How much should I expect to pay for a new Steinway Model B, or a recent secondhand one and who stocks them?
I was surprised by how few references there are to this piano on the Internet - I would have expected it to be much more popular. The BBC studio from which Loose Ends and In Tune are broadcast has a Steinway B and I think it sounds really excellent.
Steinway Model B
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Barrie Heaton
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Normally has them in
as to price Fully Restored £23,000 range
They do tend to go fast
Barrie,
Normally has them in
as to price Fully Restored £23,000 range
They do tend to go fast
Barrie,
Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page
Web Master UK Piano Page
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Evan_J_Roberts
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http://www.robertspianos.com sometimes has these pianos in stock + a range of other stienways
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RP Web development
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RP Web development
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Stienway? Hope he can spell it better than you!Evan_J_Roberts wrote:http://www.robertspianos.com sometimes has these pianos in stock + a range of other stienways
The B is the finest all-round piano ever made bar none. Big enough for most small concert halls, small enough for enough homes and without the capriciousness in tuning around the top break exhibited by the magnificent flagship D which unfairly hogs much of the Steinway limelight. Far better overall design than the neither-fish-nor-foul (sic) C. All Steinways are variable, American ones very variable, and lack the solid investment potential of the German ones.
Shackell's have a spotless reputation for restored examples, so my money's on them, Barry Caradine's in Suffolk or Steinway Hall. All Bs are worth big money if they're German, and good original examples are more desirable than poorly restored ones. I sold a really nasty one to the Trade in the States last year which had been wrecked by a 'restoration' by a butcher from the Midlands. Had he left it alone, it would have been worth twice the price. Even this sorry one cost me a packet and the Americans even more!
Hi,
Once every umpteen years the council gets something just perfectly right, and ours did when they bought a Hamburg B for the new library around five years ago. I'm still bemused when I think of how that one managed to slip past the committee.
A few months ago two Steinway specialists came for two days to give it its five-year service. A mere six grand.
I begrudge paying my council tax just a smidge less now.
Rgds.
Once every umpteen years the council gets something just perfectly right, and ours did when they bought a Hamburg B for the new library around five years ago. I'm still bemused when I think of how that one managed to slip past the committee.
A few months ago two Steinway specialists came for two days to give it its five-year service. A mere six grand.
I begrudge paying my council tax just a smidge less now.
Rgds.
"The B is the finest all-round piano ever made bar none. Big enough for most small concert halls, small enough for enough homes"
Pianoguy,
The B's a cracking piano and no doubt, but how do you compare it to a Bosie 214, or a Bluthner model 4? Are they not up to small concert halls?
Regards
Andy
Pianoguy,
The B's a cracking piano and no doubt, but how do you compare it to a Bosie 214, or a Bluthner model 4? Are they not up to small concert halls?
Regards
Andy
Last edited by andyaeola on 24 Jan 2007, 16:45, edited 1 time in total.
IMHO, the Steingraeber 205 (especially the 205 Phoenix at Hurstwood Farm Studios in Kent), is the closest competitor to the Steinway B. . . . .I'm expecting a smack on the head from Piano Guy now!
It is (at 29000 pounds) also half the price, but of course will not have the re-sale value it deserves.
It is (at 29000 pounds) also half the price, but of course will not have the re-sale value it deserves.
I don't know enough about Steingraeber to smack you, since both of my Steingraeber clients moved to the US and Canada. I would go as far as to say that they are hardly the prettiest pianos on the block, and whilst their owners seemed to love 'em I couldn't get too excited. If you're spending serious wedge on a piano it has to look right as well as perform well as far as I'm concerned. The B on the other hand is a beautifully proportioned work of art!helmllwyn wrote:IMHO, the Steingraeber 205 (especially the 205 Phoenix at Hurstwood Farm Studios in Kent), is the closest competitor to the Steinway B. . . . .I'm expecting a smack on the head from Piano Guy now!
It is (at 29000 pounds) also half the price, but of course will not have the re-sale value it deserves.
You have an S6 don't you Helmlllllwyn?
Now that's a true Steinway B rival if ever I saw one!I'm not that anti!helmllwyn wrote: The clients who moved to the US and Canada probably did so cos you kept insulting their piano!
I just thought they were reasonably OK.
Well made, and actually quite nice, barring the appearance but no better than say, a Schimmel or a Seiler. The owners were absolutely gushing about them though, thought that they were better by far than a Steinway and spoke about them in hushed, reverent tones! And they were very expensive. Much more than an equivalent Schimmel, Seiler or the like. Up there in Bechstein territory for price, and I do think that's too much.
Admittedly the service that Steingraeber appears to offer is very bespoke, and they're a tiny company, so I would think you're paying for Morgan-like exclusivity. It was a fair while ago, but as I recall at least one was ordered specially from the factory as a result of a visit.
All very well, but a B does it better!
PGx
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PianoFifty
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I paid a visit to 'Steinway Hall' yesterday for my annual pilgrimage to pay homage to my aspirations (what is it they say - "don't touch what you can't afford"?!). Courtesy of the friendly and helpful showroom staff, I spent a good 20 minutes or so at the controls of a spanking new B. But I have to say I was very disappointed - indifferent tone, lacklustre response, inconsistent across the scale and (Steinway, are you listening?) seriously OUT OF TUNE! This piano is pricetagged at £56,950 and, to my ears, eyes and fingers, performed no better than a Boston or a low-end Yammie (like wot I've got). I felt no overwhelming desire to carry on playing it.
