Richard Brekne wrote: > Hi Terry. > This line especially caught my attention as it seems more to me that the name > Steinway is really being sort of forgotten. Slowly but surely. I understand they > are selling quite a few pianos around the world..... but you get away from piano > mekkas and the name seems to be not nearly so well recognized as it was some > before. Perhaps this is my imagination... but perhaps not. I really like Steinways for a lot of valid reasons. I think they are well built and constructed with quality materials. Steinway puts a great deal of care into the manufacture of their pianos and is justifiably proud of their history. HOWEVER, more and more I am disappointed and baffled by their philosophies and marketing strategies. The pianos they are building today are virtually identical to what they made 100 years ago. At that time Steinway was miles ahead of everyone else. They invested enormous resources in designing the best piano that they could and achieved that goal in countless aspects. Many of the problems that had plagued piano design since the beginning they found viable solutions for. But here we are now in 2001. While Steinway continues to proudly build virtually the same old piano down to the last screw, most manufactures passed their design levels years ago. Today pianos are designed with computer programs that can adjust dimensions, scale design, action geometry, glue joints, finishes, sound board and bridge placement, and anything else the engineer wants without actually physically building the piano, and all with in seconds. Modern piano designs feature aluminum action rails that resist warping better than Steinway's "tubular metal action frame" and without the problems of corrosion, loosening solder joints, and splitting core dowels. They have rims, beams, and braces better designed to handle tension stresses. They have vacuum cast plates that are more attractive with smoother with more precise looking edges and surfaces. They have scale designs that sound smoother at the tenor break and have fewer false beats. In general joints and parts just seem fit better and tighter, with less deviation. Tuning seem to be more stable and actions are easier to regulate and stay regulated longer. Dampers work better with less ringing problems. And modern pianos have the sostunuto rail in the piano where it is supposed to be. Steinway's tiny wheels look absolutely ridicules on a stage when compared to the bolder and much more impressive wheels on other concert pianos. Steinway has absolutely refused to introduce poly finishes even though 80% +/- of modern pianos have them because that is what consumers want. Again Steinway makes a fine piano, but when compared to other options available they are disappointing. Steinway boasts to have the greatest concert grand in the world yet it is also the cheapest. With most other brands costing upward of $100,000.00 one begins to wonder about the relationships between price and quality. I have to wonder how many pianos Steinway would sell if their pianos cost that much. Probably not many when given the alternatives available. I believe that Steinway is capable of building a better piano but there are some significant obstacles that hold them back. First, the factory is located in New York City, arguably the most expensive location in the world to build pianos. Secondly I would suspect that because of where they are located they have to cope with higher than normal environmental restrictions which eliminates their ability to produce poly finishes. Thirdly, they have dug themselves into a hole. They have boasted "building the finest pianos in the world" for so long that changing designs at this point would suggest otherwise. This is something that a skilled marketing strategy could work out but they seem afraid to take the risk. Of course Steinway has made efforts to join the modern race but has never actually done so on their own. They have others build their Essex and Boston pianos for them. People on this list sometimes argue about their slogan "If it doesn't have a 100 billion parts (whatever the number is), then it isn't a Steinway". What kind of piano is it if it isn't even built by Steinway? I want to make it perfectly clear that I am not "bashing" Steinway. I think they make a fine piano and their hearts are in the right place. But as I have told others it is my believe that Steinway is not so much in the piano business as they are in the antique reproduction business. My apologies if I have offended anyone at Steinway, you guys are great and I have gotten to know several people there over the years. I'd just like to see something new, bolder, and modern come out of the factory. The German factory has done so, why can't New York? Rob Goodale, RPT Las Vegas, NV
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