people seemed to like Steinway very much. I am surprised. I played a few Steingraebers of different sizes and I thought they were great but not necessarily better than Estonia or New Year Steinways.

The Steingraeber dealer also introduced to me the Phoenix system. It sounded disappointing.

Speaking of Steinway, I think many New Year Steinways are better than their Hamburg counterparts...

Is there something wrong with my ears? Would you choose a Steingraeber over a Steinway, if they are at the same size and price?

Nope nothing wrong with your ears.

Plenty of people prefer Steinway over just about anything. But Steingraeber makes a very good quality piano and some people prefer it's unique voice.

I am glad there is a spectrum of wonderful pianos available. It's up to you, the musician, to decide which one you like.

As for my personal choice between the two, if the Steinway were a piano realizing it's fullest potential (either through a top level rebuild or through excellent workmanship from the factory) I'd go with the Steinway.

Some people have negative reaction to Steinway due to a long history of the company acting like a spoiled, egotistical brat, even though its product quality was barely adequate for several decades. More recently, Steinway has made several improvements to its line of pianos (many of them cosmetic, but some musical). I like the improvements, but, the NY instruments are still not in the same league as the Hamburg instruments, or any other German piano, including Steingraeber.


Some people don't like the sound of the Phoenix system, particularly if the piano has a carbon fiber soundboard. Either way, the bridge agraffes are a much more elegant string coupling solution than bridge pins.

And yes, I would choose a Steingraeber over a NY Steinway.

If I had the money for a Steingraeber or Steinway, I'd probably pick a big Grotrian-Steinweg, or a Fazioli, or an August Förster, or maybe all of them.

Seriously, it's a matter of taste. I played on a Steingraeber once and I liked it. I also like Steinway. Actionwise I might prefer Steinway; soundwise Steingraeber may be a little more to my liking.

I've played fine examples of both, and of course I've played a few duff Steinways. How much of that is due to prep, or just a bad fitting whatever, I don't know.

There aren't that many Steingraeber pianos on the circuit. To my ears, the Steinway can be a little lacking in singing quality, and has a lot of harmonic. They CAN of course sing, but in general they are not prepared well enough. The London showroom does a good job at prep work though it has to be said.

Yes. I did. Twice. Without the least buyer's remorse.

In the course of my extensive piano search, I also played some other great pianos, including a Fazioli I liked and a Grotrian I liked even more.

But as others have noted, any piano buyer in any price range has to decide what he or she likes and wants. I made my choices, and you get to make yours. That's a good thing.

I have played very few Steingraebers. I have heard four Steingraeber "Phoenix's". The Phoenix with the bridge agraffes all produce a pulsing metallic shimmer that I find very bothersome. I have never heard an agraffe bridge piano that truly had a great tone overall. Bridge agraffes all introduce some Longitudinal mode interactions that sound weird.

A former poster many years ago who owns a modern 7 foot C.Bechstein (B210)and also loves the large Steingraeber grand commented that he thought the Steingraeber tone fit somewhere between a Steinway and C.Bechstein. I thought that was about right.

Rich

Roy,

The question you posed is impossible to answer as they are not the same price. Steingraeber is considerably more expensive in comparable sized instruments.

That being said --

Comparing a Steingraeber A170 to a NY or Hamburg-M, I would choose the Steingraeber. However, if it were a choice between the next larger size, B192 vs. 5'-10.5", my choice would be the NY S&S-O, even though it is shorter in length.

There is so much to consider, such as repertoire and personal hand technique. There is no doubt that Steingraeber is one of the world's finest pianos, but personal preference is the ultimate determination.

With all of the Concert Level instruments, they are each an individual and it is hard to generalize. However, there are certain tonal characteristics which are unique to each builder. Deciding on the tonal palette is the first step, and then search for the particular instrument which is the best fit for you.

+1 Minnesota Marty!

In fact while we all have preferences for certain makes, sometimes it is hard to say "Steinway is better than Bosendorfer" or "Fazioli is better than Steingraeber" or whatever. It comes down to, not only the taste of the individual pianist, but actually the individual piano. There are beautiful pianos in every tier one make, and there are beautiful pianos in other tiers that outperform their price.

