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Good. I'm thinking between choosing two pianos in my search. One of them is the Sauter Masterclass 122 and the other a Bechstein classic 124. Someone has experience to advise. The repertoire I play is classical from Bach, Beethoven or Brahms to Debussy or Messiaen. Which piano is best suited?

Both are fine pianos. Neither is a bad choice. I've never seen both in the same place, so it's a little hard to compare!

The way to answer your question is to play your repertoire on a few examples of both pianos. The danger is the result is a draw and you have to toss a coin. Some PW members have chosen a Bechstein.

Exactly, that would be his thing and the fundamental thing but it is not easy to find such pianos in my area and less in the same dealer. That is why I ask here, since there will be more possibilities to expand my field of knowledge with respect to my environment. It is trivial, that if I could test them the issue would be solved and I would not raise it, in addition to the pandemic, mobility has been restricted more to go after them to other areas. Always trying a piano even within the same make or model contains a certain degree of luck and a state of grace due to the multiple parameters that influence and right now I would only be buying blind ... I have been analyzing it for a long time ...

That might be the problem. Analysis isn't that useful, you have to actually play pianos!

From your original post I thought you had played lots and already narrowed your choice down to either Schimmel or Sauter but now it seems you are interested in those two brands after research and analysis? My suggestion is to go out and play as many different pianos as you can, of all brands and both cheaper and more expensive than your budget, just play as many as you can. It might be that you like a Sauter or Schimmel the most or you might find you hate them and love something you haven't even heard of but there is only one way to find out. If you analyse first and eliminate options you risk eliminating that piano you might have truly loved more than any other.

There was a lot of conversation a few years ago here about Sauter uprights. For a while, they were the 8th wonder of the world, and Bechsteins were overpriced by comparison. I think that the enthusiasm on both sides of that has died down now, so people feel free to look at what is in front of them. While there may be family traits that would make you prefer one firm or another, I get the impression that you can do very well with either.

Which is not to say that either is perfect or suited to everyone. But if you try a piano that is tuned and well-regulated, you should have a pretty quick sense of whether it tickles your fancy as you tickle the ivories.

Yes, how right you are friend, that is a good advice that I have followed ... The truth is that from the list I have discarded some and I clearly opt for a specific sound. What I'm looking for is closer to the European sound ... Schimmel I've tried it but I don't fall in love with it. The yamaha's or his either. I like bosendorfer but it is out of my range as well as the bechstein concert which is also out and if I liked them ...

I think you should wait until you can try the pianos out. It really shouldn't matter what a few PW posters think one way or the other since your two choices are both considered terrific. Even any descriptions they give of the tone would be only minimally helpful since the words used have different meanings for different people. I think the only thing that matters is how you feel about the pianos. If you absolutely can't wait I would listen to YouTube recordings to make a choice although the sound on the recording may not match the sound one hears live or the sound of the particular piano you buy.

Hi Luis
I am also considering either a Sauter MC122 or a Bechstein 124. I prefered the Academy over the more expensive Elegance ( does anyone know the difference between classic and elegance ? ).
In my country there is also not a very big selection of pianos to try, so I really understand your concerns.
Did you try the Sauter btw?
In my case I contacted the factory directly and asked them where I can try their pianos.
I am now in touch with a local owner of a MC122. I tried it, and it definetely has a big appeal to me.

The only difference between Elegance and Classic is design of the case. The internals are the same. Elegance is slightly more expensive.

Hello Polyfon, I have tried a Sauter 114 and I liked it however my disappointment came when I tried a Peter Maly model that was not well tuned and the pedals were poorly regulated so I was disappointed as I thought it would come close to the Sauter masterclass 122 ... What did you think of the MC? how would you describe it? What positive aspects did you highlight? And compared to the Bechstein ...

If you are looking for the 'European sound' in an upright without the most premium European prices you might like to try the Petrof uprights which can be really sweet and are very reasonably priced this side of the pond. You say you are not keen on the Yamaha sound so much but they did a pretty good job I thought on the SE132 which is rather different and their specific attempt to produce a European voiced piano.

Interesting-- I see mention of that on a few UK sites, but not in PianoBuyer. Perhaps it is only marketed in (current and former) Europe?

Luis, both are top piano brands, only with different voices. If prices are equal, you would better consider sound/touch best to your liking. If not, I suggest you choose the best priced one. Just in case, if you find a Grotrian Concertino, and if the price is in the same level of the others, try it out, for it also could be a very good choice. Good luck on your search!

Good contributivo Fluxo, I will open that avenue of investigation that you mention, very interesting although just as difficult to find in our current situation a good Gotrian distributor in Spain ... Good contribution, I have heard good things about them but I was not lucky enough to come across them some ... the search will be done, that's for sure.... 😊

I loved my Petrof 125. It still has one of the sweetest voices that I've heard. Worth checking out if you can find one!

I am just a hobby pianist, so my opinion shouldn't be taken as the single truth.
I only tried the sauter once, but in about a week, I will try both pianos again and might have more thoughts to share.
I think the MC combines a powerful bass with a rich treble.
The A124 also had a good bass, but had overall a more mellow character. The Elegance had a rich treble, but for me the bass was lacking. So in that sense the MC has the best of both worlds.
The feel of the keys and rhe looks of the MC gives and impression of very high quality.
For my technique, the R2 action felt very heavy, and it was difficult playing pianissimo. I talked to a sauter employee and he explained that this can be regulated when ordering the piano.
Is there a reason you are not considering even taller pianos?

Another option, colleagues, they offer me a steinway v-125 piano from the year 2019 as a re-release, I have not tried it yet. Any experience with said piano? Is it on the same level as a Bechstein classic or a Sauter masterclass? Someone touched it ... I'm opening the fan ...

Some pianophiles on the German forum like it a lot. You have to play it.

Some Steinway uprights are/were notoriously difficult to tune and maintain. Ask a good tech for advice on the newer model.