Bechstein vs Steinway Pianos | Everything You Need to Know

 

If you're a piano shopper or performer and you're investigating the highest echelons of the piano business, it's going to be awfully tough to miss these two titans - Steinway & Sons and C. Bechstein. Sure, there are a small handful of other pianos in the same top-quality tier that garner an equal level of musical respect, such as Bosendorfer, Fazioli and Steingraeber & Sohne, but no other two piano makers have achieved the same scale and dominance in their respective markets than Steinway or C. Bechstein have.

Whereas Fazioli and Bosendorfer sell just a few hundred units per year, C. Bechstein produces over 4,000 musical instruments annually in Seifhennersdorf Germany, and Steinway also remains well into the four-digit territory between their Hamburg Germany and New York factories.

But what many don't realize is just how close in design these two instruments actually are, despite the fact that they are musically very different from one another.

In today's article and companion video, we're going to cover the musical and technical differences between Bechstein vs Steinway pianos. We’ll also look at their similarities, a rundown of their histories, and a snapshot of how things look for these manufacturers today.

Let’s start with C. Bechstein.

 

C. Bechstein

Early History

German company C. Bechstein has been producing pianos for over 150 years. Their story begins in the city of Berlin in 1853 when German Master Piano Maker Carl Bechstein began constructing highly personalized, bespoke upright pianos for the top artists of the day - a tradition of excellence with the vertical format that continues to the present day.

The small shop quickly grew to a large-scale operation, and by the turn of the 20th century, C. Bechstein was producing several thousand pianos annually.

 

WWII

At the height of C. Bechstein's popularity, their pianos were the preferred choice of European and British aristocracy, as well as the preeminent concert halls of the day due to their superb build quality, musical capabilities and stunning cabinetry.

Unfortunately, the tensions and the destruction resulting from the two World Wars virtually ended the company. Luckily for us, C. Bechstein has undergone a complete rejuvenation over the past couple of decades.

 

Today

With new ownership and a massive investment of capital into the company, C. Bechstein has been experiencing a renaissance since the early 2000s. With the purchase of the already existing Bohemia Piano Factory in the Czech Republic, they've also begun producing pianos under the C. Bechstein Europe umbrella with the resurrected W. Hoffmann brand, serving as a high-value European alternative to the top-level professional Japanese pianos from Kawai and Yamaha.

In addition to that factory acquisition, they've also revamped many of their flagship piano models with more advanced scale designs, improved cabinetry, and very notably, a brand new action and hammer division, making them one of the few piano companies worldwide to manufacture their own hammers in-house.

 

Current Piano Lineup

In addition to the three quality lines from their Czech factory, C. Bechstein produces German-made upright and grand pianos in two quality levels. The lower-priced Academy Series line is on par quality-wise with the very best handmade Japanese pianos and certain other German companies.

The higher-priced C. Bechstein Concert Series sits right at the top of the heap for overall quality and craftsmanship in terms of what’s available anywhere in the world today.

With extensive recent redesigns throughout the entire C. Bechstein Academy and Concert Series lineups, the current C. Bechstein pianos are noticeably superior to what the company was producing even 10 to 15 years ago.

Certain C. Bechstein grand pianos and C. Bechstein uprights are regarded as the best pianos available for their specific size - the C. Bechstein Concert 8 is held by many as the finest upright piano money can buy, and the C. Bechstein C234 is widely considered as the best semi-concert grand piano currently in production.

 

Differences Between Academy and Concert Series Lines

Materials

Some of the specific material differences include the AAA Austrian white spruce in the Academy Series versus the much more expensive Val di Fiemme spruce used in the Concert series - this is an extremely rare red spruce, and is sourced from the same forest that Stradivarius cultivated for his legendary violins.

