Wilhelm Schimmel began making pianos in Leipzig in 1885, and while interrupted by two World Wars and the Depression, the company rebuilt with a strong reputation for quality. Today, Schimmel makes 2,500 verticals and 500 grands per year and is one of Europe’s most prolific piano makers. Among European piano makers, Schimmel was a pioneer […]
How do you know what piano is truly the best? As with any other musical instrument, a piano’s performance and esthetic value is at best a subjective opinion. However, given the number of professional, semi-professional, and aspirant pianists on the planet, thanks to the internet, one can parse the myriad factors by reading reviews, learning […]
Blüthner, a privately-owned family business, has been making pianos of the highest quality in Leipzig, Germany, since 1853. and today boasts the world’s most extensive selection of transparent “Lucid” grand pianos. When you think of the brown Steinway piano tradition, it is clear that pianos have evolved to stunning new choices. The Lucid piano is […]
Steinway grand pianos, and the Steinway B (the favorite of many technicians) cannot be ignored when discussing the best piano brands, although the nomadic history of this company, its myriad owners and configurations of business plans, and the uneven quality of existing product put it at the low end of our list of high-end instruments, […]
Six generations of Sauters have owned the Sauter piano firm since 1819, currently run by Ulrich Sauter in southern Germany. Structural and acoustical parts are made of high-quality woods, including solid Bavarian spruce soundboards and beech pinblocks. Actions are made by Renner, and Sauter makes its own keys. The keybed is reinforced with steel to […]
Yamaha was established in 1887 as a piano and reed organ manufacturer by Torakusu Yamaha. The company’s origins as a musical instrument manufacturer are still reflected today in the group’s logo—a trio of interlocking tuning forks. Yamaha grew to become the world’s largest manufacturer of musical instruments (including pianos, “silent” pianos, drums, guitars, brass, woodwinds, violins, violas, celli and vibraphones), as well as being a […]
The Concert Grand is considered the epitome of luxurious performance pianos. The most prestigious European manufacturers compete to make their concert grand pianos the ultimate in striking tonal quality and beauty. The concert piano, by definition, is made to be used on the symphonic stage, grand concert halls and opera houses. But some magnificent private […]
We have a penchant for wanting the best of the best. So this article does a comparison of two of the most talked-about and desired pianos on the planet. One is a familiar name to most and one is an Italian brand people may not have heard of. Which one is really the best? Are they […]
Fazioli is the Italian piano company making an enormous impact on the industry because its grand pianos, being handcrafted in Italy, offer the first new performance improvements in an instrument that has remained virtually unchanged for the past 300 years. Paolo Fazioli, a concert pianist and engineer, set out in 1978 to create the best […]
The world loves the most extraordinary and the most expensive. We love it in automobiles like Ferraris, in buildings like New York’s One Trade Center, and we love it in luxury pianos as well. Here is our list of the ten most extraordinary and most expensive pianos available on the market. (Some more available than […]