What a Deal!
Below is a clip from a WSJ piece, 5/21/2008. The author buys a nearly 7ft Steinway for $22K. I'm guessing it's a B or C. Damn, girl. That is a deal. Most people pay at least 50k, even for a one that's not new. I had a chance to get a Steinway B for a good price, similar to the author's buying price, but there was a old crack in the harp. Uh-uh, not going to buy that one. I'm happy with my Mason, but one day, I'll switch to something a little bigger, with the booming bass.
Clip:
On a Friday night, I drove the four hours to Summit, N.J., and pulled up to a large stone church. Mr. Stobaeus was waiting for me in the music room, his hand lovingly resting on the nearly seven-foot piano, its long tail gleaming of rich mahogany and its 88 perfect black-and-white keys beckoning. I prayed that it played as beautifully as it looked. So I tested some Bach, Chopin, Debussy and a bit of jazz. The sound was incredibly rich, and the touch, or "action," was very responsive.
It was built in 1912; Mr. Stobaeus had owned it for the past 35 years, during which time he had it gradually restored, first with a new Steinway soundboard and in the past decade, new German-made action parts installed by a prominent technician in New York. It had ivory keys when it was first made -- a material that is no longer used -- but they've been replaced with synthetic keys. This was one of the better pianos I'd ever played. The technician gave it a clean bill of health.
A Grand for $22-Grand
He already had another offer on the table, but Mr. Stobaeus said he was moved by my playing. "It's yours if you want it," he said. We settled on $22,000 to compensate for the competing offer and to pre-empt any bidding war. Then we hugged and cried.
It would cost me $1,200 to bring it to suburban Washington. Having it tuned and the action "regulated" in a few weeks will probably set me back another couple hundred.
But first they'll have to pry my hands off of it.