Mahogany hammer moldings are used in the Academy line versus the stronger and lighter walnut hammer moldings in the Concert line. From there, C. Bechstein uses the high-quality Silver Line Action in the Academy Series versus their top-tier Gold Line Action featured on the Concert Series. The geometry is quite similar between these two actions, but the Gold Line Action is built to an even stricter tolerance level.

Manufacturing Time & Designs

The manufacturing time for the Academy series is roughly half that of the time they spend on their Concert Series. Certain specific design differences include non-tapered soundboards in the Academy Series versus tapered soundboards in the Concert Series. A thicker, full hardwood rim with more laminations is used in the Concert Series along with solid beech bridges and a pinblock that also has more laminations, contrasted with a slightly thinner rim and less complex bridge design and pinblock in the Academy series.

There is some debate amongst C. Bechstein lovers throughout the world as to which design is superior. The mid-20th century C. Bechstein’s had a very romantic sound with a less complex tone and less projection often described as intimate.

The present-day C. Bechstein models use virtually every best practice and design feature known to the piano industry and as a result, the tone is probably described best as something falling between a Steinway and a Fazioli in terms of the dynamic response, extremely wide color pallet and staggering cabinet resonance.

 

Steinway & Sons

Early History

Steinway & Sons is without a doubt the most recognizable piano brand in the world. German immigrant Heinrich Engelhart Steinweg, eventually known as Henry E. Steinway, opened a small workshop in Manhattan in 1853 after years of piano making in Germany.

After obtaining over 100 design patterns, multiple location changes, and of course, anglicizing the family name to Steinway, Steinway would emerge as the dominant force in American piano manufacturing. In the 1880s, wanting to expand to the European market, Steinway opened a facility in Hamburg, Germany to supply Europe and the rest of the world.

 

Rise to Worldwide Prominence

Into the 1900s, Steinway became one of the most successful consumer brands in the world, pioneering many of the marketing techniques that we would now call product placement. Steinway Concert halls in London, New York, and Germany became the center of culture for many affluent and newly moneyed successful families and business people.

The newly minted Steinway Artist Program created and to this day maintained a monopoly among touring classical pianists.

 

Today

Steinway still produces pianos in both New York and Germany, with the New York factory supplying the Americas and the German factory supplying the rest of the world.

Steinway is no longer family-owned, and it has changed hands several times throughout the last 100 years. The company has had stable ownership since about 2013 after it was acquired by a New York-based private equity firm.

While the pianos from both factories are renowned for their quality, pianos from the German Hamburg factory are often regarded as superior to New York, though, there has been an effort in recent years to bring the American factory up to a similar standard that was established by its German counterpart.

 

Current Piano Lineup

New York Steinway

Steinway’s New York facility currently produces a single upright piano, the well-regarded 52” K52, which is available in a couple of different finishes.

In terms of the grand pianos, they offer a full lineup ranging from the 5’1” Model S baby grand piano to the 9’ Model D with four models in between. Their pianos are very popular in the high-end market among musicians and play the role of a sort of status symbol.

Despite improvements to quality consistency in recent years, the NY Steinway’s are still generally regarded as a step below their German counterparts.

 

Hamburg Steinway

Like the New York facility, Steinway’s Hamburg facility also offers the 52” K-52 as their only upright piano currently in production.

The grand piano lineup is the same except for one extra model, - the 7’5” C227. The German pianos are voiced quite differently from their American counterparts and do feature some differences in materials.

 

Differences between Bechstein vs Steinway

Sub-Brands

When we sit down to compare these two venerable brands, several key differences emerge. The first thing is their approach to their sub-brands and sublines. In Steinway’s case, we're talking about the Boston and Essex lines, and with C. Bechstein, we're talking about W. Hoffmann and Zimmermann.

Where Steinway elected to contract the construction of Boston to Kawai (Samick now manufactures one model as well) and Essex to a series of changing Chinese manufacturers, C. Bechstein directly manufactures all aspects of their five European-made lines and contracts the manufacturer of the Zimmermann line only.

