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A local piano dealer told me that the competition will add Bechstein in the next edition. Not sure about that. I'd rather have Mason & Hamlin, my personal favorite brand.
Have you tried acoustic treatment on the ceiling above the piano Deann? That may help as well. I have it in my living room and I like the effect. Also voicing the GX3 down, if it's bright, should make a difference too.
Daily driver: Yamaha Avantgrand N1 First crush: Kawai GL10, MP11SE Current fling: Petrof III Foster child: 1927 Kurtzmann upright
A local piano dealer told me that the competition will add Bechstein in the next edition. Not sure about that. I'd rather have Mason & Hamlin, my personal favorite brand.
Ian Russell Schiedmayer & Soehne, 1925 Model 14, 140cm Ibach, 1905 F-IV, 235cm
You lucky dog to be considering any of the above instruments. In my quest for my personal piano I played many pianos and never could be satisfied with any under 7'. So starting there I played Steinways,Bostons (at Steinway hall), really liked a Schimmel (at Beethoven's pianos), tried Siler, Estonia and a few others. Finally bought a new Yamaha C7 because it felt much like the exceptional 1986 C7 I owned at my Denver studio. I had the fortunate chance to sit with a Fazioli at a trade show and really fell in love. Also have heard wonderful things about Grotrian here on the forum. Please keep us informed about your purchase.
You lucky dog to be considering any of the above instruments. In my quest for my personal piano I played many pianos and never could be satisfied with any under 7'. So starting there I played Steinways,Bostons (at Steinway hall), really liked a Schimmel (at Beethoven's pianos), tried Siler, Estonia and a few others. Finally bought a new Yamaha C7 because it felt much like the exceptional 1986 C7 I owned at my Denver studio. I had the fortunate chance to sit with a Fazioli at a trade show and really fell in love. Also have heard wonderful things about Grotrian here on the forum. Please keep us informed about your purchase.
Everything else being equal, a large piano, especially a concert grand, will be superior to shorter models from that company due to the inherent benefits of length.
But a completely separate issue is if the build quality of shorter models of Shigeru, CF, and Fazioli is inferior to their concert sized instrument. One poster near the beginning of the thread suggested that, but I think that statement is wrong. And those shorter pianos are definitely not budget models(implying lower quality) as that poster suggested.
For sure, when we are talking about six or seven foot grands there are models available in their high quality ranges from everyone. Just not for the small baby grands.
Do you really think the smallest Fazioli(5'2", I believe) or smallest Shigeru(under 6') are low quality or any significant lower quality than their 7' grands or even their concert grands? I think that's completely false and those are the pianos the OP was talking about. Nor are they budget grands as you implied.
You are probably thinking of some piano makers who have many lines within their brand and where their smallest and cheapest grands are meant as budget models and are of lesser quality than their larger and/or more expensive lines. The Yamaha G series would be an example of that. None of that applies to the Yamaha CF, Shigeru, or Fazioli.
You are entitled to call the smallest Shigeru, or even the smallest Yamaha CF a baby grand if you like. I don't.
Concert grands have historically been the real "business card" of piano builders, they really are in a class of their own in terms of build quality and attention they get. That said, these instruments are often build in the same workshop as smaller instruments with largely the same techniques and sometimes also same materials. So, I would definitely consider smaller instruments of the best builders out there as the highest quality in that segment.
Your choice for your instrument will be highly personal ;-). Grands also have an individual personality. It means that you may prefer one brand over another, but that one instrument might just feel better or sound better to you.
I would personally look for the largest instrument to fit in your space. I have found that larger instruments have a more beautiful tone, they are easier to play (for me at least), and yes they are loud (and I consider that great fun actually ;-). That said, there are great instruments in all sizes.
As people have written before 7' grands have excellent sound quality. I have played also shorter grands and some of them came close to the best instruments. That included a Kawai, but also a Gotrian-Steinweg. The Steinways are also not to be underestimated. I really liked their C's (7') but their B is also fun to play. My absolute favorite in the 7' segment was the Fazioli F228. It pretty much outclassed everything else I played except a few full-size concert grands.
And then there is the difficult choice of new vs. used. If budget is no object, I would buy a new instrument directly from the factory (book it via your local piano dealer so you support them to).
Additionally, if you like the Kawai sound, do try the Bosendorfers as well. They are very well known for their versatility, e.g., their popularity with jazz pianists. Their sound ideal of being a bit more rounded is a bit (in some sense, don't shoot me down) like Yamaha vs. Kawai, as in Fazioli vs. Bosendorfer (slightly more pointed vs. slightly more rounded sound). All excellent choices though. Good luck on your journey of discovery!
Ppianissimo
Proud owner of a Bosendorfer 280VC built in 2019 Previously proud owner of a Bechstein E from the 1940s
