Grand Piano Rating Scale
06-2006
Piano: Equivalent Car:
1st Class:
Bosendorfer Rolls-Royce
Steingraeber & Sons Ferrari
Fazioli Lamborghini
2nd Class: mostly German
Steinway (Hamburg) Porsche
Grotrian Porsche
Sauter BMW 740
Bechstein BMW 540
Pleyel Mercedes
Bluthner Mercedes
3rd Class: mostly German/American
Feurich Audi A8
August Forster Audi A8
Seiler AudiA6
Schimmel Audi A6
Steinway (NY) Cadillac
Mason & Hamlin Crown Victoria
Charles Walter Buick Park Ave.
Ibach Volvo
Shigeru (Kawai) Lexus
Yamaha S Acura
4th Class:
Broadwood Oldsmobile Aurora
Vogel VW Passat
Haessler VW Passat
Steinberg VW
Estonia VW Jetta
Petrof VW Jetta
Hoffman VW Cabrio
Schulz-Pollman VW Cabrio
Weinbach VW Cabrio
Kemble Nissan Altima
Yamaha C Toyota Avalon
Baldwin Chevy S-10
5th Class: mostly Japanese/Korean
Irmler Toyota Camry
Bohemia Toyota Camry
Kawai RX Toyota Camry
Samick World/Knabe Honda Accord
Young Chang Pramberger Honda Accord
Yamaha GC Honda Prelude
Kawai GM, GE Toyota Tercel
Boston Nissan Sentra
Young Chang C Nissan Sentra
Weber Nissan Sentra
6th Class: mostly Chinese
Yamaha GP1, GH1, GA1 Saturn
Samick – (Sohmer) Saturn
Wurlitzer - Chickering Geo
Samick – Indonesian Geo
Ritmueller Hyundai
Pearl River Hyundai
Nordiska Hyundai
Essex – Everett Hyundai
Perzina Hyundai
Bergmann Hyundai
Henry F. Miller – Wyman Hyundai
7th Class: mostly Chinese
Weber (Chinese) - Hyundai 1985 Yugo
Becker – Breitman – Chase 1985 Yugo
Hobart Cable – Story & Clark 1985 Yugo
Kohler & Campbell – Hayden 1985 Yugo
Hallet & Davis – Hazelton 1985 Yugo
Heintsman – Steck – Carl Ebel 1985 Yugo
Steinlager – Conover Cable 1985 Yugo
~ More piano names are added every year and others become discontinued, making current listing incomplete.
~ These are my personal rankings and stem from my professional experience in both playing and working on a great variety of pianos across the world.
~ Certain pianos (NY Steinway, Baldwin…) are more difficult to rate due to great inconsistency in production quality. These and others pianos can often leave the factory in poor condition, requiring much skilled work to make them into their intended ideal.
~ All pianos leave their factories at a certain % of their true potential; that level of completion which is deemed acceptable within set budgetary parameters. For some pianos, (higher quality) they may reach into the mid 90% of their inherent potential while others, can leave the factory at no more than 50% of their actual potential. One needs keep this in mind while purchasing; understanding that those pianos you see and hear are likely still only faint images of what skilled technical work can make them.
~ This list only deals with new grand pianos, but it can be generally assumed that the upright pianos made from same manufacturer will be of comparable quality.