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I'm 98.6% sure it's a Hamburg. However, I cannot explain the sostenuto situation. Case design, duplex bars, plate casting, key buttons, etc all say Hamburg to me.

Pwg

Yes, it's strange. But the important thing, it's not a Bechstein!

There is another number that's all over the place, something like 1188, don't remember. It's on action, pedals, case, lip and so on. No way anyone went to the trouble of falsifying or combine a NY with a Hamburg to obtain a Hamyork or Newburg. Anyway, it works, and unless the board is tired or dead, I'm happy. I crawled under and with a sewing thread I saw a mm or so of space. But only on one place, somewhere in the middle. I don't have a gauge to check downbearing but I want to make one. From a cd case I'll cut the plastic to obtain three teeth that are disposed so they fall on the right places. As the case has a straight side, if I can touch a string on both sides of a bridge in the same time it's no good. Am I wrong?

Seems you haven't played a Bechstein concert grand in a long time. Try the new D 282 when you have the chance, I am sure you'll be surprised.

I played some new Bechsteins in a piano shop somewhere in Germany, not sure where, maybe 10 years ago, or more. Probably smaller than 282. Any new piano of a serious make is great.
I had a Bechstein when 14-15, hated it, old, quite short, dry sound, light action, horrible. Before that, a Playel, even worse. My father was a conductor, didn't want much from a piano, just to read his orchestra scores on it. So one summer, both parents went abroad and left me to stay with my aunt in the capital . Her husband was the second director at the philharmony. Because of his position I could practice in a barock or rococo room that had an old and quite bad Steinway. One afternoon I somehow sneaked on the stage. It was empty, no light except what came through the round windows high up. Had to look it up, they are called rose windows, churches or old theaters have them. I wasn't allowed to be there, but I didn't care, I moved silently towards the piano. It had a very heavy cover, and I was sure it was locked. I removed the front of the cover and tried to lift the lid. It opened! I remember even today how those white teeth where looking at me. I sat on the bench and felt I could live there. I sat still a few moments listening and then pushed down the keys. Instantly I understood, this is what I want from life, to have that. And it was not only about sound. The way it felt under the fingers! That feeling, never had that again. Only once it can be the first time, but I'm sure that piano was among the best in the whole world. I still remember the logo, just STEINWAY, no lyre.
Since then I played a lot of instruments, even the newer Steinway that resides on the same stage now, only the hall was filled with people this time. It was 2009, 33 years later.
Never the same.

By the way OE1FEU, now I see you are from Wien, I played the Fazioli in Porgy and Bess when they just had it for a few months, so brand new. While a great instrument, it's not what I am looking for.
Also, I had unlimited access to the Bösendorfer Imperial on stage at the Philharmonic where my father was ''the boss''. Once that instrument was moved across the street, in the theater for a solo recital. The guest pianist, Sviatoslav Ricther. I was there, but that was not the piano I was playing on. It just couldn't be!

Now we're talking.

Disclaimer: I work for Bechstein as project manager with no involvement in sales or marketing whatsoever.

You really need to play a modern Bechstein, especially the D 282 and the C 234 models.

I can very much relate to what you are saying. I've heard Richter about 15 times and he was actually the reason why I bought a Yamaha concert grand back then, because that was the instrument of his choice and I loved the sound and I could see that he was really comfortable with the piano and I have not regretted this decision. It was a beautiful concert grand and still is in use at a concert hall in Germany and the action was just a dream. My own piano is a Steinway B from 1887, but I am allowed to keep it because it was delivered to Carl Bechstein's stepbrother back in 1887.

Just yesterday I played a Bösendorfer 280 for a couple of hours and I can honestly say that the Fazioli 228 is not a B that wants to be a D, but a fully grown concert grand. I am also incredibly fond of older Erards such as the one from 1879 I played yesterday, so please understand that I am totally agnostic to brands. I just love really great pianos.

I'll find out the origin of your Steinway on Monday and I'll also find you a dealer with a D 282 in Sweden for you to revise an impression of Bechsteins that I can actually understand. I've had the privilege of playing three Bechstein concert grands, i.e. E 280, EN 280 and D 282 side by side, but all those instruments were prepared to perfection. And since I've heard some really poor older Bechstein grands, I know what you're talking about.

Your D with new Abel hammers will be a dream. But, just as an experiment, may I offer you a set of Bechstein hammers (we now produce our own hammers in the factory) to see whether this might actually be something you could be happy with? I'll be glad to arrange for a shipment of brand new 'Made in Germany' hammers directly from the factory.

Send me a PM and we can continue this, but I am interested in having results and impressions published here in the forum.

Knowing more about my D would be very interesting. Thanks!
I live very up north in Sweden so I don't think there are any dealers closer than 600 km away. And would not be surprised if no Bechstein grands would be in stock anywhere in this country. I think that maybe in Stockholm might be one D at the Steinway dealer. There was one 10 years ago, a 70's model, but I didn't like it very much.
About hammers, thanks for the offer but I already have new Abel hammers and new shanks. I bought them a year ago but decided to do this project first and see it as a learning experience. I can try my hand at voicing with needles at one point and probably destroy them but no harm done, they are singing their last song anyway.
I'm aware that there is a danger in becoming obsessed with the instrument and it's quality and forget that in the end everything is about playing. So lately I started to concentrate on that again.

While I love new Bechsteins, I think it's a pity the old Bechstein sound is no more. That was the sound that earned them the loyalty of the greatest pianists of the day, such as Rubinstein, Paderewski, Schnabel, Kempff etc.

I have Abel Naturals on my old Bechstein B, but I have a second set of shanks waiting for an alternative set of hammers as I love to experiment. Hint hint...

****** is indeed a satin black Hamburg Steinway, originally delivered to Steinway in London on June 23, 1965.

Ok, I am back from the tour. Unfortunately I have no energy and no desire to do anything for a while. But I promised to post some sample of the D. I didn't get a good sound before leaving, now I can't make myself sit at the piano. So here are two little pieces I recorded 2008, so at least I kept half a promise.



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[url=https://soundcloud.com/steinway-d-hamburg/medium]medium

Funny, one says just url but it works anyway.
No, something is wrong with the sharing. You can find both tunes on the account. Sorry!


Will for sure continue to work on my D but now I'm more worried about the virus.

There was was something wrong with the posted link, soundcloud cannot find it.

I know what happened. Fixed!


https://soundcloud.com/steinway-d-hamburg/medium

https://soundcloud.com/steinway-d-hamburg/pastiche-norm-0


There are also 20 minutes of solo piano. Won't put a link, anyone can find it if interested.

After a quartet studio recording session there was some unused time so the sound engineer said he could let the ''tape'' roll and I can try some solo stuff. As i didn't prepare anything and I always feel huge pressure when the red light is on, not everything was usable, so I selected some parts, diifferent tunes, more for me to listen and try to improve. No splices or editing except cutting off where I felt it went to h--
Maybe I should cut it in small invidual pieces. 13.30 I have no shame and play Keith's tune from Köln concert, the encore. Of course, couldn't finish it. Just as well!

I really like it - but it drives me nuts listening to it with headphones. Bass coming from the right and trebles from the left. This stereo mix is just wrong :-)

I think I got a rough mix with some reverb added just to decide what to keep. I don't think they were finalized.

Just flip your headphones or, if they are nice enough to be uncomfortable when worn backwards, they are probably nice enough to have a removable cable, so you can swap that, instead.

Oh, I see, I'm holding it wrong.

I thought you didn't like the separation of channels in a too wide stereo image, not that you'd like to have hi and lo frequencies reversed.
Were you talking about the trio piece, solo or all of them?