Then I spent a little while playing a selection of refurbished model D's (the 9 footer) and was amazed at the difference - these were alive, with beautiful Steinway tone and that thunderous resonant bass. A snip, too, at an average £45k! Oh for the room to house one of these leviathans......
I've read many times that Steinways are variable in quality, and this was amply demonstrated to me yesterday. I used to play new B's in the 1970's during my time at a well-known music conservatoire, and this was a very different animal indeed. In those days they were built like tanks, and I remember virtually falling in love the clarity of tone and sheer quality - I don't recall if they were from Hamburg or New York.
If I were ever in the position to be able to afford that kind of money for a piano, I think I would sooner opt for an S6 and spend the rest on a luxury car and a few decent holidays!
Then I spent a little while playing a selection of refurbished model D's (the 9 footer) and was amazed at the difference - these were alive, with beautiful Steinway tone and that thunderous resonant bass. A snip, too, at an average £45k! Oh for the room to house one of these leviathans......
I've read many times that Steinways are variable in quality, and this was amply demonstrated to me yesterday. I used to play new B's in the 1970's during my time at a well-known music conservatoire, and this was a very different animal indeed. In those days they were built like tanks, and I remember virtually falling in love the clarity of tone and sheer quality - I don't recall if they were from Hamburg or New York.
If I were ever in the position to be able to afford that kind of money for a piano, I think I would sooner opt for an S6 and spend the rest on a luxury car and a few decent holidays!
Steinway Model B and D
That's pretty much my experience of Steinway Hall too.
3 years ago I sold my Bechstein model IV (1892) all 7ft 2ins of it, and moved over to a Steinway, having looked for some 3 years for the instrument I wanted.
I started out lookng for a B, but in the end found the piano wanted (or more accurately it seemed to find me!) - and it was a D. The extra resonance in the bass made it so much more a complete instrument somehow.
Although it originated in New York, it's been 'Hamburgered' by Jeffrey Shackell, who really does do a very good job. I certainly wouldn't swap it for any other piano I've ever played, except perhaps a 9ft 6in Chickering from the early 1930's (may have been 9ft - don't remember).
The only down side has been that even though I've got a substantial room for it, (30x20x10) the treble is really overpowering if you don't stop the majority of the duplex from sounding. In all other respects it really has been a joy to own, and I would make the same choice again. I would only go for a B if I couldn't accomodate the extra couple of feet.
3 years ago I sold my Bechstein model IV (1892) all 7ft 2ins of it, and moved over to a Steinway, having looked for some 3 years for the instrument I wanted.
I started out lookng for a B, but in the end found the piano wanted (or more accurately it seemed to find me!) - and it was a D. The extra resonance in the bass made it so much more a complete instrument somehow.
Although it originated in New York, it's been 'Hamburgered' by Jeffrey Shackell, who really does do a very good job. I certainly wouldn't swap it for any other piano I've ever played, except perhaps a 9ft 6in Chickering from the early 1930's (may have been 9ft - don't remember).
The only down side has been that even though I've got a substantial room for it, (30x20x10) the treble is really overpowering if you don't stop the majority of the duplex from sounding. In all other respects it really has been a joy to own, and I would make the same choice again. I would only go for a B if I couldn't accomodate the extra couple of feet.
Otto
Oh, it's all SO confusing! 
I'm working towards a performance diploma (in the same sense that a snail is working towards a 1-minute mile, but hey, you gotta have a dream, man) and I think I might finally be able to invest in a grand piano - provided that I don't eat for the next two years.
I've played a Steinway B and it was, without the faintest shadow of a doubt, the most perfect instrument I've ever had the privilege to play, by a factor too huge to compute. But I'll never be able to afford one, so that's the end of that.
I've also played 6ft plus pianos by Bluthner, Bechstein, Welmar (it began with a 'W', anyway), Yamaha, and Kawai. Oddly, the one that came closest to the 'B' in my opinion was a Yamaha C3. Probably the cheapest of the bunch, it simply had bags more character than the rest. I've never yet played a German piano (Steinway excepted) that matched the C3 for responsiveness.
Funny old world...
I'm working towards a performance diploma (in the same sense that a snail is working towards a 1-minute mile, but hey, you gotta have a dream, man) and I think I might finally be able to invest in a grand piano - provided that I don't eat for the next two years.
I've played a Steinway B and it was, without the faintest shadow of a doubt, the most perfect instrument I've ever had the privilege to play, by a factor too huge to compute. But I'll never be able to afford one, so that's the end of that.
I've also played 6ft plus pianos by Bluthner, Bechstein, Welmar (it began with a 'W', anyway), Yamaha, and Kawai. Oddly, the one that came closest to the 'B' in my opinion was a Yamaha C3. Probably the cheapest of the bunch, it simply had bags more character than the rest. I've never yet played a German piano (Steinway excepted) that matched the C3 for responsiveness.
Funny old world...
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PianoFifty
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I have to say I was very impressed with the sound of the Yamaha S6 when I heard the French pianist Cyprien Katsaris playing one in Lille a couple of months ago. It had a big sound, although the venue was admittedly quite small, with a nice bright treble and a decent bass. I haven't actually played one, but I think it might be my aspiration to own one, one day.....