The major differences between these two approaches has to do with consistency, both in terms of a model-to-model comparison, but also in terms of the overall quality of a given line from year to year.

For example, Essex have gone through different manufacturers over the years, with varying degrees of success. On the other hand, every single W. Hoffman acoustic piano from all three lines (Vision, Tradition, Professional) leaves C. Bechstein’s Czech factory with no detectable differences from one year of manufacture to the next.

 

Design

There are of course also a number of design differences between these two manufacturers when comparing lines of equivalent quality. Virtually every structural part of a Steinway grand is made with hard rock maple, including the rim. This focus on a specific, very dense wood colors the tone in a very distinctive way and also creates a very resonant structure.

C. Bechstein uses a variety of dense hardwoods in their grands as opposed to only maple. In addition to maple, they also use mahogany as well as beech. Whereas maple tends to produce a mid-range heavy tone with great projection, C. Bechstein’s use of multiple hardwoods combined with a super precise structure produces a tonal profile that is much closer to that of a Fazioli - very colorful, but with a dynamic response closer to that of a Steinway. New York Steinway & C. Bechstein actions are also quite different.

New York Steinways feature their patented Accelerated Action while C. Bechstein uses an action that is much closer to a Hamburg Steinway action. On first touch, C. Bechsteins feel lighter with a sense of a deeper key bed, whereas a Steinway will have a heavier touch and the sense that the key bed is more shallow.

 

Musical Differences

Musically speaking, Steinways tend to have a much more broad range of tone between dynamic extremes. In other words, the character of tone is quite different when playing softly versus when playing loudly. This is less consistent from model to model and less consistent through the top to the bottom of the range, however, whereas C. Bechstein’s tend to be extremely consistent throughout all ranges and across different models.

Steinway’s tend to have a slightly darker color in the upper range with less clarity, and the softer dynamic ranges are more notably flat in tone compared to a C. Bechstein. Bechstein’s are also known for their unique bloom-like character of tone.

 

What These Differences Mean

The real-world implications of these musical observations mean that anyone considering a Steinway will most definitely want to play the exact piano in the showroom that they’ll be taking home due to the lack of consistency from piano to piano and model to model.

This also brings us to another question people always ask; will a piano from either of these manufacturers increase in value over time? The short answer is no.

Although there are instances where one could sell their piano for more than they bought it for, i.e. a high-end piano purchased in the 1920s will of course sell for a higher price than one hundred years ago, this completely ignores the effects of inflation.

Ultimately, these instruments are highly complex machines that unfortunately do not improve with age over time. Unlike a violin or cello, in which age may legitimately make the instrument more valuable as the wood seasons, a piano is at its absolute peak at some point within the first five years of its ownership. When inflation is accounted for, the best that an owner can probably hope for is a lifetime of wonderful music-making with a slow and predictable depreciation against its replacement cost.

 

Similarities Between C. Bechstein & Steinway & Sons

Despite many differences, there are surprising similarities between these two manufacturers that not everyone is aware of. For one, C. Bechstein Concert and Hamburg Steinway grands use a treble bell in their larger models. This is something that was originally innovated by Steinway and later adopted by C. Bechstein.

A second similarity is that both manufacturers use a highly tapered, old-growth spruce soundboard in their top German instruments. Steinway doesn't disclose their exact type of sourcing of spruce, but by all accounts, they still use Alpine Sitka. C. Bechstein on the other hand is a little more transparent in this regard and they use a minimum of 1,000-meter altitude red spruce from the Val di Fiemme, which is in Italy, of Stradivarius fame.

 

Closing Thoughts

We hope that you've enjoyed this exploration of the history, similarities and differences between C. Bechstein and Steinway & Sons pianos. Thanks very much for reading, and be sure to check out the companion video!

