Buying A Steinway Piano

Purchasing a top of the line piano is a completely different proposition than buying a standard inexpensive instrument.

Steinway is the Mercedes of pianos, largely for good reasons. It is the only piano that holds its value, except for a few rather obscure German brands. Even poorly rebuilt, they can command huge sums.

It is not atypical for an absolutely pristine concert grand, called the Model D, to cost $100,000.

Smaller, living room size pianos of the very top models are selling for $50-80,000.

Steinways are still built to a standard unrivaled by even a few of the great German companies such as Bechstein and Bosendorfer.

But once again, pianos have personalities. There are Steinways, and there are Steinways. I've actually played in Steinway's famed private basement rooms, where dozens of top of the line pianos are lined up, one after the other, millions upon millions of dollars worth of pianos sitting in front of you. I tried them all, and some were utterly delightful, and some were unresponsive and dull. That's not to denigrate the Steinway Company, far from it.

It points up the fact that all pianos are really quite individual, even at the very top end.

What you might pay $35,000 for, I might not ever wish to pay, for that particular piano.

As always, decide what the piano will be really be used for if you want a premium piano. If it is for an investment, be aware that you will need to care for it and maintain it in absolutely perfect condition to sell it and make a profit.

And there is profit. For example, a Steinway 6'10" grand I bought in 1968 for 00 is now worth ,000. Steinway is almost the only brand that will show that kind of appreciation. A fine Bechstein or Busendorfer can expect the same appreciation.

If you want the piano for home use, once again be sure that you will be able to maintain it and protect it to allow the possibility of appreciation.

One mistake that people make is to leave the piano near a window and leave the blinds open. I've seen very valuable pianos diminished greatly in value by the beating of the sun, resulting in a crackled and ruined finish. Let me say this clearly: if you buy a piano with a perfect case, you will need to keep it that way if you wish to make a profit someday.

You must also maintain the humidity at a good level, at least 40%, in order for the thousands of wooden and leather parts to stay in working order, and it must be tuned twice a year at 0 a tuning. Not tuning a piano is like not changing the oil in your car: the results are disastrous.

Prices for Steinways and other premium pianos easily increase by 5 to 10% a year. There is a finite supply of them, and there are becoming fewer of them as the market becomes dominated by cheaper Oriental brands.

And don't be fooled by a salesman telling you, "This one is just as good as a Steinway." It may well be as good as a Steinway, for a while, but will it last? And in any case, a knock-off cheaper brand will have a resale value of less than half what you paid for it; but this is not true of a premium piano. Premium pianos keep their value, and in fact increase in value.

The issue of longevity is important. You can find Korean grand pianos that look wonderful, sound wonderful, but after 10 years of use, may well be starting to fall apart. In that case, you'll need to find a buyer who is willing to take a piano in that condition. And it won't be easy to do that, because there is always another brand new knock off Oriental piano competing with you for the sale.

Take an independent professional to look at the prospective piano. The best method is to hire a professional pianist for an hour, ask them to play it, and see if they like it. If you're not a player, then a professional pianist is the only one who would know if the instrument is worth the price or not.

There are many subtle factors that a pianist looks for:

Is the action (the keys) easy and pleasurable to play? You'd be surprised how many ,000 pianos are not in good shape, or not broken in if they're new.

Is the case perfect?

Is the sounding board cracked or damaged?

Are there any funny buzzing or extraneous noises coming from the piano when you play it?
That's a sign of bad adjustment or even damage.

Is it clean? Is it dusty inside? You want a piano that has been kept in immaculate condition.

Where has it been kept? A living room or a damp basement? This affects the probable condition.

You'd be surprised how many people who own these instruments have no idea how to care for them.

You can also use a piano repairman to examine the instrument. Many are at least decent amateur players so you will get a good opinion from them, too.

Never trust a piano dealer to tell you the truth about an instrument they are selling. They are there to make sales, not educate you about pianos. If they examine a piano they are not selling, there is always the danger that they will denigrate the piano in order to get you to buy one of theirs.

One more warning: be very careful of "rebuilt" premium pianos. Unless they are rebuilt by an acknowledged master, you run the risk of buying a very bad piano. I have seen Steinways and Chickering and Knabe pianos rebuilt horribly and sold for huge sums that were in no way deserved.

Rebuilding is no guarantee of anything, unless it is done by a qualified, dedicated and talented master rebuilder. There are many people who have set themselves up as rebuilders who know very little about fine instruments. They use the brand name to sell whatever damaged instrument they can pass off under the famous name. Research the rebuilder and find one that has tradition, history and reputation.

Look carefully, and go slowly. Premium pianos do not generally sell quickly unless they are a terrific bargain.

Educate yourself, look around, and you may well be able to find a bargain, an investment and a fine instrument for you to play.

by John Aschenbrenner Copyright 2000 Walden Pond Press
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