The George Steck Piano that you are playing was made by the Aeolian Company in NYC. They also made Weber, Chickering and Winter Pianos. The George Steck Piano was their "top of the line" instrument, much like the Cadillac was to General Motors. I have always loved the beautiful sound of a Steck piano and mine was actually amde in 1956. This piano you are playing sounds as good as many console Steinways I have heard, maybe even better. Once the Aeolian Company folded in the late 1980's, a Chinese piano maker, perhaps Pearl River purchased the George Steck name and these pianos, with the exact same fallboard hallmark are still produced today, but do not in any way compare with the quality, workmanship and pride that Aeolian put into the George Steck pianos thay made. Being a real George Steck piano fan, I am so thankful that you posted this video.
I have to tell you, I`ve grown to love the unique mixture of this channel: From 100000....$ Steinways to cheap digital pianos to... this. Love it, I hope you`ll continue in this vein!
I found a 1937 Bush & Gerts console at a thrift store for 125$ and it's been a total love story. I love the leaf blower idea, vacuumed mine with brushes. Very similar story though. When I pass it to my son, it will be over a century old (hopefully :) )
I like the fact that ur knowledgeable enough and willing to get ur hands dirty and take apart and clean and tune a piano. More talents than just playing the instrument. Great deal as well.
Only YOU can pull this off...youre a very. Talented and gifted young man...i lived in same town...Grass Valley Calif near Rough and Ready...lived below Bitneys corner and across from the Abra Cadabra thrift store on old Marysville hiway...but was LONG ago...decades before you were born!, early 1960s...i begged pleaded and cried for a piano AND begged..sadly my parents were cruel and I never got a piano... My dear husband got me a Boston/Steinway 6 ft grand on Valentine's to help me w grieving over my lifelong friends unexpected and sudden death from allergic reaction to latex....i love playing and learning to read music ..I admit it's NOT easy for my 67 yr old brain...but I'm obsessed with learning and even got an award for my learning playing Prelude and Fugue C major, I played for music festival awards...i felt silly with my being oldest person in the group...i was terrified BUT I didn't run away crying like I wanted...i get very nervous because I've never attended recitals...thats very important
BTW...i find all sorts of free or cheap pianos and I gift them to kids who are serious about learning to play..i also pay for their lessons but must be serious about practicing and learning...is my way of healing my past issues with cruel parents.
I bought my current piano for $100 back in 1997 and lit has been wonderful. I even moved it from TX to Hawaii. I believe it is an early 1970's model. But, I'm actually about to sell it finally because after 23 years I am finally upgrading to a new Kawai K-300 Aures.
I enjoyed this video a LOT. Thank you for doing a video for us older, long-time subscribers, who tire easily looking at the endless stream of digital pianos.
Great use of the leaf blower, 60+ years of dust and debris removed from the old girl in just a few seconds. It looks, and sounds like you've saved a gem.
Steck is a fantastic american piano.... my father was imported from us in iTaly a lot of time ago.... we had restored 1 2 month ago and it was amazing to play it again
Fantastic James! Steck was part of the Aeolian umbrella of piano companies. You did a great service keeping it from the dump or alley for the scrappers. Thank you!
We paid $200 for my 1973 baldwin acrosonic a few years ago. Everyone that hears and plays it says it is a very good piano for the price paid. I'm so glad you did this video on a similar priced piano
I wish I lived closer, I would buy this piano in a heart beat. It looks and sounds beautiful. Also, your enthusiasm about this instrument reminds me of your very early videos when you showed a lot of excitement for every instrument you played :-)
I have a mahogany Steinway that is 114 years old. I learned to play on it 60+ years ago. Original ivory keys which you won’t find today (legally) unless they come from salvage. The signatures of the builders are on the underside of the high octave keys. It’s been restored and will surely outlast me and I imagine another century plus. This piano maker of this maple studio piano was a German trained piano maker. Looks like a beautiful instrument and has a long life still in it. Glad it didn’t go the way of the dump!
I learned to play the piano on an acoustic one, over the years moving over to digital pianos, nothing has ever come close to replicating an acoustic piano for me, once you learn to use and play an acoustic piano, the feel, expressiveness, tonal quality, the slight vibration through the keys, everything else seems poor quality in comparison.
My teacher always said an acoustic piano is something alive, a digital piano is just circuits connected to a speaker, it doesn't have a "soul"... I started playing piano on a very cheap keyboard with 48 keys(Casio CTK-150), then another keyboard with 61 keys (Yamaha PSR-E233) and now I have a digital piano with 88 keys (Kawai KDP90). But where I enjoy it most is to play on a real acoustic piano whenever I can!
I was glancing away from the monitor and then I heard the motor rev up. I momentarily thought you decided to take a chain saw to your new purchase. That was so funny!
What a beautiful piano. It deserves to be played beautifully like this. Thanks for another superb video. You are very inspirational and a pleasure to watch.
