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In what way is the Steinway better than the other pianos mentioned?

In only one way: it’s a Hamburg made Steinway.

I m just joining your discussion, although I’m only a beginner and of course, I would like to afford those pianos but, they are like bottle of wine:

Just hide the brand, play blind and I’m pretty sure you would be surprised....

:-)

Thank you

Not a professional pianist myself but played on many models throughout the many years of passion for the piano.

I don't have much experience with Sauter Omega 220 so I can only comment on the remaining two.

For "face", get the Steinway, no matter if it's Hamburg of New York, though many will argue that the Hamburg ones are better. People will walk in your home and give you the thumbs up because you have a "Steinway".

For "best bang for the buck", get the Shigeru Kawai. These are beautifully made high quality Japanese pianos that will give you years and maybe even decades of enjoyment. People will walk in your home and say, “Oh, I've heard of these but never got the chance to play them. May I?"

But then again, you can blindfold yourself playing all three pianos and you'd be surprised which piano you thought was the "one".

Anyway, good luck and tell us which piano you got in the end.

Michael

How many professional pianists and composers can afford a brand new seven foot Steinway? All the concert pianists round my way are lucky to have an upright Yamaha U2 at their homes. I'm curious what sort of piano playing earns enough to be afford to buy something that costs more than a house. Conversely if the people buying these pianos for private use have a highly paid professional job like a lawyer or banker when do they have time to keep their playing at a professional level?

In other words, I can understand buying such a piano for a public building like a conservatoire or concert hall, but what sorts of people would buy one for their home? Genuine question!

With due respect, I don't think one needs to be a professional player to appreciate a high-quality instrument. If you enjoy playing, and can afford the instrument, what's the problem?

Rich people, obviously.


I'm not saying that this as a bad thing. If rich people stopped buying Steinways or Bosendorfers, they would go bankrupt immediately.

That’s why I wrote: if one can’t choose which brand new piano to buy in the list of choice, just pick the most expensive

Family money or partners who are highly paid professionals.

Must agree with this sentiment!

It's probable that a professional could hear and feel things that a non pro wouldn't. But that's not at all the same as saying a non-pro couldn't appreciate a high quality piano or hear/feel differences between a high quality and lesser quality piano.

I had no idea the value of the pianos mentioned, so I just did some exploring on the Internet.

“A 10-year-old Steinway in good condition, usually sells for about 75 percent of the current retail price, which goes up about 4 percent each year.” “Over the past decade, the price on the classic Steinway Model B grand piano–currently $81,200–increased 48%, far outpacing the 29% rise in inflation.”

Just thought this was interesting.

Interesting Read. Which Piano Brands do Top Pianist Prefer

https://www.allpianos.com/piano-brands-top-concert-pianists-prefer

That was a quick, interesting read. Thanks!

What kind of people buy concert grands for their homes? Ones that have big homes, obviously. I've heard about a professional pianist having three Steinway D's in his New York apartment, but he admitted it was far from practical.
On the other hand, a seven-foot piano is so much better than a six-footer that you should make room if you can.
The article just referenced struck me as vague and uninformative. John Lennon played a Steinway, not a Bechstein. Those 19th Century virtuosos would recommend any piano for a price. I've seen a photo of Franz Liszt playing a Chickering square with apparent pleasure.
Does anybody know what Sergei Rachmaninoff played when he was in Russia? It must have had a good bass to do justice to the "Bells of Moscow" Prelude.
The mention of Glenn Gould recording the Goldberg Variations brings up one of my aversions: people who play Bach on pianos instead of harpsichords. Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle. The Chromatic Fantasy is SUPPOSED to sound like a bucket of hardware falling down three flights of stairs.

If people do not buy these incredible pianos all the piano
manufacturers will end up being owned.by companies
in China .
Also what will happen to the piano dealers?

Same thing if Bach was only played on harpsichords we would never hear Bachs keyboard music .While I like organ and harpsichord music many do not .
The Italian Concerto for me only sounds great on the piano yet the
keyboard concertos I prefer only played on the harpsichord with the orchestra. Performance practice is an interesting subject to pursue though .

When concert grands get a little too old for a concert venue, the price drops like a stone. You can find some very nice Baldwins in the $20K - 40K range. The people who choose them over a new Asian piano are only different in that they're willing to devote that much floor space to a piano.

It was never my intention to sound judgemental when I posed the question about how many professional pianists (ie those who play for a living) can afford such instruments, though my mind boggles at some of the responses to my question - in particular the reference to a professional pianist who can afford not only to have three Steinway Ds but who can afford a New York flat big enough to house them! Most professional musicians I know are lucky to have a small Yamaha grand piano - maybe the pay and career prospects are better on the other side of the Atlantic!