Tag Archives: steinway

Is Your Piano Fake? Fake Steinway Pianos

It’s a scary proposition to think that something you’ve spent thousands of dollars on could not be what it appears to be. Believe it or not, this actually happens in today’s piano market all the time and it’s something everyone should be aware of. Thankfully, figuring out if a piano is genuine is actually quite easy if you know what to look for.

Here in the local Los Angeles market there are a lot of auctions that contain pianos. I’ve heard from some people that there have been pianos there that have the Steinway name on them that aren’t actually Steinway pianos at all. Unsuspecting buyers might be bidding up a particular piano with no idea what they are actually getting. This is clearly a fraudulent practice preyed upon unsophisticated buyers.

Many times in auction houses you will not be allowed to fully inspect a piano; you will only be able to look at it from a distance. Luckily, even from a distance you can spot a few things that signal a genuine piano.

The easiest thing to replace on a piano is the decal on the fallboard. You can order pretty much any piano company decal imaginable online. This is done so that refinishers can order decals when they must remove the original. Just because it has a particular name on the fallboard doesn’t mean that it’s the actual brand of piano. You can put any piano decal on any piano if you want to.

Luckily, there is an incredibly easy way to tell if a piano is genuine. A piano will almost always have the name of the company cast into the plate of the piano. If it is a genuine Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Baldwin, Yamaha, or other major company they will nearly always cast the name of the piano into the plate.

There are a few exceptions I’ve seen in some European pianos that have small plates screwed into the cast iron plate after it’s cast. Grotrian in particular had to remove their name from the plates of their pianos when they were successfully sued by Steinway. They had been Grotrian-Steinweg since the 19th century. But after losing to Steinway, they had to remove the “Steinweg” part of their name off all of their pianos in stock at the time.

There are many times you will see plastic name plates attached to a plate. These are typically stencil brand pianos. Stencil brands are pianos that are created by a different company (mostly in Asia) and bought by a retailer who then places a different name on the instrument. Most of the time, the original manufacturer will simply create a blank plate that the retailer can then add their specialized name to. These pianos are not fake; they are pianos that are manufactured and repurposed for another company.

The name in the plate is pretty much the only easily identifiable way to tell if a piano is genuine. Almost all the major high-end piano companies will cast the name directly into the plate – with a few exceptions.

If you have any more piano questions please contact me directly: Robert@LivingPianos.com

My Father’s Steinway

This past year has brought many people and pianos together. But there is one that is set apart from the rest – my father’s Steinway. When my sister Coren and I were in high school, my father bought a new Baldwin 7-foot grand piano. So, my father’s Steinway baby grand (model S) went upstairs for us to practice on. This instrument had great sentimental attachment for my father. His father bought it for him in 1939 for $900 on credit. There were many times the struggle to make those payments cast in doubt keeping the piano.

When I moved from New York to study piano with Ruth Slenczynska in the Midwest, my father let me take the piano with me. Eventually, I lived in a home that had a piano. So, the piano went to my sister. My father gave the piano to my sister with the stipulation that one day she would have it restored to its original glory.

Flash forward several decades, this year that day came. Little did I know all those years ago that I would be the one responsible for the rebuilding of the piano! I got to live with this little gem of a piano for some time while working closely with our technicians refining it to a high level.

Just before it left, something motivated me to sit down and play my father’s Steinway. It was an unplanned, spontaneous inspiration that is recorded as a tribute for the honor of having been entrusted with this awesome responsibility. This is for you Dad – and Coren!

Is Teflon on Steinway Pianos Bad? Teflon and Steinway Pianos

This is probably one of the most fiercely debated topics regarding Steinway pianos. There is a ton of misinformation online as well as varying degrees of opinions. Not everyone is going to agree on this topic, but I will share my perspective from a lifetime with Steinway pianos. So let’s dive right into this hotly contested debate, is Teflon on Steinway Pianos bad?

In 1972 Steinway & Sons was sold to CBS and they owned the company until 1985. At some time during this period in Steinway’s history, the felt parts of the action were replaced with Teflon. Eventually, they abandoned this practice and went back to felt – not without some public outcry. Today, some people will see older Steinway pianos with Teflon and become adamant about replacing it, but is it really such a big problem?