The post Bechstein vs Steinway Pianos | Everything You Need to Know first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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W Hoffmann T177 | Tradition Series | Grand Piano Review

 

 The W. Hoffmann series of pianos from the C. Bechstein Europe parent company presents many choices for today’s piano buyer. The Vision series is the entry point to the line and offers a modern, handcrafted European piano from the Czech Republic for about the price of a professional Japanese instrument, while the top-end Professional series serves as a lower-cost near copy of the German C. Bechstein Academy series.

Unlike the modernized scale designs of the Vision and Professional series, the Tradition series is built with the intention of capturing the essence of the great German pianos of the past.

Today, we’re going to be looking at the middle model in the Tradition line as we dive into the W Hoffmann T177 5’10” grand piano. We’ll be focusing on the sound, action as well as some design specifics. We’ll get started with some background information on the piano.

 

W Hoffmann T177 - Background Information

Made in the Czech Republic

The first thing to know about the W Hoffmann T177 is that it is a 100% European piano, made by C. Bechstein in the town of Hradec Králové in the Czech Republic. This is important to clarify because many so-called European grand and upright pianos are actually primarily built in Asia.

There's of course nothing wrong with that, but this is something that people can be quite sensitive about so it’s important to understand that when talking about a W. Hoffmann Tradition or Professional, we’re talking about a completely European acoustic piano.

The Vision by contrast uses strung-backs imported from Asia, but all of the assembly is done in the Czech Republic. Certain other pianos may feature a number of components, but all production and assembly occur in Asia.

 

Tradition vs Professional Series

The Professional series is the most expensive line from W. Hoffman while The Tradition costs a little bit less and sits in the middle of the pecking order. There’s no question that the T177 sounds quite different from a Professional series piano, but interestingly, it’s not really accurate to call the Professional series superior.

They're much more of a parallel product with two different design and tonal philosophies and both exemplify European quality. The T177 produces a warmer sound with a rounder attack than what the Professional series is delivering, which has a very specific bell-like tone.

The Professional series is also very forward in terms of its treble bias. In contrast, the Tradition series is darker, with an almost Shigeru Kawai-esque tone that manages to be warm and dark, yet colorful at the same time.

With some context out of the way, let’s move on to some specifics with regard to the T177’s design and features.

 

W Hoffmann T177 - Design Features

Duplex Scale

The T177 is equipped with several features which are important to highlight. For one, it's got a duplex scale which means that there are metal fulcrums behind the top treble sections to give the strings extra speaking length which adds to the top-end harmonics.

Most higher-end pianos feature duplex scaling as it’s a staple of premium piano making.

 

Solid White Spruce Soundboard

The T177 features a solid spruce soundboard - white spruce specifically that is grown in the Alpine region of Europe. This soundboard is not to the level of what you’ll find in a C. Bechstein Concert series, but this is still a very high-quality soundboard of slow-growth mountain spruce.

 

Hardwood Rim

Another key feature of the T177 is the fairly thick hardwood rim. It’s not hard rock maple as is somewhat common in the price range but instead, the rim features a combination of mahoganies, beaches and some maple.

This specific combination of hardwoods produces a great amount of projection, and also means that the T177 is built to last a long time.

 

C. Bechstein Hammers

After a massive investment in recent years, C. Bechstein is now making their own hammers in-house - they're not sourcing their hammers from a supplier. This means that every single model receives customized hammers with specific weighting and design to help maximize each piano’s tonal potential.

There are not very many piano makers still making their own hammers in this day and age and certainly not any other high-end boutique piano makers. C. Bechstein makes about 5,000 to 6,000 pianos per year compared to Kawai or Yamaha who make hundreds of thousands of pianos a year and also make their own hammers.

For C. Bechstein to have made this substantial investment shows their commitment to controlling as much of the production process as possible and not leaving anything to chance.

 

Grand Piano Action

Bechstein “Silver Line” Action

The T177 features a C. Bechstein-built action which they refer to as their “Silver Line” action. This is exactly the same action that goes into the W. Hoffmann pianos of the Professional series, and even the C. Bechstein Academy series.

