Steinway & Sons 5’-7” Medium Grand Piano.

  This 1926 Steinway & Sons grand piano is one of the finest musical instruments ever built, in the history of mankind. It is truly a historical piece of Americana. It was built during the golden era of American piano building and Steinway & Sons was the piano that every other was judged by. It is handcrafted and took a full year to build. The Steinway factory held nearly all of the important patents in the industry and the third-generation Steinway family participated in all of the significant operations of the factory. Modernizing and improving the manufacturing of pianos in the 19-th and 20-th centuries is nearly exclusively the responsibility of the Steinway company. The grand Steinway Hall in New York City was completed one year before this instrument was built. Three years later, a young Russian defector, Vladimir Horowitz and fellow Russian pianist and composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff met in the hall’s basement and played Rachmaninoff’s 3rd Concerto, which became Horowitz’s trademark masterpiece. In the world of musical instruments, there are pianos – and then there are Steinway & Sons.

This piano was recently restored in our 88 Keys Piano Workshop. The very finest materials were employed in this extensive eight -month process. To hold the tuning pins tightly, it received a new 5-ply premium hard rock maple Bolduc pinblock. The Bolduc factory from Montreal, Canada is the company that produces the current new Steinway pinblocks. We selected German-made, premium Renner Blue Point hammers, shanks and flanges to replace the originals and new Renner damper felts and wires were included. The repetition levers and springs were replaced with Renner also, as were the let-off buttons and backchecks. It was re-strung with Mapes International bass strings and treble music wire, the same as new Steinway pianos. The soundboard was free of serious cracks, so the original was repaired and refinished. The white Natural keys were recovered with the finest keytop material and the hardwood Sharp keys were re-lacquered black. The flame mahogany cabinet and original bench were beautifully refinished by our fine re-finishers. All of the cabinet hardware, bolts and casters were re-plated. It isn’t a secret that preowned Steinway pianos that have been restored are the biggest competition to exorbitantly priced brand new models.

Historically, the model M is Steinway’s most popular model and features the classic “Steinway sound”; having a strong, sustained singing treble, a compex and rich tenor, and a powerful bass, rich in high harmonics. The duration of tone (sustain time) is lengthy, which enables legato phrases to be extended while new counter-point phrases are performed, providing a lush tonal experience. The dynamic range is wide, allowing the pianist to play the softest pianissimos and strongest fortissimos, expressively and emotively. The tonal color or timbre is neither overly mellow and dull or overly bright and tinny. The mid-treble, where most of the melody lines are played “sings” and doesn’t disappear under the background of an accompaniment, partially due to the Steinway patented Duplex scale. It has the power that most pianos aspire to but not the harsh, brash “loudness” that often results. This instrument is suitable for the serious pianist, classical performance venues, houses of worship and many school, teaching and institutional situations.

The Steinway & Sons piano action with its 12,116 individual and cataloged parts is the vanguard of piano actions. All of their grand piano models have the same number of cataloged action parts. Steinway has held most of the patents issued to piano manufacturers by the US Patent Office for action improvements including the exclusive “Accelerated Action”, which increases the speed of repetition. The patented Tubular Metallic action frame maintains proper alignment of the action parts, unlike other manufacturers that have components that can move out of regulation. The middle pedal is their patented Sostenuto. A proper grand piano action regulation requires 14 separate adjustments per key so our talented 88 Keys piano technicians have been busy and this action has been well-regulated and ready now for the next concert performance.

Restrung with a new pinblock and tuning pins.

The harp was refinished with their own color, “Steinway Gold”.

Kawai 6’-8” Music-Room Grand Piano.

  Ideal for a serious pianist, school of music, house of worship or a professional musician, this is a unique find. An instrument like this is undoubtedly why Steinway & Sons chose this factory to build their high-end Boston line of pianos. Renowned for their expressive tone and dynamic range that allow pianists to communicate with ease, this Kawai model KG-5C Grand Piano plays expressively, accurately and smoothly – like a warm knife through butter. The KG-series of pianos were immensely popular for Kawai here in the US and Canada. They were built in the main factory in Hamamatsu, Japan before Kawai built their Indonesian factory where most of their pianos are built today. The KG-series was re-branded to the RX-series later on and those were also a big hit. The inevitable comparison to Yamaha pianos discloses that the Kawai usually provides more piano for the money. They are normally 2-inches longer for the same model in the line. For instance, in this case the comparable model of Yamaha back then was only 6‘-6” in length. The additional length enhances the bass response, extends the sustain time and builds a little more tonal foundation.