There is no simple yes or no answer to this question. Teflon has many different characteristics then felt and one of the reasons Steinway decided to use it was that it is much more durable and robust then felt. One of the big problems Steinway ran into with Teflon is that many technicians didn’t know how to work with it. The vast majority of the world’s actions were built with felt and replacing it with a new material created some confusion. Unless a technician is familiar with Steinway Teflon actions, they might not be able to adjust it properly.

If you have a Steinway piano with Teflon in it and it’s in good shape, all you need is a good technician who can maintain it. There is really no reason to replace the Teflon if you have no problems. Now, there are cases where you will have to replace Teflon.

Teflon does cause some unwanted problems and if you are experiencing any of these you will need to get it replaced. Telfon is rigid but wood is susceptible to expanding and contracting with the weather. If you put a Steinway piano with Teflon in an extreme environment with wild swings in temperature – from dry to humid and from hot to cold – it’s possible the wood could crack. This can cause unwanted noises that could be created by the spaces between the Teflon bushings and the wood. This is what gave Teflon a very bad reputation; it’s not made for extreme environments.

If you live in a stable environment, you probably won’t have any negative issues with Teflon You will probably be fine as long as you have a properly trained technician.

If you feel that you want to replace the Teflon in your action, you can. If you have any concerns or qualms about it and you have the money, you should simply do what makes you happy. Does it need to be replaced? Unless you live in an extreme environment, the Teflon is old, or you can’t find the right technician, probably not. I personally don’t have any problems with Teflon parts but that’s my opinion and I’m sure there are plenty of varying viewpoints.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

The Difference Between New York and Hamburg Steinways

People often ask me what the difference is between New York and Hamburg made Steinway pianos. Researching this online may offer some perspective but really the choice between the two may be more a matter of personal preference than anything else. That being said, there are some key differences between the two manufacturers of Steinway pianos that may interest you.

The history of the Steinway family is pretty fascinating and for a detailed description, I would suggest viewing their official story on their website. The family was actually a group of German immigrants who came to New York. They began piano manufacturing in New York and later opened a factory in Hamburg, Germany. Both of these factories have been producing pianos for over a hundred years.

Overall, the pianos coming out of each factory are incredibly similar. Both factories produce nearly all the same models today; which is not something they have always done. For most of the 20th century, New York Steinway was producing the model L while Hamburg was producing the model O. Both of the pianos are the same size, 5-foot 10 1/2-inches, but they have different scale designs. Earlier in the 20th century, New York Steinway was also producing Model O’s but they then switched to the L. Recently the L model was discontinued and now they only produce the Model O in both factories. Recently New York Steinway started producing the model A (6-foot 2-inch) which was only built in Germany, however, it was built in New York early in the 20th century. (There was also a model termed the “stretch A” which measured 6-foot 4-inches.) The model C (7’ 6” in size) is only built in Hamburg Germany even today.

One of the biggest difference between the two different factories is the actions. New York makes their own actions while Hamburg utilizes Renner (an esteemed German action manufacturer). The New York Steinways have unique design elements only available on the Steinway made actions including the Accelerated Action.

Another difference between the two factories is that Hamburg Steinway’s tend to have slightly thicker soundboards than their New York counterparts. This means that the Hamburg Steinway’s are a little bit more subdued and it takes a bit more effort to get a larger sound out of them (depending upon voicing).

Ultimately the difference between New York and Hamburg Steinways comes down to the individual piano.

Some people appreciate the higher degree of refinement of German Steinways direct from the factory. However, with the proper preparation, these differences may not be so great. This means that American Steinway technicians play a very important role in each dealer getting the pianos to play on the highest possible level.

I hope this sheds some light on the similarities and differences between New York and Hamburg Steinway pianos.

Thanks for joining me, Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

10 Surprising Facts About Steinway and Sons Pianos

Below are 10 of the most common FACTS and FICTION about Steinway and Sons pianos.

steinway and sons factory

Steinway started as a German company.

FALSE: Steinway began in New York by German immigrants. Later they opened a factory in Hamburg, Germany. Today Steinway pianos are manufactured in both New York and Hamburg.

steinway was owned by cbs

Steinway was owned by CBS in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

TRUE: Steinway was owned by CBS in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Many people agree that the quality of manufacturing was generally lower during this period of time.

