best upright pianos in the world

MA. CECILIA M. DE MESA · Post by **MA. CECILIA M. DE MESA** » 06 Aug 2008, 03:15

good day folks... can you provide us a list of the top 10 upright pianos in the world according to brand, sound, durability.. this is also to inform everyone (especially the 1st time piano buyers/users and novice pianists) about pianos and how they rate in the market and to users as well. if 10 is not enough...you can provide us a list of up to 20... thank you very much

joseph · Post by **joseph** » 06 Aug 2008, 06:35

oh thats a difficult one!

Pianos are all so different, and I have played many unknown uprights that have been amazing, and some top level uprights that just haven't cut the mustard!

IMHO the best uprights are all the 130 cm or thereabout size and in joint first are

Bechstein 8/Bosendorfer 130 /Steinway K/Bluthner B

Then I'd say the Steingraeber uprights I've played have all been pretty darn good! So they get a very very close second.
Also on that close second equal is the Yamaha SU131 (I haven't ever seen an SU7)

Then in a very close 3rd the Kemble 130, and 124 I have found to be excellent pianos.

Then I'd say the Kawai K6, I have always liked Kawai pianos.

To be honest though, with my joint firsts all weighing in at £20 000, and a Kemble 130 at £6500 I'd have to say that the difference in quality is not worth the extra £13K, especially for an upright. That is just my opinion, I am a pianist, not a technician so you should probably listen to someone more experienced on the technical side.

genaa · Post by **genaa** » 06 Aug 2008, 08:16

at the risk of sounding trite.... the best upright piano in the world is the one you like most and can afford to buy. Taste in tone and action weight is such a subjective thing that one persons best will be another persons least favourite......

there are piano makers whose reputation for quality exceeds that of others perhaps, but at that level you are not really able to say one is better than another, just that they are all extremely well made instruments, each with a different character.

Asking which is the best piano in the world is rather like asking someone who they think is 'best' out of their parents, partner or children to my mind hehe.

Descombes · Post by **Descombes** » 06 Aug 2008, 10:01

Some months ago this question came up in relation to grand pianos:

http://www.uk-piano.org/piano-forums/vi ... php?t=5458

The suggestion that the answer is undoubtedly Steinway was not disputed!

I know that the question with uprights is more controversial, since there are competitors to Steinway in this area. However, for anyone with £26,000 to spend, there is no better upright piano than a Steinway Model K.

Post by **Gill the Piano** » 06 Aug 2008, 16:24

I preferred the Bosendorfer, although there wasn't a lot of volume to it.

Descombes · Post by **Descombes** » 06 Aug 2008, 17:40

Gill the Piano wrote:I preferred the Bosendorfer, although there wasn't a lot of volume to it.

I like to make lots of noise! Hence my love of Steinways; though they can be magically delicate too!!

genaa · Post by **genaa** » 07 Aug 2008, 08:50

If I was spending £26k I would be more likely to buy a Bechstein Concert 8 or a Steingraeber 138 in some wierd and truly exotic veneer.

joseph · Post by **joseph** » 08 Aug 2008, 10:50

. . . if i was spending 26k i'd buy the kemble and get a new bathroom, kitchen, holiday and pay off some more of the mortgage (credit crunch and all. . .)

genaa · Post by **genaa** » 08 Aug 2008, 12:13

hehe joseph well yes there is that as well.......

Descombes · Post by **Descombes** » 08 Aug 2008, 19:39

joseph wrote:. . . if i was spending 26k i'd buy the kemble and get a new bathroom, kitchen, holiday and pay off some more of the mortgage (credit crunch and all. . .)

Fair point, but, for me, one kitchen or bathroom is much like another, the mortgage will get paid eventually and holidays can be had at bargain prices and are forgotten minutes after getting home.

A £26,000 Model K will lift the spirits every time it's played; it will make the player sound better than a Brand X piano will (yes, I mean that) and it will keep its value and last for decades. I've nothing against Kembles or the other pianos which cost a quarter of the price of a Steinway, but for me there is only one choice!

joseph · Post by **joseph** » 09 Aug 2008, 16:55

well there is only one steinway and sons that is true! They don't have their reputation as the best pianos in the world for nothing!

