Gombessa I had my first chance since the start of the pandemic to sit down at a grand for about 15 minutes. And it turns out to be a really nice NY Steinway B. I only had about 15 minutes at the keys, but oh man it was nice.
Nice you had the opportunity!
Gombessa I personally have no real feelings towards Steinways.
I agree with you. They are often very nice instruments like the one(s) you tried. What I don't like is that they have been so successful at marketing, that people rave for them and because of that mystic aura, even the ones in horrible state which would deserve the dump (or be given away for total rebuild), sell for price outside of most people budgets. In the USA, it's much easier to find e.g. M&H (or even Baldwin and Knabe, some of which are very fine instruments) at a much lower price and in much better conditions.
David B Steinway B is the perfect size (6 - 7' range) for me if I was able to afford an acoustic piano.
Actually that range is the perfect size for single family homes, not just for you 😉
On the price, the price of a good, second hand, grand in that size is not very far from "what you can afford" like the digital you purchased with all the computer, software, speakers, ampli etc.
For example: https://www.pianomart.com/buy-a-piano/view?id=47660 (not sure if this is "good", but it's certainly worth a look… in fact it's the same model than mine and the serial numbers differ by just about 1000).
Of course if you want to buy new that's a different story, but with acoustic second hand from the same climate is arguably better, since you don't have to deal with string stretching, hammer felt voicing and wood settling.