03_boston

Boston is a lower line piano made by Steinway.

FALSE: Boston is a stencil piano. The name was invented by Steinway to sell pianos through the Steinway dealer network with pianos manufactured by Kawai.

04_steinway_action

In the early part of the 20th century, Steinway and Sons treated action parts in a way that made them seize up years later.

TRUE: Steinways from the early part of the 20th century often suffer from a condition known as verdigris. The treatment which was thought to avoid corrosion on action parts caused action parts to seize up and require extensive restoration.

05_steinway_action

Steinway used Teflon in their actions so they wouldn’t wear out.

TRUE: During the CBS period of ownership in the 1960’s and 1970’s and even into the early 1980’s, Steinway experimented with utilizing Teflon instead of the usual felt bushings in their actions. Most technicians found it difficult to deal with clicking noises that resulted over time.

06_steinway_7foot

A Steinway 7-foot piano is actually 6 feet 10 1/2 inches.

TRUE: Steinway 7 foot pianos are an inch and a half short of 7 feet. The 9 foot concert grand is also an inch under 9 feet.

07_steinway_action

All currently produced Steinways have the Accelerated action.

FALSE: New York made Steinways have Accelerated actions. However, Hamburg produced Steinway pianos utilize actions made by Renner and do not employ the Accelerated actions.

08_steinway_factory

A new Steinway direct from the factory is more refined than a Yamaha from the factory.

FALSE: New out of the box, a Yamaha is far more refined than a Steinway. Steinway pianos come to dealers in an unrefined state. It is up to the dealer to have extensive regulation, voicing, tuning and other adjustments to get the pianos playing on a high level.

09_steinway_used

Used Steinways represent an excellent value in a high quality used piano.

FALSE: While a good used Steinway piano may be a better investment than a new Steinway, there is a premium you must pay on a Steinway piano compared to comparable pianos from other top tier manufacturers because of the recognition of the name.

Steinway is the number 1 selling American made piano.

TRUE: There were only 1600 pianos produced in the United States last year and Steinway produced over 1000 of them.

Under $1000 Piano: Which is better, acoustic or digital?

Buying a piano in the under $1000 price point presents tremendous challenges. Years ago the only choice was to buy an old upright. Today there are digital pianos that can offer an alternative. Which is a better choice?

10936987-yamaha-p85-digital-piano-review While there are many digital pianos on the market for well under $1000, plan on spending $800 in order to get a good weighted action and sound. Yamaha in particular has many models at that price point that are quite good. In fact, spending more offers more features but not necessarily a superior instrument. The exception is the quality of the built in sound system which makes a huge difference in the more expensive models. If you invest in a good stand for stability and utilize a decent quality home stereo system or good computer sound system with sub woofer, you can get very good results without investing thousands of dollars for a high end Clavinova or other digital piano.

No digital piano has the nuance of expression and refinement of touch of a fine acoustic piano. However, most pianos under $1000 require extensive work in order to achieve a high level of playing. However, you may find a high quality console piano that has been sitting in a living room for a long time without being played much. These instruments have fallen out of fashion so sometimes you can find a fine used piano like a Baldwin for a few hundred dollars. Plan on investing at least $100-$300 for regulation, voicing and tuning.

Which offers a better practice instrument? There are advantages to both. A new digital piano will be precise. It also offers the option of practicing with headphones. You can also connect it to your computer for all kinds of applications from music notation to sequencing of compositions with orchestrations utilizing different instrument sounds. It is also portable so you can take your music with you.

baldwin-acrosonic-001 The acoustic piano has the benefit of an almost infinite range of expression. While digitals keep getting better, the complex action, interaction of harmonics, pedal subtleties and expression can be invaluable to an aspiring pianist. If you are taking lessons or are considering taking lessons, it is important to invest enough to achieve a minimum level of performance. Otherwise, I suggest you are better off with a decent piano and no lessons rather than an inferior instrument and lessons. Practicing on a bad piano or inadequate digital piano can make lessons unproductive and become a frustrating experience. We are fortunate at this time in history to have a choice of acoustic or digital pianos.