HELP! Challen 1930/40 vs Steinbach 2002 (Pearl River)

[katep68]

Hi - I really need some advice and guidance on what would be the best piano choice for my 15 year old son who is working on Grade 6 piano and hoping to progress with music at higher education and as career. He is a singer and violinist (Grade 8 on both) but wants to work and progress his piano playing to at least Grade 8 before he leaves school in 3 years) He is more of a classical musician. Have recently looked at a 1930/40 Challen baby grand which is £1750 and a 2002 black polyester Steinbach by Pearl River at £3995. Both play really nicely - which would you say would be a better choice do you think please - he plays on Yamahas in school? Both are via dealers so will be cleaned and regulated and offer 1 year (Challen) and 3 year (Steinbach) warranty - the Steinbach comes with upgrade scheme (minus tax) and also includes piano stool. Can't find anything really on reviews of Steinbach 2002 baby grand - does anyone know anything about quality and life span? Also which is more likely to hold its value if we decide to sell once our son has left home please? Thank you

[chrisw]

I think you also need to throw into the mix the reputation of the dealer and if they come from different dealers which dealer is more likely to look after you should something go wrong. You could consider making contact with a local independent tuner to assess the condition of each piano before you buy.

Having said that I think my leanings would be to the modern Pearl River piano. I would expect the action of this piano to play in a similar manner to the pianos your son plays in school. If it wasn't similar or if the sound was significantly different I might have second thoughts.

A nice looking black polyester piano may also be easier to sell in the future. They do show the dust though !

Do you consider that you have viewed sufficient pianos to be content with the choice between these two and have you researched the price of brand new Pearl River grands ?

[katep68]

Many thanks for your reply Chris - we have looked at a fair few old and more modern pianos now and tried them. Both dealers are longstanding reputable dealers and I am not sure getting someone independent in to look at the pianos would pay really. They have both got an excellent reputation and very high profile clientele so not in their interests to sell poor quality (I would hope). My dilemma is double the price for the Steinbach and I can 't find any info online about this year 2002. Is this piano produced before Pearl River became as well known as they are currently and is the quality going to be as good as it is on the newer pianos? The warranty is 3 years with the Steinbach and only 1 year with the older Challen which I would guess is more likely to have issues over the coming years.

Sadly the newer pianos are way over budget - the Steinbach is already more than we have budgeted but it seems like a good deal with the 3 year warranty and upgrade scheme and piano stool as well.

Be good to know someone who has had experience of the Steinbach of this era really. Thanks again

[chrisw]

There is an entry in Wikipedia which says they were established in 1956 and were exporting pianos to the USA by the year 2000. I think if the Steinbach has an action that your son likes and is backed up by the three year guarantee it is likely to be ok. I'm sorry that I don't have personal experience of these pianos. If I was to upgrade to a grand I would however have to consider a Chinese brand, perhaps one from the Hailun factory and compare it with other well known makes of Yamaha, Kawai and the new British brand Cavendish.

With respect to the action I would be looking for how easy it would be to play between loudly and softly, the speed of repetition and the weighting of the keys.

[katep68]

Thank you this is really helpful and we have today decided to go ahead with the Steinbach - very excited!