I find the other 'Boston vs Hailun' thread quite difficult because I could prefer either or both or neither depending on which example of each I was presented with. We can make generalizations, and experience tells us that yes, brand X will sound this way and Y that way, or that we will like a particular tone and not another, but experience also tells us to wait and listen, and decide based on the sound of the individual piano.

As an owner of both a Steinway and a Steingraeber, perhaps I can share some of my thoughts on this topic.

My Steinway is a wonderful piano. It has the archetypical tone qualities one associates with Steinway – a deeply resonant bass that can “growl” when necessary, beautiful tenor register, and bell-like treble that projects with a singing sustain. The Steinway wraps what you play into a rich sound experience full of color. It evokes the standard that has prevailed on so many recordings and in so many concert halls over the last hundred years. As an instrument, the Steinway is robust, responsive, and versatile.

My Steingraeber is in another class altogether. It is a larger instrument (6’9” vs. 5’10.5”), but even normalizing for that factor, it has an awesome quality that is immediately apparent to both performer and listener alike. To begin with, it has the longest sustain I’ve ever personally encountered in a piano. The treble evokes chimes as much as bells, and projects beautifully. The tenor sings and the bass resounds impressively. The overriding tonal quality is warmth, color, and clarity across the dynamic range. I can hear the details of fast passagework much more clearly on my Steingraeber that on my Steinway. The action of the Steingraeber is incredibly responsive. It is light when playing soft and slowly, yet feels substantial but controllable at a faster, harder pace. Its most unusual quality is its unobtrusiveness. It’s almost as if you think a musical thought and it comes directly from the piano. The action is like an invisible facilitator.

Still, I love my Steinway. I’m fortunate to have two wonderful instruments. The represent the best of the American and European piano aesthetics, and each has its impressive qualities.

P.S. to Ed McMorrow: I’ve played on several Steingraebers, including a model 212 with bridge agraffes and carbon fiber soundboard. That instrument was wonderfully responsive but I did not like the sound as well as the traditional Steingraebers.

P.S. to Rich D.: My wife has similarly characterized the Steingraeber sound as “Steinway meets Bösendorfer.”

So Piano Doug has a Steinway O and a Steingraeber (212?) and I have pianist envy!

I've only played one Steingraeber it was about the same size as the Estonia 225 next to it. I played both for some time. Both were fabulous pianos and they were similar in sound and responsiveness, but ultimately the Steingraeber seemed just a notch better. If I could have afforded them I would have let me wallet decide.

Steve,

Close. Steinway L and Steingraeber 205.

Regards,

Piano Doug

I generally like an excellent New York Steinway better than an excellent Hamburg Steinway.
I always like an average Hamburg Steinway better than an average New York Steinway.

Regarding your initial observations and questions, what music were you playing on these instruments?

Not to wander too far into the ELECTRONIC domain, but isn't the HOPE that (one day, some day) these preferences will be "switch selectable" ?

A dream perhaps, but being able to select a piano that responds like brand & model x,y or z according to the mood of the moment - a NICE dream to be sure.
How close ?, how far off ?, at what cost ?, and whether or not emulating the "feel" of several hundred pounds of "musical furniture" is ever possible - all debatable.
The mystique (hundred plus years of tradition) may never be reproducible.
How close is close enough ?
That too may be just an individual preference/opinion.

Moore's Law appears to be alive and well.

Keith:

As always, so perceptive and to the point. I agree absolutely.

Karl Watson,
Staten Island, NY

NO !!

Get ye back to the evil digital corner!

LOL, Marty, you lovable Luddite!

You better check your fallboard. That describes almost exactly an Italian piano I own. Either you've got an Udo Fazioli or a Paolo Steingraeber.

LOL!

We'll, I checked, and it just says "Steingraeber," so It must be the "Paolo" model.

I've played, and heard in recital, several Faziolis, and they are mighty fine, indeed. Both brands excel in similar ways yet have their distinctive personalities. I would perhaps concede a slight edge to Fazioli in terms of the action, but find the Steingraeber tone quality to be warmer to my ears. Both have incredible clarity, sustain, and build quality.