The “Silver Action” shares much of the same fundamental design as the top “Gold Line” action reserved exclusively for the C. Bechstein Concert series pianos, but the big difference is the amount of time that the wood has been dried, the number of hours in the factory that it takes to assemble and regulate the actions.

So, essentially we have the same basic design, but everything is just a notch down from what the “Gold Line” action is delivering. There are still dozens and dozens of hours of prep time going into “Silver Line” action, it’s just not refined to the same fanatical degree as the “Gold Line”.

Feels like a Steinway

This action actually feels a lot like a slightly lighter version of a Steinway. The key bed feels a little bit more shallow than a Japanese piano, and a lot more shallow than a Fazioli.

Extremely good repetition speed and the responsiveness is totally on point. This is not going to be a torturous action for daily practice, and it’s more than fluid enough for the high demands of the most advanced repertoire.

 

Grand Piano Sound

Strong Treble

The first thing that really stands out about the T177 with regards to sound is the treble; it’s just so powerful with excellent projection.

The harmonics are very well controlled and crystal clear, yet there’s a good amount of color too. The attack is very immediate.

 

American Sounding Mid-Range

The Mid-range is what would typically be associated with a classic American sound- very much in the vein of a Steinway M or a Mason & Hamlin Model A.

The response and dynamic range are also very much in line with the American sound.

 

Bass Register

The bass is actually quite edgy which is a little bit unexpected. Even though we're in a lower price range than the C. Bechstein Academy series, the design is such that the notoriously difficult ‘break’ area is actually very smooth and more on par with a German instrument.

 

Closing Thoughts

Overall, the T177 is a very capable instrument that also happens to be very satisfying to play. It’s probably one of the most American-sounding European-built pianos we’ve ever played, which is really interesting given the fact that the T177 is marketed as being a German throwback instrument.

 

Great Value

What you're getting for the money here is really quite extraordinary. In our opinion, the value proposition is definitely stronger than say a New York Steinway given how exorbitant their pricing is, and quite frankly, there’s an argument to be made here that the value is better than a C. Bechstein Academy.

 

Wrap Up

Next time you’re in a Bechstein dealer’s showroom, see if they have a W Hoffmann T177 on the floor and give it a try. It just may be the perfect combination you’ve been looking for.

And with Bechstein’s optional Vario System add-on, the T177 might be your solution if you’re looking for a silent piano too.

The post W Hoffmann T177 | Tradition Series | Grand Piano Review first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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W Hoffmann P162 Professional Series | Baby Grand Piano Review

 

C Bechstein’s W Hoffmann brand offers an undeniably intriguing set of pianos. Consisting of three different lines of different quality, the W. Hoffmann is a fully European handmade alternative to a German piano for a fraction of the price.

In this article and review video we’ll be looking at the entry point to the Professional line - the top W. Hoffmann line - with the W Hoffmann P162 baby grand. We’ll do a rundown of the piano action and piano sound, as well as some other cool design/aesthetic tidbits.

W Hoffmann P162 - Playing Experience

Of all the instruments in the showroom right now, it's worth mentioning that this one has really managed to grab our company President and resident piano reviewer Stu’s attention and inspire some very creative moments.

Anyone who spends a lot of time around pianos will know what Stu’s referring to here - “it's very unusual for me to sit down in front of a piano that is less than $90,000 or $100,000 and have it genuinely take my breath away and cause me to play differently than I would normally. “ Stu opined.

He continued, “To me, that's one of the most interesting effects that a great instrument can have.”

Read on for our in-depth review of the W. Hoffmann P162 baby grand piano!

 

Baby Grand Piano Background

The C. Bechstein Europe’s P162, produced under the W. Hoffmann Professional brand is a baby grand with a massive musical range, a clear precise tone, fluid, and expertly-prepared action, and an attractive and unique silver color scheme.

