Steinway for recording studio

Hello,

I am a recording studio owner looking to get a grand piano in the studio. Our studio would mainly do classical music recording and would very often record solo piano or solo instrument w/ piano. I am now deciding between model 'B' and 'D'. Besides being a bigger and more expensive piano, does the 'D' surpass the 'B' in every tonal aspect. To put the question in a different way, do 'D' and 'B sound very differently in close range (they would if they were in a big concert hall), given that our studio is 12 meters by 8 meters in dimension and 3 meters high. What should we be concerning of when buying a restored piano? Is this a good idea? And what age would a piano be considered inappropriate for performing or recording? Main difference between NY and Hamburg Steinways?

Thanks a lot,

Thanks, Rick! So, when I am ready to shop for a high quality used piano, where would you suggest me starting at? I am in the Washington DC area.

Thanks,

I couldn't say, Eric- I'm not in that region. But I would suggest not limiting your search to the immediate area, you may not find just what you want. Genuinely good, recording-quality grand pianos just don't come up for sale that often. You may have to search far and wide.

Regards,

Rick Clark

Eric, I'm in the area and can give you some names but I am not at home at the moment. If you drop me an email sometime before you are ready to buy I will give you some 'local knowledge' for the area.

Gerry

To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.

I always thought it was necessary to drop below your principles . TS

Funny you should mention an Appollo grand. I came across one in a recording studio in AA County Maryland. Could that be the same one?

Emmerson,

Actually, no. It was just an example I used because I have one. It's a pretty good piano. Very heavily built, 1911, 6'2', Wessel Nickel & Gross action. It's a lot like a Mason & Hamlin AA. Pre-Wurlitzer, thank heaven. I just put in Abel hammers and new shanks. It could be a good recording piano, but I haven't tried.

I understand the Apollo name is out there again in the form of an extremely low-end Asian piano. But mine was made by Melville Clark of Story & Clark reknown, before he got big into the player piano business, and it even has his inspection signature in pencil on an action rail. Soon after mine was made, the brand was sold to Wurlitzer who made a much lighter and cheaper Apollo.

Regards,

Rick Clark

The best piano I ever played was a 9' Bosendorfer in Sarm East studios, London. What a beast! But then I love that Bosendorfer sound.

Eric,

For a while there (maybe today also) recording studios were going belly-up all over the place, and you know they had to sell off their assets. I know a couple of concert pianists who just happened to be in the right place at the right time and got a good deal on recording-studio pianos being sacrificed.

If you have connections in the recording industry, you might hear about such opportunities to pick up a nice piano cheap.

Joe Kubera