tktoo
It really depends a lot on on what the pianist likes in a piano, not just the brand. A Steinway baby grand might be it, or maybe another brand might be best. You should go to a dealer and have them play a bunch of different ones.
There was a really interesting article in the New Yorker a few years back, profiling a woman who worked in a Steinway showroom with customers, helping them find just the right piano. She was a pianist herself but had injured her hand in a skiing accident, then found she was very gifted at helping people find the right instrument for themselves. Some were pros, some were amateurs, some liked one type of music, some another, some liked a dark, rich sound, others not so much, others came in thinking they knew exactly which model they wanted but picked something very different.
Below is her bio for a service she provides. The New Yorker article isn't online, I guess. Boo.
It's unfortunate spinets are almost all rather ugly as furniture. They certainly don't have to be. And if you don't happen to like the musical properties of a spinet with a nice case, well--tough luck, I guess. As a former musician, I would go with the one that sounds good and then I'd make a large cozy out of a beautiful Knoll fabric for it. (Haha, not really. Well, maybe.)
http://www.pianomatchmaker.com/Biography.htm
I remember a couple of...
I remember a couple of months back a seller on craigslist was selling a beautiful teak Danish mid-century modern spinet type piano. It was very nice, completey forgot who the maker was.
EDIT: Found a photo of the same piano via google. Apparently its made by Louis Zwicki.
Many thanks to all for the great advice
and apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread.
I should have been clearer with my question, though, and I can only offer my after-party state as an excuse. We are not realistically able to devote more space or great resources to keeping a piano at this point and, while there are some here with natural ability and training, we're not hosting any illusions of great talent.
So, I guess I was interested to know of any good uprights that might make a better visual fit with the mid-century upper middle-class vibe of our place without taking us a step down in quality or into the price range of high-end collectibles.
?
I have always wanted a 1966 Baldwin Acrosonic. The sweetest of the spinets.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pianoworks/3127720739/
we have
A Smith and Barnes (Chicago) that was previously a player piano. Probably right around 1900. Big, Handsome, LOUD. And it was free. The tuner said that it had been retrofitted quite a while ago and that the hammers were intentionally v. hard, making, as he put it, the piano sound like it should be in a saloon or whore house. A honky tonk piano. The son (8 years old) plays and it seems to suit him. But Piano's are kinda like swimming pools, once you have them, they are YOURS for good.
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