Steinway has a history that is most unique to the piano industry – so much so that many books have been written on the company and its history. Steinway pianos have become as much of a status symbol as they are a wonderful musical instrument. For those who are concerned with musical value over status symbols, most would argue that there are several brands much better than Steinway. In fact, in the widely-accepted piano ratings found in The Piano Book, Steinway is ranked 9th. But for over 150 years, Steinway has been the best that America has to offer, so their popularity in America is fueled by a rich history, placements in concert halls across America, Steinway’s Concert Artist endorsement program and a savvy marketing department. The superior-rated European brands tend to market less in the U.S. and they build far fewer pianos (100-1000 annual production) than Steinway (5000 annual production), so their notoriety among non-musicians in America is scarce.

During the purchasing process, the allure of owning a new or used Steinway is at some point met with the challenge of deciding if owning the Steinway name is more important than owning a superior musical instrument for less money. Restored Steinways are often highly pursued over new Steinways, largely fueled by unique cabinet styles, the history of a particular restored Steinway model or serial number and the widespread belief that older Steinways are simply better and more musically desirable than new ones.

These days, the Steinway allure is a little more diluted than in decades past, as Steinway now markets a mid-grade (made by Kawai) and lower-grade (made by Pearl River) piano that are “Designed by Steinway”, giving Steinway an opportunity to earn business from other market segments. In Steinway’s defense, this is a popular marketing strategy in many industries, but some of the top brands in the piano industry have avoided this practice.