I am a piano tuner. Another thing that is only found on an acoustic piano is overtones. These are technically tones created when a string you hit causes other strings to vibrate. This is actually an imperfection, but the world has become so used to them that when they are prevented by a digital piano. it causes the digital piano to sound sterile and like something is missing. To hear this effect, raise the top of the piano, hold the sustain pedal down with your foot, strike a note in the middle to high base, and at once mute the strings off that note you played with your finger. You will hear all sorts of tones rather quietly from various strings, usually at octave intervals, but also at fifths and other partials. This is one sound that is missing in the digital piano. The other sounds are from various places. The harp can actually create some sound, though faint. Even a single string can make more than one tone, which is called an overtone. And, most of all, tones can be set up between the bridges of the piano and the end of the string. And tones can be set up between three strings in one note, that is, tones other than the tone desired. These imperfections make an acoustic piano alive with sound that, so far, cannot be produced by a digital piano. The issue is not that the factories could not do this, and Yamaha is said to be considering it. The problem is, the overtone pattern in every piano is totally unique and different like every snow flake is different. This is also why piano tuners, and concert musicians, have a bad attitude toward digital pianos. They sound dead compared to the acoustic piano. I have to wonder if a music center is serious if they buy a digital piano, no matter how much they paid for it. I would not claim that the acoustic imperfections will never be added to digital pianos because some company will one day do it and make a fool of me. But, not yet. The last thought is this..... an electronic piano is a small runt compared to an acoustic piano, and the acoustic piano makes your home looks classy. And, you cannot ever call up a piano tuner/technician like me and expect him to repair your digital piano. But, I can repair your acoustic piano, and usually right in your home. The digital piano will have to be shipped to Rochester, New York or Seattle, Washington to be repaired. As to the eBay piano you bought, there are many deals like this out there. I would only add that the ideal is to shop nearer home so you can go play the piano before you buy it. Sorry for this huge epistle. I just thought it might be interesting.
Thats amazing, I bought an old Estey NY upright around 140cm tall made in 1919 while I still own Yamaha's digital model P515 and your commentary really said all. My Estey isnt in great condition but it does have a beautiful sound, just needs mechanical improvement to be great. Have you ever heard of that piano company? Were they any good? Im from Brazil so I dont know where to find more about the Estey company, if you're familiarized with them,please let me knoe! Thanks
How very beautiful. But one has to money to buy certain "class", at least to have the space and leisure time to accomodate a piano. I think a poor person entrains him/herself with a digital piano can also have class, also dignity.
Still working on overtone... it's like a new Physics topic for me =O But I can't really hear the thing... one thing for sure I could possibly differentiate digital piano sounding from the acoustic one. Interesting
the same applies to any "analogue " instrument . I'm a drummer and have played both accoustic and digital drums and digital stuff sounds sterile - and , to be honest , rather crappy - in comparison . I'm prety sure the same applies to accoustic and electric guitars
The size of this piano is considered a "console". Spinet pianos are generally 36-37 inches and have a drop action. This piano was 40 inches high and had a direct blow action and was a much better piano.
I've been in the market for a piano like this. I kept debating on getting a used digital piano, but I really want a console like this. I've been trying to remember what models to keep in mind, this is definitely one,
He should use a mask to block inhaling dust - I had bronchitis just from working on dusty filing cabinets ( the drowning sensation in the lungs isn't something that I want to experience ).
@@snoolee7950 The action can be lifted out after removing a few bolts, which is not difficult. The keys have to be individually removed, and care must be taken not to get them mixed up, though they typically have numbers imprinted on them, which is helpful. A grand piano has a different system wherein the action is directly attached to the key.
Bravo James! Thank you for saving this instrument from the trash heap! Some lucky student will get to enjoy it for quite a few years. Please do this again as there's a need for good student instruments that are affordable. It is so much better than a digital piano for the touch and actual way the sound develops in a room. If I was closer I would consider it for myself as I have been using high-end digitals for the last10 years and would love to have an acoustic "real" piano again. I have to admit I never saw that leaf blower coming! A little overkill? Regardless, great effort!
Hi James, Wow! What a great video. I got such a kick out of your leaf blower/ piano duster combo tool, lol. That was a great find and you proved that there are really great bargains out there. The piano sounded great and looked gorgeous as well. Your musical skill and expertise demonstrated the sound and capabilities of this fine piano. You do have a big advantage in the cost factor since you are able to set up and tune the piano. Even if someone had to pay for a cleaning and tuning, it is a great way to get a quality piano for so little money. If you went to a piano store and purchased a cheap new or very good used piano you would be spending in the thousands. Great Job James, you are quite a guy!!! Best wishes, Brad from Long Island
Time to form a Save the Pianos group!!! I am 70 and actually a fairly good pianist (with a fair amount of arthritis). I am also kinda broke right now. I really feel for some of the grand pianos, and even the cheap pianos (and cheap old ladies) who have been left to moulder. (I am not not mouldering, but re-thriving, myself, so this is just a thought about how I now have to play Pathetique Sonata and am learning Bohemian Rhapsody on a Roland keyboard as I no longer have a nice piano and I would absolutely baby a "rescued" one. I'll bet there are many of us out there. There certainly must be a way to get some of us together. Well, (hahaha) maybe if I continue to practice and be a nice old lady, there'll be a nice "rescued" piano waiting for me in heaven!
