Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Steinway Sale this weekend?

Is this an annual thing? I was under the impression Steinway never had sales. Is this a real deal, or just BAU?

Gombessa,

I am not sure how you missed it, but Steinway has been discounting quietly for many years now. This is just one of their scheduled "sales". It is followed up by sales at all of their dealers over the next weeks after. It is BAU.

I am not a clever man.

I’m not that clever either. 😕 I had to look up what BAU meant. 😁

Oh yes you are! I have seen your posts in the digital piano forum, Gombessa. This is just something you don't follow.

What type of percentage are off on the New Steinway's, Boston's & Essex's?

Do they discount restored/rebuilt/pre-owned Steinway's?
or is it all up to the dealer preference?

Ah, the first question you should ask of a salesperson is: Do you have pricing power?

As far as I know, they discount everything - Steinway, Boston, Essex, new, used, and restored.

There was a recent Steinway "sale" event near me. I contacted them in advance to ask what piano models would be on sale and what the prices would be. They sent me a list and I was very disappointed. The discounts were ridiculously small, almost offensive in my opinion. I'm glad I asked in advance and didn't waste a trip.

My general observation is that Steinways, new or used, are very expensive, especially at Steinway Halls. Do they tend to include the used Steinways in their yearly price mark-up? I want to say they do, but maybe my memory fails me. I digress.

The local Steinway dealer contacted me to let me know about the sales event, and that also he had a special Steinway B for sale, teflon era, for just over $30k. Maybe they aren't special to a lot of folks, but I know that around here I could get a C7 or similar and have $10k left over to replace hammers or other action parts if necessary. I can't imagine their special sales event would be anything too exciting. Perhaps I am too young of a pianist to understand the excitement around all Steinways. I assume they are like any other piano, and it takes test driving hundreds of them to find the one or two that speak to you. It'd be nice if budget wasn't an issue and I could choose without regard to cost.

Thank you Rich and everybody! Clearly I'm not deeply involved in the high end acoustic world, but I noticed all the splashy marketing and it piqued my curiosity.

Maybe one day (in the distant future) I'll plan an appointment to coincide with the sale

IMHO
Steinways are like any other brand—you love them or you prefer something else. My advice is to never assume the brand you will or will not buy. Life surprises you if you keep an open mind. ... and if you choose a piano based on the tone snd touch, not the brand, you will smile when you play it

Hi dogperson,

From a fellow dog-person, I humbly agree. I suppose my initial observations were obfuscated due to the fact that I have a piano teacher who only swears only by Steinway (and not just any Steinway, but it has to be an older Steinway model). She's not the first piano teacher I have had to have such a preference. On reflection, I think I learned, as you said, that they are just like any other brand. There's nothing magical with the name on the fall board. Some will speak to me, and some won't. Perhaps my more rational brain meets with my passionate brain and figures that, for me, with that particular selection of pianos, the additional cost isn't justified. I like to think that my dream piano is some C Bechstein somewhere out in the world, but perhaps I'll someday have a similar experience as I did in the Steinway Hall.

Dogperson,
YOU ARE SO RIGHT

I never played a Steinway that I 'loved' until recently
When it came time to upgrade and buy a high-end piano my goal was
either a Mason & Hamlin, Steinway or an Upper End European (Bosie, Bechstein)

Much to my surprise I found a perfect STEINWAY - very unexpectedly.
The TOUCH & the TONE - blew me away and because I was not expecting, esp the touch, to come out of a Steinway.
but it did.

I will be getting my new upgrade in June!

but it truly is ALL about TONE & TOUCH - at least if you are a serious musician.

Just as a side note: I liked the tone & touch of a Kawai GX I almost, unexpectedly, purchased a new GX.

A little story about a teacher like this. I purchased my former Petrof IV grand from a family whose teacher insisted that they get a Steinway. So they bought a (1950's?) Steinway M and put their Petrof IV up for sale. A year later, I was the first person to inquire about the Petrof. Their son liked the Petrof more, I liked the Petrof more, their tech liked the Petrof more. I don't know why they were still listening to the teacher, but they were ready to have that second piano out of their living room to make way for a Christmas tree, so I got a deal!

It's funny how that works! Good for you, I'm glad you got the deal.

Off-topic, but have I told you that Bo is one of the most beautiful pianos I have seen?

Haha, I bought the Petrof IV mostly because I wanted a grand and it was a good deal (and I loved my Petrof upright)! It turned out that it being a good deal wasn't enough to make up for the fact that I just didn't like it all that much (although I liked it far more than that old Steinway!). It was a real shame that they wouldn't let the son play or keep the piano that he loved though. He was a really sweet boy.

And thank you, Bo is the most beautiful piano I've ever seen and I'm still amazed that it's sitting in my living room!

I guess the moral is: judge each piano on its own, definitely not by brand! I was so disappointed when I was piano shopping five years back and played some new Steinways. I'd been so hopeful that they'd be like the B that I loved in college.

Honestly if you'd love a new Steinway and can afford it, this might be a good opportunity to select a new instrument from Steinway. Steinway does get a lot of flack on this forum because of some of their business practices (basically saying that every other brand is less than theirs, in a way that other makers don't bother doing), but their pianos can be incredible if the right technician works on them. My personal preference is for the Hamburgs, although some of the latest NY models - those made in the past ten years - can be extremely beautiful.

There are other great pianos out there which can be bought for less, even at retail price, and it's up to the individual buyer if they think that a premium level piano is worth the extra money over say, a beautifully voiced Yamaha C3X. I happen to think the premium pianos do give a wider dynamic range and range of colour, but whether that justifies the astronomical price, who knows?

I guess if you’ve always wanted a new Steinway, a sale with some discount is a nice incentive. Plus if there’s a spouse or partner to convince you need this big expensive piano, a limited time sales price can help. I think if I walked into a Steinway shop with sale prices all over I could get into serious trouble.

It's funny because even though I don't think Steinways are the best pianos in the world, I mean they're good but I don't believe in a best really, and I haven't really enjoyed that many Steinways, there's still a lure to the idea of owning one. They've certainly created brand loyalty and mystique.