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I think that the C is a far superior model to the B, in fact I've never really liked the B all that much, and for the slight difference in size, you'd think that more people would want a C. I guess though it's not the slight difference in size but the large difference in price that's the problem!

I remember one model C in the RSAMD in Glasgow that was beautiful until for some reason it was relegated to a practice room and a D was put in its place in the small recital hall. The piano ceased to be well maintained and very quickly sounded like a box of nails. I don't know where it is now but it was a 1989 model.

I've played a few in Germany where they seem to be a bit more popular. Steinway Hall in London doesn't even stock them, but they did rebuild one for Haddo House Opera in Aberdeen recently.

I sometimes wonder if the C is a better option for smaller halls, because the automatic choice of the D is sometimes overpowering. In fact I've been in attendance at the Wigmore Hall and spent time wishing that the concert was over because the piano was just too loud, and I was in the back row.

From a musical perspective I'm one of the few who would, if pushed to choose, stop the production of the B but keep the A and C.

My own theory on this was that the height of NYC elevator doors pretty much excluded the "C" from a larger market. The B fits perfectly when you keyboard a piano. The A is a nicer scale design than the B (my own opinion, yes without the bass the B provides), but displaced the B sales so they stopped producing the A. Now, with only high net worth people buying new Steinways the A no longer "competes" in the same way.

Still I don't know how many "C"s they could sell when you exclude city dwellers.

In the past few years, S&S-NY has put the 'L' in the storeroom and re-issued the 'O'. That was followed by the NY rebirth of the 'A'. Has anyone heard anything about Astoria (re)introducing the 'C'? That would create the identical lineup as Hamburg.

I wonder if Astoria still has the plate forms and rim templates still available?

"the imbalance of the B is not worth the extra bass, which to my ear sounds like excessive growl"

The more I listen, observe and meditate, the more I think that pianist should not expect too much about piano, but he should adjust to take the best of it, in case of excessive growl then play bass softer. This is the whole osmosis of pianist, piano, environment. My wife produces good sound on the small upright Yamaha, but struggles to play well on the Grotrian 192 (because she is busy and her fingers are weak), a friend came and pulled the best of the Grotrian. A lot of time I see that a small piano in a small room sounds much better than a bigger piano.