This piano spent the last twenty-five years in the Albuquerque East mountains, so it is happily acclimated and fully adjusted to our unique climate. The previous owner was a life-long piano technician and he cared for it dutifully. It is in excellent condition; structurally and aesthetically and should provide several more decades of musical pleasure to the new owner. We had to do very little in the way of service to it, mainly a concert tuning after moving it over. We will be happy to offer a two-year warranty. The cabinetry is a warm walnut with a traditional satin finish that complements the Southwestern-style home decor that has natural materials like adobe in the construction. The original duet bench with storage is included. Local, first-floor professional delivery and in-home tuning is also included.

The tone is European-inspired and mellow, not nearly as bright as some other Japanese manufactured models. Many serious pianists purchased the Kawai KG-series because of their tonal similarities to vastly more expensive Steinway & Sons models and the ability to afford them. It has a warmth that is very pleasant. The duration of tone is lengthy and lends itself to classical music. The treble has a nice singing quality. The bass response is excellent given the 6’-8” size of the scale and there are bi-chord strings all the way down to F-1, where most grand pianos terminate their two-string unisons around Bflat-1. This really enhances the bass power there. The overall tone quality is balanced across the compass of the keyboard and it’s a really enjoyable play.

The additional length affords an elegant and graceful presence.

The half-position lid prop is a handsome way to display your piano.

Kawai pianos are a favorite among classically trained pianists.

“Platinum Edition Series” Conservatory Grand Piano.

  Joseph J. Pramberger was a longtime Design and Project Engineer and Vice President of manufacturing executive at Steinway & Sons in New York (1958 – 1987). He was descended from a long line of piano and musical instrument builders dating back to Joseph Johann Pramberger born in 1779 in Tyrol, Austria. His father Anton, who immigrated from Austria worked at Steinway & Sons before him, as a pattern maker designing equipment to build and perfect the pianos. Other family members worked there also, dating back to 1913 on. He left in 1987 to start his own piano company with his father, Pramberger Piano, Ltd.

In 1995, he was hired by the Young Chang Piano Company of South Korea to redesign their models and make improvements. The result was the “ Pramberger Signature Series” that had better sustain and more tonal color than the Young Chang model of the same size and was more pleasing to listen to and play. After the success of this series, Young Chang took it another step with more improvements and brought out the “Platinum Edition Series” in 2000 and it immediately became a popular choice for discerning piano buyers. The Pramberger model JP-185 grand piano was designed and marketed to compete directly with the popular Yamaha professional-grade C-series piano and the Kawai RX-series, but it was 30-40% less costly.

The model JP-185 features a hardwood maple inner rim that holds the energy of the soundboard vibrations within the piano better than softer woods can, for a longer sustain and duration of tone. Most Asian manufacturers use the less dense Luan mahogany in their more affordable models. The solid spruce soundboard has a better quality of Sitka spruce that improves the purity of the tone. For a better feel and response, he chose a German high performance Renner piano-action and for a better tone-quality he chose upgraded Renner hammers mounted to a Pramberger designed action frame that improves the overall musical performance. This piano was finished in 2004 and sadly, Mr. Pramberger passed away in December 2003, so this piano is one of the very last of his original design to be built under his watch.

This model JP-185 is an elegant, classic polished ebony beauty with a Bubinga mahogany wood finished fallboard, music desk and music rack. At 6’-1”, it is long enough to have the graceful beauty and curvaceous shape of bigger pianos. Most venues that have live piano music feature a conservatory size 6-foot instrument. It has spent several years here in Albuquerque and before, in a desert region of the west so it is happily acclimated and well-adjusted to our unique, arid climate. It is in excellent condition, structurally and aesthetically. There is minimal wear in the piano-action, and the piano wasn’t played very much, so it should provide many more decades of musical pleasure. We had to do very little to improve the piano due to its excellent condition and the high level of service it has received. We are happy to offer a two-year warranty. The original bench with music storage is included. Local, first-floor professional delivery is also included.

Concert tuned, action regulated and ready for the next performance!

This serial number was one of the very last pianos started during the legacy of Joseph J. Pramberger.

Shortly after this piano was built, another piano manufacturer purchased the rights to the name and manufacturing was shipped off to Indonesia.

Pearl River classic 45-inch Professional Upright Piano.

