As a pianist since 1969 and a piano technician, what is my favorite brand of pianos?
I have played on many different kinds of grand and upright pianos in Europe and in the USA. Not all of them, so I can only speak for what I know.
Undoubtedly, my favorite pianos are Steinway grands.
You will find their site at:
I played overseas on the best uprights I could dream of playing, an upright which was so good that it could compete with some grands.
They are not common in the USA but much more common in Europe.
Here is their site:
Obviously, there is more than those two brands. This is just what I would bring with me on a desert island. The site of the Piano technician Guild will list lots of sites of very good piano manufacturers.
I just give my very personal opinion in here and rather than trying to give an exhaustive list of piano manufacturers, choose to give my favorite brand, Steinway and Sons.
This being said, I successfully trained during 28 years of private lessons on a little yamaha console which followed me across the ocean, my mom owns a Boston 178 grand (on my advice) and I value Kawai for their tuning stability, as their non musical parts are not made of wood but of some composite material which will stay more stable than wood. Schimmel is also a great way to go. So, there are good brands out there. And many others!
But I love Steinways... and it has been the case since I can remember playing the piano.
Click on the following link for yamaha pianos.
I talked about Kawai: Click on
and you will understand what I mean by ABS action parts. Very stable. Good pianos.
Boston pianos are visible on the Steinway site as they belong to the same family of pianos. Also very good pianos.
I once had the privelege to talk with the person who worked on the design of a fine brand of very affordable pianos that I also love as a musician and a technician and would highly recommend:
Unfortunately, those piano are not distributed in Richmond to my knowledge.
I met by chance the Head Technician of an amazing new brand of pianos, very affordable and made more by people than by machines on an assembly line. The traditional way. The way it should be. They are promised to reach the top. They are amazingly affordable and, I even wrote an article for the PTG about them. Take my word, they are amazing. They are not sold in Richmond, but are in Fredericksburg, VA. I attended a technical conference with their National Service Manager and their National Director of Sales Training. Well, I would recommend their pianos any time to anyone, even the best pianists in the country. They are not German, they are Chinese.
But I will let you go on their website and you will understand why I am so enthusiastic about them.
What if Steinway did not exist? Well, the world of classical music would certainly be different. My world as a musician would not be as exciting.
Let's say my second favorite brand is also German.
They are a dream to play and I can only advise you to try them: the mythical Bechstein pianos.
There is another German brand I like a lot, called Schimmel. It is very famous in Europe, and we are fortunate to find them in Richmond, VA. If you visit Richmond Piano,
http://www.richmondpiano.com/
You will see a 9 foot long Schimmel and it is clearly an exceptional piano to play. Schimmel is very well-known and respected in Europe.
Richmond Piano is THE PLACE TO GO in RICHMOND, VA IF YOU WANT TO BUY A PIANO. They are highly competent (as they can even rebuild your piano!) and friendly, and also can teach you how to play your instrument. Even if you do not plan to buy a piano immediately, I encourage you to stop at their store, just to enjoy the beauty of the place.
It is clearly the most beautiful piano store I have ever seen.
More information about Schimmel at:
http://www.schimmel-piano.de/
There are lots of instruments and brands I never had an opportunity to play. There are some which are probably very good but that did not match my perception of music. This list is very short, very subjective and absolutely not exhaustive!
Even if it starts with Steinway, my favorite brand of pianos, it does not go from best to good. It follows my mind, that's it. It is an expression of my sensitivity to piano music. But any of these brands, from the least expensive to the most prestigious could make a happy pianist. That is guaranteed!*
OK. What is the piano I would dream to play and I never had an opportunity?
Well, if I think Lamborghini or Corvette in cars, or Gulfstream in jets, I think Fazzioli in pianos.
Same perfection, same high end price, and no, I have never played or tuned one. There are only a few made every year... Money is not considered any longer. Only perfection.
A dream. Here is their website:
Next time I tune or I play a piano I love, I will add it on this list.
If you want to dig deeper, there is one site. The site. The reference: the site of the Piano Technician Guild. You will find everything you need there (even though you will not find my name as they only advertise their RPT members...)
www.ptg.org