FULL ARTICLE: https://www.livingpianos.com/articles/are-modern-pianos-actually-worse-than-golden-era-pianos/

I recently bought a 1911 Kurtzmann 6' grand in a walnut art case. It was someone's family heirloom that was rebuilt in midlife, then rarely played, apparently saved for two children that didn't take more than two months of lessons. Beginner books were still in the bench from 25 years ago. It lost its family in a move. It is a glorious sound, on par with M&H or Steinway, and a far better living room piano than any modern instrument.  I am a hobby pianist, and it is perfect for my needs.  A professional or graduate student would want the action of a modern piano, but they have to be able to absorb the price tag. The hard part about golden-era pianos is finding one that hasn't been mistreated, back in the days before central air conditioning was common.  I feel very fortunate to have found this one, in a good climate for old pianos. And I found a local tech with 50 years experience, so I have help to take care of it. I'm the kind of person who owns stick-shift cars from the previous century. It takes a special type of person to become a custodian of a working antique. It's not for everybody.

The Baldwin SF 10 from the 60s that belonged to my piano teacher, who was a Baldwin artist, is still my favorite sounding piano.  It was meticulously maintained and used in close to  1000 concerts since it normally traveled with him to performances.

the most beautiful pianos I have played in the last 50 years: a 1860's Steinway, a 1880's Steinway, a 1920's Pleyel concert grand (probably the best piano I've ever encountered) and two 1890's Blüthners with aliquot strings. I have heard some exceptional Gaveaus and Erards too while attending recitals, not to mention some pre 1850's period instruments. I have played new Fazioli, Steinway and Yamaha concert grands and they were indeed very consistent technically, but their evenness of tone was also their problem when it came to music which required singing qualities and diversity of register: too much muscle and too little poetry. My take...
Cheers, Willem (Belgium, so from a European perspective)

Robert, this is extraordinarily written and presented--a valuable contribution to the piano community!

I have tried many vintage and new pianos at respected piano stores, and occasionally I have played a vintage piano at a venue, but nothing pleases me as much as the Shigeru Kawai EX. Through a combination of insanity and sacrifice, we bought one and have owned it over 4 years. It is beautiful, has a singing tone, is responsive and holds its tune beautifully. I love the millennium III action, the power and the delicacy. But that’s just my taste and my experience. I have played pianos that sound harsh to me that other people love.

I have lived these ideas presented in this video. My original practice instrument was a Bosendorfer Imperial, probably the best pianoforte ever created, made available to me in a performance hall showroom on a daily basis many years ago by a kind piano seller.

Today I own two "Golden Era" grand pianos: an 1883 Steinway Model A which is 6', and a 1936 Bluthner 5'5" Model IV. I prefer the Bluthner. The tone of both can only be described as sublime...but that took time to create...I am a craftsman on piano by necessity.

Like Robert, I am a sucker for the tonal characteristics of aged wood (like classical guitars which have aged wood 50 years plus) and original action with older but serviceable felts...but it comes at a cost in workmanship and perhaps inconvenience...you have to fiddle with these old pianos now and then, and that fiddling is not easy to learn...and you need both a good ear and technical skills to play the tech game...or else you won't know when things are better or worse!

I might have to reshape a knuckle, or reshape a hammerhead, or readjust the position of the hammerhead over the strings. Sometimes a 100 year old hammershank breaks, and I have to fix it...or get another old one from a tech friend.

And tuning is an every other day thing for a string or two, due to temp and humidity changes, even when the tuning pins are tight...even in a fully climate and humidity controlled home. But I'm a perfectionist as regards tuning.

If it needs new felts throughout, I just put them in. The Steinway only gets Steinway parts. Bluthner gets Bluthner parts.

If the piano was properly stored, and was not damaged by mold, you can likely bring it back...but Robert is correct in that it should be inspected by someone who knows old pianos.

I would feel confident buying an old piano from Robert.

I spent 1.2 years restoring the Steinway...that journey was recorded from selection at the dealership to end on a YouTube Channel having 387 videos on RESTORING AN OLD STEINWAY PIANO. (I don't sell pianos, unless someone prys one out of my hands with a crowbar. I restore them for my personal use only.)

As Robert says, and I agree with all he says here, there is a magic of sound to the old pianos. It's crisper, sweeter, with more sustain.

That said, I would take a new or used Bosendorfer Imperial or Steinway model D joyously.

Old pianos are a complex equation, often unrestored ones are less expensive, the best have good bones, and the reality is...the quality of the end result of the restoration is no better than the sum of all the work done on each area of the piano serviced.

Such curious finger extending during the Chopin beginning @2:36

I wouldn't trade our Chickering grand (5'7"), made in 1965 for anything. It is golden. My father, a professional pianist purchased it in 1966 and it only lived in my parent's living room, and now in my family room, a quarter mile away. It has been lovingly maintained for 60 years.

It is commonly said among the serious, that the Steinway pianos of the 30's were the finest of all.

Did the hammer felt on golden age pianos come from the wool of old-growth sheep?

I’m watching now. The only reason I want a new SK-6 from Kawai is because I believe I’ll be getting a consistent product. Vintage instruments are a giant question mark.

We have an old M&H parlor grand at church with an action that is a wreck -- completely worn out. But it has an incredible singing tone that beats the other piano, a newer Steinway B, hands down.

Wait, there are uprights in 6 digits? Mind making a video on those. My ambitions seemingly end at the Grotrian upright which is fully packed seems to be around $80k US

As someone who has replaced many soundboards, I would argue that the constant pressure from the strings slowly degrades the wood itself over time. Beyond loosing crown, the unique shape the soundboard is forced into when it is originally manufactured, I find the wood itself becomes compressed, brittle, and far less resonant. Even with replaced strings, bridge caps, and well prepped hammers there are almost always deficiencies and compromises that an expertly crafted new soundboard overcomes with ease. This particularly applies to pianos that are now 100+ years old. When it comes to pianos from the 50s and 60’s I think your claim still holds.

It is good to hear that an old piano is not garbage, as most people say. I inherited an old Upright Bechstein, built in 1899. It has been restored in 2003 and tuned regularly, although it still needs some fine adjustements. As you said, it is project not just a piano !!

The key difference in acoustic vs digitals: let the ears decide vs let the fingers decide which action sucks the least

I would have to play and hear the two different pianos side-by-side of the same model,  manufacturer and Voice as similar as possible but different vintages to tell the difference.

I wouldn't trade my 1926 Chickering grand for 1000 Yamahas that have no personality.

fascinating, thank yoi