 

Professional Series vs Tradition Series

The W. Hoffmann Professional series along with their Tradition series are both highly regarded all-European grand pianos that offer a high-value alternative to more expensive German pianos. The Professional series differs from the Tradition series in subtle ways, but nonetheless important to mention.

Both pianos use a different hammer and voicing style, different plates (and therefore also slightly different scale designs) as well as different bridge designs. The result is that the Professional series produces a more bell-like attack with long-sustaining trebles, as opposed to the darker and warmer tone of the Tradition series.

Made in the Czech Republic

The W Hoffmann P162 is made in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic at the old Bohemia piano factory which Bechstein acquired in 2006. Bechstein made a considerable investment in modernizing the factory with new CNC machinery and modern technology while maintaining much of the experienced workforce.

We generally don't spend too much time discussing specific piano factories in our reviews, but in this case, we're behooved to highlight Bechstein's Czech factory. This is a factory that's currently at its maximum possible output with the staff working day and night to try and fill back-orders.

Between the workforce, equipment and the substantial investment Bechstein has made, the result has been a stable of incredible instruments that more than compete against high-end Japanese options from Kawai and Yamaha. The Professional Series W. Hoffmann pianos are right at the top of the heap when it comes to what that Czech factory is putting out for Bechstein.

Alternative to the C. Bechstein Academy A160

The P162 is essentially a sister product to the Bechstein Academy A160. If you are ever fortunate enough to be able to sit down in front of an A160 and a P162 side by side, you're going to quickly notice that the scales designs and cabinets are virtually the same.

It's quite clear that Bechstein have exported some of the designs and a lot of the expertise out of their Berlin factory down the road two hours to the Czech factory and are producing a very similar product to the Academy, for about 20-30% less money.

Let’s jump over to some specifics regarding the action.

 

Baby Grand Piano Action

Bechstein’s Silver Line Action

The P162 uses Bechstein’s “Silver Line” action. This action features essentially the same geometry as the top-end “Gold Line” Action, but with lesser quality materials on certain parts, while also receiving less voicing and regulation.

As is the case with virtually all Bechstein pianos, this action is very fast, and nicely straddles the fine line between power and dynamic control.

The keybed is not as deep as a Japanese action, so it gives the player the perception of being a little bit lighter. When weighing the action it turns out it’s pretty much down the middle, but that shallower keybed definitely makes it feel lighter. We love this action and think it will be more than satisfying even for high-level playing.

 

Baby Grand Piano Sound

Nuanced Timbre

The sound of the P162 could aptly be described as both nuanced and delicate. The balance across the entire range is striking, and probably unmatched in this price and size range.

They have definitely achieved a real bell-like tone here, with characteristic mid and upper-mid-range Bechstein bloom.

The treble maintains the sense of delicacy while also boasting a remarkable sustain, and the ever-maligned ‘break’ area is very well executed.

Overall, the tone is more complex than the Tradition series, while also being brighter and clearer.

 

Design Features & Cabinet

The bridge on the P162 has some interesting contouring, which is accented with black paint and impossible to miss. It also has the duplex scale, capped maple bridges, beech/maple rims, solid Austrian white spruce soundboard, and a distinctive silver plate and nickel accents. The instrument is ONLY available in Ebony Polish and silver tones, it can’t be ordered in brass or in any other wood finish.

 

Conclusions

The W. Hoffmann Professional Series is one of the best-kept secrets of the piano world. In an industry that seems positioned between enormously expensive high-quality pianos, and hard-to-research lower-quality pianos from Asia, the Professional series might be entirely unique.

Designed entirely by C. Bechstein’s famous R&D team in Berlin, the Professional series shares many of the same materials and designs as the Bechstein Premium line of the same size.  And the pianos are hand-made entirely in Europe. All at a fraction of the price of what you normally pay for European-built and designed pianos.

The post W Hoffmann P162 Professional Series | Baby Grand Piano Review first appeared on Merriam Pianos

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