I find that Steinways make you play better because they are so sensitive and unforgiving in a way, they show up all the nasty little bumps in the sound etc. This means that you strive to play better on them and then they produce this beautiful tone like no other piano can!

one day i hope to buy a steinway, preferably a model d - i can dream can't i?

Brumtuner · Post by **Brumtuner** » 09 Aug 2008, 19:13

I've only been tuning Steinways et al for 30 odd years so I can't really comment - except for the fact that I think Steinways are somewhat overrated.

Descombes · Post by **Descombes** » 09 Aug 2008, 20:48

joseph wrote:well there is only one steinway and sons that is true! They don't have their reputation as the best pianos in the world for nothing!

I find that Steinways make you play better because they are so sensitive and unforgiving in a way, they show up all the nasty little bumps in the sound etc. This means that you strive to play better on them and then they produce this beautiful tone like no other piano can!

one day i hope to buy a steinway, preferably a model d - i can dream can't i?

Exactly! I think that the key phrase in joseph's reply is "beautiful tone". We all know that the claim is that 90-odd% of concert pianists prefer Steinways; no-one disputes that they are by far the best choice for the concert hall.

But what I am referring to is the piano in the ordinary domestic situation; which is why this whole thread began with the question about uprights.

I have no doubt that the beautiful tone which a Steinway upright can produce in an ordinary home cannot be surpassed. Yes, they have an amazingly responsive action and many other great qualities, but it's that tone which clinches the argument!

jakbowtell · Post by **jakbowtell** » 10 Aug 2008, 05:01

Petroff.

genaa · Post by **genaa** » 10 Aug 2008, 08:34

The Steinway Essex are made by Young Chang in China I believe - it is the more expensive Steinway 'Boston' line which are made by Kawai for Steinway...

Openwood · Post by **Openwood** » 10 Aug 2008, 11:55

The best piano is the one you like the best. I think these 'best of' lists are pointless*. I mean what's the 'best' painting, or the 'best' sentence? I dunno.

*Although you will note that this does not stop me pontificating on the matter.

joseph · Post by **joseph** » 10 Aug 2008, 11:56

[quote="jakbowtell"]I am a pianist and in my personal opinion i think that steinways are very well made but i disslike the sound produced by them, i like the somewhat brighter sound of a kawai or yamaha, there is no doubt that if buying a new upright i would go for a kawai...

Thats a fair reason not to go for a steinway, you can't please everyone! I too think that Kawai is a lovely piano, very well made, very clear tone and very responsive. I had a KG-2C once, except when it got that little bit clapped out I decided to replace it with Brodmann. I couldn't afford a new Kawai anyway and the old Kawai I bought 2nd hand.

I don't think Fazioli make uprights incidentally, but they are fantastic pianos (although personally I don't like their sound! lol!)

Openwood · Post by **Openwood** » 10 Aug 2008, 15:59

I don't think Fazioli make uprights

There's a beer advert in there somewhere - "Fazioli don't make uprights, but if they did....."

PianoGuy · Post by **PianoGuy** » 10 Aug 2008, 20:28

jakbowtell wrote:..... there is no doubt that if buying a new upright i would go for a kawai... also you might like to give neimeyer a chance, they use the same technique, strings and hammers you would find in a steinway or kawai and they produce a very nice sound.

Oh puh-LEEEEZE!

Are you a sixth-former? If so, your post is excusable.

If you're not, then stop reading manufacturer's hype. Kawai and Steinway do not use similar hammers, other than they are both made of felt. Essex pianos are not made by Kawai, but by Pearl-River in China (although the older models with the italic font on the fall were made by Young-Chang) and Wendl & Lung are made in China, no matter which Austrian geezer designed them.

Tsk!

sussexpianos · Post by **sussexpianos** » 20 Aug 2008, 19:26

lol,
ohboy,
The best piano in the world?
Its easy, its the piano, that when you play it, you instantly forget the world and enjoy your playing. It could be any make or model, ALL PIANOS ARE different and people are different.
Mine? Is a 6'6" Bluthner made in 1920, rich bass, warm mellow tenor section and a sweet clear treble. Oh, and it weighs a tone.And no one is going to convince me other wise

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