Buying a grand piano

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've been toying with the idea of buying a grand piano for the last 40 years. I went to an auction on Saturday where they were bidding on a Yamaha C7. It went for £7,500, which was not at all excessive when internet prices range from £12,000 to £20,000 for this model.

But ultimately, is there any sense in buying a piano that's too powerful for home use, just to get a quicker key response. I already have a beautiful S......y upright. It would be difficult to improve on this.

But....

[VodkaDilc]

I also have a beautiful S......y upright (is it a rude word?) and have recently had it fully restored by the makers. I would not want to swap it unless it was for a grand from the same source - though that would not fit into the house, physically or aurally.

Wouldn't a Y....a grand be a step down from what you've got?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It would be a step down. It isn't a rude word, but it upsets MrGG as I think he would rather like one.

My preference would be for a Model O, but one can dream.

[Dave2002]

If you play the piano well enough to justify it, and you have the space and the money, then I'd say go for it. However you'd need to get one of those Steinway** models at a good price - it's still possible to pay a lot, and some of the cheaper ones are not necessarily in good condition. I have a rather older friend who bought a Steinway grand many years ago at a sale in Liverpool, and I believe he still has it in a flat somewhere in the south. Lovely instrument, and it did fit in his house, and presumably also in his current residence. I think he also had an upright, which worked for duets. However most people would find that losing a lot of space to one or more pianos would not fit in with their lifestyles.

If the pianos get into too bad a shape they are more of a liability. I used to belong to a music society which had a Steinway grand, but eventually they sold it (for not a lot) as it was becoming more of a liability than an asset - perhaps artists were unwilling to play on it, and maintaining it was becoming too expensive. At one concert with Shura Cherkassky I remember some pedal bits falling off, though fortunately someone in the audience (not the piano tuner - I think - he'd already gone home) knew how to get the bits back together for the encore. Perhaps it was Peter Donohoe playing Prokofiev 6th Sonata 'wot dun it in"!

**If you're not after a Steinway then tread carefully. There are other makes, though some may cost even more - e.g some Faziolis. You might end up with something which is not as good as what you have already. I used to play with a friend who had a Blüthner - that was good.

[MrGongGong]

It would be a step down. It isn't a rude word, but it upsets MrGG as I think he would rather like one.

My preference would be for a Model O, but one can dream.

La Monte Young

"Piano Piece for David Tudor ＃1"

"Bring a bale of hay and a bucket of water onto the stage for the piano to eat and drink. The performer may then feed the piano or leave it to eat by itself. If the former, the piece is over when the piano has been fed. If the latter, it is over after the piano eats or decides not to."

[Nick Armstrong]

If you play the piano well enough to justify it, and you have the space and the money, then I'd say go for it.

I'd echo that. I don't know about S-y uprights but I learned on a Bechstein upright; in the last decade, I was fortunate enough to inherit a Bechstein Model A Grand (1911).... the thing that marks it out is the sound: the richness of the bass and the sweetness of the treble outdoes the upright, or any other upright I've played.

And Bechsteins are good for the home, not too powerful. You should be able to get a nice 'A' for £5,000/£6,000 I think.