What is your favorite piano brand?

Kenneth Hoyle I have a Mason & Hamlin BB from 1998 or so.  Fantastic instrument.  Sarah Faust from NYC's Faust Harrison Pianos (who retailed new Masons at the time) knew I was looking; she called me one day and, in her authoritative/not-to-be-trifled-with way, simply said, "I have your piano."  She was right.  Because of the crown/action retention systems it weighs in at about 1,200 pounds.  Piano movers curse the sight of it because they know! 

Kenneth Hoyle I have a M&H BB from 1994, one of the last produced by Falcone.  I bought it in 2004, after trying a number of pianos in that size range.  For some reason, every Steinway B I tried had issues, and I never liked the sound of any of them.  But every BB I tried, from one built in the 1930s to one built in the 2000s, was just glorious.  I can't explain it but this weird experience keeps repeating itself.  I've tried a couple of Steinway Bs in recent years, and they just weren't very good, whereas even a M&H BB from the 1950s that I tried last year was pretty wonderful.  Maybe it's all just coincidence and luck, or perhaps due to the overwhelming popularity of Steinway vs. M&H.

Piano movers hate my BB.  I've had it moved from California to Vermont, then moved twice in Vermont, then back to California.  The last movers called it the "Mason and Heavy".

I've also had really good experiences with every Yamaha C7 I've tried, and would be happy to have one instead of the BB.

There's also a one-of-a-kind 1907 Blüthner concert grand at the Frederick Piano Collection museum in Ashburnham, MA, that I absolutely adore.  I've played it a few times, and it's incredible on Debussy.  But there's no hope of ever finding another one like that.  I highly recommend a visit to the Frederick Collection to anybody in the northern MA / southern NH/VT area.

Jenny Harrison I played some upright Steingraeber pianos recently when I was helping a student choose a new piano and was very impressed with them and thought they were really good value for money.

Angela Fogg I have owned a Steingraeber upright for five years and love it, I bought it sight unseen after hearing James Shawcross' amazing review on youtube. He thought it might be the best upright in the world.  I did pay someone to inspect it since it was thousands of miles away. This is why I suspected the quality of Steingraeber grands would also be impressive, and this turned out to be right. 

Jenny Harrison very interesting Jenny. Quite a brave thing to do so I’m glad it turned out so well!

Angela Fogg It was actually on eBay! I truly lucked out since Steingraebers are so rare in the U.S.. The price of $20k seemed fair. 

Jenny Harrison even more amazing! It was obviously meant to be!

pacchiarotti Which would you put first: Fazioli or Steingraeber?

Jenny Harrison pacchiarotti Steingraeber, hands down.

Jenny Harrison I have a feeling I would get the Steingraeber. I admit to not having played either. I actually think my playing would not be up to meeting the needs of the instruments.

pacchiarotti You’d be surprised at how quickly your ears and hands adapt to the instrument.

ROBERTA SWEDIEN hi Roberta so funny to see your name pop up!! Remember me? I was your student in Gainesville way back when! ☺️

Alexander Shapiro Hi Alex!! Of course I remember you. Long time! I am in touch with Gila Goldstein and she has mentioned you. Are you playing? Say hi to your parents.

Here is a related question for this group. If you won the lottery and you could purchase a great 9' concert grand for your modest size living room, would you?  Or would you choose a somewhat shorter model because your living room is not a concert stage and it might be overwhelming?

Jenny Hi Jenny.. First i would buy the best courses and pay the best academies with the best teachers and artist. to learn as much as possible. Then I would  go to the best universities and learn as much as possible with the instruments  I have.  "It´s not the gear, it´s the ear". Then,  if I still had some more money left....I would buy a new bigger house, with an interior theater,  and also a nice living room with sea views, and a grand concert piano. Actually, now that you mentioned it, this is what i am going to do without winning the lottery. By hard work. and "the three P's" Passion , persistence and patience.