  This piano taught a young girl to play so beautifully and proficiently that her very accomplished piano teacher recommended her parents buy her a grand piano in order to reach her highest potential. Her proud parents were impressed enough to upgrade to a Steinway & Sons grand piano for her future endeavors. This model is a one-owner purchased new in Albuquerque in 2012 at the Authorized Pearl River piano dealership, Kitt Fine Pianos. Therefore, it is happily acclimated, stable and fully adjusted to our dry climate and should provide decades of musical gratification to the new owner, or perhaps another graceful and musical young lady or boy.

The structural integrity of the soundboard, bridges, action and pinblock is excellent so we are happy to offer a two-year warranty. The classic polished ebony finish is in excellent condition also. Being a 45-inch studio upright, it performs at an elevated level with a robust bass response, rich tenor and a bell-like treble. The overall timbre is center-bright. The piano-action is fast, accurate and balanced with a wide dynamic range permitting quiet pianissimos and strong fortissimos. The middle pedal is a muffler function for quiet practice. The original padded bench with storage is included. Professional first-floor, local delivery is also included.

Pearl River today, is the largest piano manufacturer in the world and since 2000, they have the largest market share in retail sales worldwide. They are sold in over 112 countries. The company is located in Guangzhou, China and their state-of-the-art factory is 3.5 million square feet and builds over 150,000 pianos annually, combining traditional craftsmanship with advanced CNC digital machinery. Pearl River dominates the competitive Chinese market share too, with 40% of all the new pianos purchased there. With over 8500 individual, cataloged parts in a grand piano, a country with lower labor rates makes sense. During production every single large, small or tiny part is handled by human hands so a piano is arguably the most labor-intense product we can own. The Pearl River Piano Group also includes the Ritmüller and Kayserburg piano lines. They also build pianos for other piano companies including the Essex for Steinway & Sons since 2001.

Modern CNC routers and digital machinery enable the construction of 150,000 pianos annually.

Hand-made 50-inch Professional Upright piano.

  The distinctive sound and tone of the Mason & Hamlin grand piano in a more compact upright cabinet, it will outperform the smaller grand pianos. The bass response is classic Mason & Hamlin, booming and robust with a growl like thunder off in the distance. The duration of tone is astonishingly lengthy which is suited to classical music or any piece that requires the melody be sustained above the background of an accompaniment. The harmonic content or timbre of the overall range is center-mellow stressing the fundamental tone, also ideal for classical music. The attack is slow and it seems some notes “crescendo in” upon playing the key. This contrasts with a percussive, short tone with a sharp attack that a jazz pianist may prefer. There is plenty of volume when you want it and the dynamic range is very wide, allowing a more expressive and emotive performance. This piano is an absolute joy to play.

The Mason & Hamlin model 50 Upright Piano is still built to this very day.

Mason & Hamlin model 50 Upright Piano webpage

Per our policy of sourcing our pianos locally, this instrument is a one-owner and has lived its entire life in a beautiful home in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Pianos don’t like being moved around a lot, especially to differing climates. It was purchased brand new at Paul Muench Music here in Albuquerque so it is happily acclimated and fully adjusted to our dry climate and should provide decades of musical gratification to the next owner. It has always received excellent service from skilled piano technicians. The condition is excellent – structurally and aesthetically. We have had to do barely anything in the 88 Keys Piano Restoration shop, just standard cleaning of the interior, tightening piano-action screws and a few adjustments, and a strong tuning. The piano is ready for the next performance.

The uncontested top two American piano manufacturers have historically been Steinway & Sons and Mason & Hamlin. The rest of the top ten is open for debate. They are the two surviving piano companies from the Golden Age of the Piano, during which performance, composing and piano building skills reached notable heights. The finest pianists of the day would sometimes affiliate themselves with their favorite brand (like basketball player Michael Jordan and Nike shoes). Sergei Rachmaninoff and Maurice Ravel were notable pianists/composers who aligned themselves with Mason & Hamlin grand pianos. In 1853, Steinway & Sons was founded by Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg in New York. The following year in 1854, Mason & Hamlin was founded by Henry Mason and Emmons Hamlin in Boston. Including other fine piano manufacturers, the two cities were very prideful in promoting their own piano brands, and that continues to this very day.

The model 50 has been built for over sixty years. This is highly unusual for a model to have that staying power and it’s a testimony to its intrinsic design. Here is a description from an undated catalog:

The Boston-style fallboard protects the keyboard and little fingers.