Used Piano Buyers Guide
The Used Steinway Buyers Guide is designed to assist you in your journey in selecting a genuine used Steinway piano—from learning about how a Steinway is built and rebuilt, to what makes a Steinway a genuine Steinway and what factors to consider when shopping the used-Steinway market. We offer three types of pre-owned pianos.
Pre-Owned
A properly maintained Steinway will last for many decades and provide musical enjoyment to multiple owners. Older pianos can have wonderful musical and aesthetic character and be an excellent value for a discerning buyer.
Steinway Heirloom Collection
A Steinway of uncommon character that plays like new, the Steinway Heirloom Collection was created to distinguish the finest vintage Steinway pianos in the world — rebuilt, Steinway Factory–Restored and hand-painted to look and play like new. Unlike pianos you may find elsewhere, the rebuilt Steinway Factory–Restored quality and authenticity of these instruments are 100%–certified by Steinway & Sons. Each Steinway Heirloom piano is a handcrafted work of art, expressing the unique design elements and personality of the historic era in which it was created.
Certified Pre-Owned
Get the peace of mind from knowing your used Steinway is a true Steinway. Available for Steinway & Sons grand pianos 30 years or younger, the Steinway Certified Pre-Owned program can be found at select Steinway retail locations. Each CPO instrument includes a 74-point checklist to ensure authenticity, condition and performance. Any repair or replacement to a CPO instrument is done with 100% genuine Steinway parts. All CPO instruments come with a signed inspection report with matching serial number, a Steinway Certified Pre-Owned warranty certificate with matching serial number, and a Steinway Certified Pre-Owned rim stamp on the piano itself. Steinway Certified Pre-Owned instruments come with a three-year limited warranty.
When you purchase any Certified Pre-owned Steinway, you have the option within five years of the date of purchase to receive 100% of the original purchase price in trade toward a new Steinway grand. That is The Steinway Promise.
Learn More about our Certified Pre-Owned program.
100% STEINWAY • 100% GUARANTEED
Pre-Owned, vintage, and restored Steinway pianos are prized for their unique beauty and enduring value. However, for years, non-Steinway dealers and unauthorized piano rebuilders have created a great deal of confusion in the piano industry. Many piano rebuilders use inferior non-Steinway parts, seriously compromising an instrument’s performance and investment value. Buying a pre-owned piano directly from Steinway assures the highest quality instruments backed by the original builders.
If it doesn’t have 12,116 genuine Steinway parts, it isn’t a Steinway.
Steinway never sells its soundboards
The soundboard lies at the heart of a Steinway grand or upright piano, which is why Steinway & Sons takes great care in its design and in the selection of the wood used. The soundboard is a critical component in producing the inimitable “Steinway Sound”.
Steinway sells their soundboards to no one, since the skill, expertise and machinery necessary to replace a soundboard is only available at the Steinway factory. So if a used Steinway was restored somewhere other than the Steinway Restoration Center, it may still have the Steinway & Sons trademark logo on it, but if it doesn’t have a genuine Steinway soundboard, it has lost the internal magic that makes it a Steinway.
a legacy of Innovation
The very first Steinway & Sons patent was granted in 1857, and the company has been granted more than 125 additional patents since, positioning the Steinway as the piano by which all others are judged.
This evolving innovation is recognized by concert halls throughout the world that cater to the most discriminating pianists. Quality, without compromise, is reflected with each new patent and design. A Steinway will last for many decades — but it is pianos younger than ten years old that are the choice of world’s best artists and most pretigious stages.
“Strive always to improve the instrument.”
Henry E. Steinway
When considering a pre-owned Steinway, it is essential to remember that a Steinway will only feature patents preceding the date of its completion. This means that a Steinway grand completed on March 5, 1923, will NOT include innovations or advancements as:
August 18, 1936 • Patent #2051633
The soundboard lies at the heart of a Steinway grand or upright. The current production of the Steinway & Sons soundboard is based on a 1936 patent to achieve optimum performance in dynamic range, and maximum sustain. Under this patent, the soundboard is gradually tapered from the center to the edge, permitting freedom of movement and creating a sound of unparalleled richness, sonority, and sustain.
May 28, 1963 • Patent #3091149
Due to the unique design of the Steinway pinblock all Steinways hold their tuning longer. The secret lies in the grain of the wood. The grain of each layer is positioned at 45 degrees to the grain in the next layer. As a result, the tuning pins are exposed on all sides to the tenacious grip of the maple’s end grain. The tighter the grip on the tuning pins, the longer the piano stays in tune.
Tomorrow’s Piano Today
Our company’s latest innovation, the Steinway & Sons Spirio, is the world’s finest high resolution player piano. A masterpiece of craftsmanship, technology and artistry, Spirio provides an unrivaled musical experience, indistinguishable from a live performance.
find your Steinway
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