Steinway&Sons B 1896 - Ebony Satin

Vintage Steinway Model B Grand Piano
Model B
88157
1896
6’ 10 ½”
Ebony satin
$150,900 Sale $68,500

There are Steinway Model B’s — and then there are instruments like this.

Built in 1896, this extraordinary Model B comes from one of the most celebrated periods in Steinway’s history. More than 125 years later, it retains the qualities pianists seek in the finest vintage Steinways: tremendous warmth, complexity of tone, remarkable sustain, and a musical personality that simply cannot be manufactured into a new instrument.

The piano was comprehensively rebuilt in 2018 outside of Boston by master piano technician George Crawford and has been barely played since. It has also just received a beautiful new ebony satin finish in sprayed lacquer, meticulously hand rubbed for the understated elegance associated with the finest Steinways.

The restoration was extensive. It includes a new pinblock, strings, tuning pins, backchecks, key bushings, and front rail bushings, as well as Renner hammers, shanks and knuckles, whippens, The pedal lyre assembly was rebuilt with new felt as well.

Yet one of the most important parts of this piano remains original: its magnificent Steinway soundboard.

The original soundboard is in excellent condition and has been carefully refinished. That is significant. A superb original soundboard can preserve the tonal character that makes a great vintage Steinway so distinctive, and this piano is a wonderful example.

The sound is immediately captivating. It has a warm, rich foundation, tremendous singing quality, and exceptional sustain. Notes seem to bloom and continue developing after they are played. This is one of the characteristics that separates a merely fine piano from a truly special one.

The bass has depth without becoming muddy. The middle register has warmth and color. The treble sings rather than becoming brittle. There is an extraordinary sense of continuity from one end of the instrument to the other.

The action is also on the easier side for a Steinway Model B. It offers the control and responsiveness serious pianists demand without the heavier feel sometimes encountered in large Steinways. The result is an instrument that invites you to play.

What makes a piano like this increasingly compelling is that it cannot simply be reproduced. Steinway was building extraordinary instruments at the end of the 19th century, using materials and methods belonging to a different era. As time passes, there will inevitably be fewer surviving examples capable of being restored to this level.

This is not simply an old Steinway that has been rebuilt. It is a great musical instrument from an extraordinary period of Steinway production that has been given a new life.

For the pianist who wants the tonal richness and individuality of a great vintage Steinway, together with the reliability and performance of a comprehensively restored instrument, this 1896 Steinway Model B presents a rare opportunity.

I especially like the opening “There are Steinway Model B’s — and then there are instruments like this.” It immediately establishes that this is not just another used Model B without resorting to hype.