About Steinway Pianos

Steinway & Sons was founded in New York in 1853 by German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway. The name carries real weight in the piano world, but a used Steinway still has to be judged as an individual instrument: age, scale, restoration history, soundboard, bridges, pinblock, action condition, hammers, regulation, voicing, and how well the piano has been maintained.

The core Steinway design language is worth knowing. Steinway grands use a bent rim and case structure, a tapered diaphragmatic soundboard, a maple Hexagrip pinblock, and the Accelerated Action on grands. Steinway's own current standards also describe quarter-sawn Sitka spruce soundboards, maple pinblock construction, and individually tone-regulated hammers. Those are useful design facts, but they should not be used to imply that every old Steinway is automatically in excellent musical condition.

For buyers, the model matters. Current Steinway grands run from the Model S baby grand at 5'1" through the Model M at 5'7", Model O at 5'10 3/4", Model A at 6'2", Model B at 6'11", and Model D concert grand at 8'11 3/4". The K-52 is the main professional upright. Smaller grands are easier to place, while larger grands usually give more bass, sustain, and tonal range when the piano is healthy and well prepared.

There is also a difference between Steinway & Sons, Boston, and Essex. Boston and Essex are Steinway-designed lines built outside the Steinway & Sons New York/Hamburg factory context. They can be good pianos, but they should not be described as Steinway & Sons instruments.

A good Steinway can be a very serious musical instrument. The safe buying advice is still practical: confirm the serial number and factory, inspect the structure, understand what has been rebuilt or replaced, play the piano in person, and compare it with other prepared instruments rather than buying on the name alone.