Steinway vs Yamaha Grand Pianos

Steinway and Yamaha are the two names most people weigh up when they want a serious grand piano. Both are excellent, and they are aimed at different places. This is an honest comparison from a dealer who sells reconditioned Yamaha, so take our leaning into account, but we have tried to be fair about where each one wins.

The short version

A Steinway is a hand-built, top-end piano with a rich, singing tone, made in small numbers and priced to match. A Yamaha is superbly consistent, beautifully made on a larger scale, brighter and more precise in tone, and costs far less. For a concert soloist the Steinway is often the choice. For a home, a school or a studio on a budget, a Yamaha does a great deal of the same job for a fraction of the money.

Tone

Steinway is known for a warm, complex tone with plenty of colour and a singing top. Yamaha is known for clarity, evenness and a bright, focused sound that records and carries well, which is part of why so many teachers, studios and stages use it. Neither is right or wrong. Played side by side most people can tell them apart, and which you prefer is a matter of taste, not quality.

Build and consistency

Steinway builds each piano slowly and largely by hand, so there is more variation from one instrument to the next, which is why buyers like to choose the exact piano they hear. Yamaha’s great strength is consistency: a good Yamaha grand is reliably a good Yamaha grand. Both last for decades if looked after.

Price

This is the big one. A new Steinway grand starts around £70,000 for the smallest and runs past £180,000 for the concert model. A new Yamaha grand starts far lower, and a well-reconditioned Yamaha C-series from Japan, our speciality, costs a small fraction of a restored Steinway. Pound for pound, the Yamaha is a great deal more piano for the money.

Resale

A Steinway holds its value strongly, which softens the higher price if you ever come to sell. A good Yamaha holds its value well too, and because you paid so much less to begin with, the sums are smaller either way.

Which should you buy?

If you are a serious performer, or nothing but a Steinway will satisfy you, buy the Steinway, ideally a well-restored used one to soften the price. If you want a fine grand for a home, a school or a studio and you would rather not spend a house deposit, a reconditioned Yamaha C-series is the sensible, honest choice, and to most ears in a normal room the gap is far smaller than the price difference suggests.

The best way to decide is to play both. We keep a good range of reconditioned Yamaha grands and are happy for you to come and hear them, with no pressure either way.