*goosebumps the moment you started playing, i was instantly mesmerized by the sound. Like, it kinda doesn't sound like an upright piano at all. kinda like a grand. It is indeed beautiful!
Just got my PSS A50 last week after seeing your F30 review. Can't wait for your A50 video! I really enjoyed the stereo micing on this video. Nice work.
I picked one up for free. It needed new keytops, a tuning, and I also reshaped and voiced the hammers and It sounds and plays great. Check piano adoption as you can find some good stuff being given away. Big reason you see so many adds for cheap pianos because they are generally only worth about 800 retail. A piano shop would have to pay to get ir moved which is beyween 200 and 600 usd depending on stairs and piano size so usually a piano store will not want it due to the low profit margins. They also are everywhere and look old and thus dont sell well. Usually they just need a small amount of work and can play as well as 100k pianos. If you find a turn of the century knabe baby grand, they usually sell for 100-300 usd and with about 5-10k worth of work from a competent piano rebuilder can sound and play better that a steinway. So for the price of a low end baby grand, you can have a piano that sounds better than a 150k piano
I'm glad you decided to review an old low cost piano. When I first saw it I was reminded of the Wurlitzer my parents bought for the family in 1965. It looks just like it with the solid maple construction. I still have it and it sounds about the same as your Steck though nobody plays it as well as you do.
Actually for a hundred bucks this is kinda insane, I don't know if you tuned it a little bit but it sounds better than some horrendous out of tune upright pianos on the market. Plus just that maple and the work put in it are worth more than 100$ in my opinion.
My first childhood piano was a1950's vintage George Steck upright. I had it for 20 years and absolutely loved it.Your video was bittersweet, making me nostalgic about my well-loved old friend. I wish I still had it.
He got lucky. The $100 piano sounds good to learn on and maybe more. Beautiful to look at. Of course the shipping will cost. I have a $2000 used piano which I didn't pay for. My lady friend gave it to me for free. This guy got lucky and so did I.
Good to see you back! We had a George Steck baby grand in our family and it was quite elegant! This piano looks very nice! Would be a nice instrument for a beginner! Nice review!
I loved this. I did something like that myself. I inherited, when my mother died, a 1940s Kimball Baby Grand. Mother was an Eastman grad and a fine pianist. I have never been all that good, although i try; but lately the arthritis in my fingers has gotten to the point where I really can't play the Kimball the way that it needs to be played. (My tuner says that by the serial number, it was either one of the last instruments made BEFORE WWII or one of the first made AFTER WWII.) I was able to find a free-to-good home 1935 Storey & Clark spinnet. I asked my tuner to go take a look at it, and if it was in decent shape to accept it for me. He said that it was in great shape considering that it had been enduring benign neglect, and didn't need any major surgury; he also said that a S&C was about the best spinnet one could get next to a Baldwin Acrosonic. I'm trying to get the Kimball to a good home. Unfortunately, around there there are two sorts of people who want a grand----serious musicians and those who think a grand looks classy. The former generally already have a grand; the latter, who don't care about the quality of a musical insturment, but how it looks as a part of the decor generally get a Pearl River or some other cheap Piano Shaped Object. I'm thinking of finding a church to donate it to, but I don't want it put in a Sunday School room for it to be banged on by kids--I want it to go somewhere that it can be played properly.
Hey law of probability- for every 10 kids that just ‘bang away’ there will be at least one child that learns and recites a song well ... maybe that will be worth it after all ...
Maybe reach out to some colleges/universities, music schools, or studios in your area? At the very least they might be able to connect you to a better recipient
I’d buy it if I already didn’t have 3 pianos and plans to get an organ. I love playing piano and looking at them. I also hope to rebuild my upright soon
This is a nice piano. I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I were a piano player. I really hope it goes to a good home where it will be respected and played properly for the beautiful work of art that it is.
Watch this video reminded me of the videos from "Hope for Paws" where the go out and rescue abandon dogs and cats. Pianos to me seem to have a soul and a voice. With a bit if TLC they come back to life when played either as a beginner or a accomplished musician. I hope it finds a good home with someone who can love it.
You're totally right. I own a 1909 Gaveau parlor grand made in Paris. It has had some maintenance done to it, but it still sounds better than some entry level new pianos
I don't have time to watch a 20+min video on youtube! However, I did watch it and got sucked in. Loved your passion for the instrument. That was a beautiful piano. Thanks for sharing!
I was just talking about this with a friend. I was like, sometimes you luck out with a piano that just works. One of my good friends had this little cheap $100 würlitzer piano. It felt so buttery and was so bright and loud but also had these great low bass notes as well. The keys themselves were different than a studio piano. They were smaller and narrow and I cant express how quick the action was. It was so extremely responsive. It was loads of fun to beat up. Such a great little piano. It was absolutely hideous though. It was not anything like the one you bought nor was like my Yamaha upright. Completely plain. Sometimes we would just leave the cover off completely just to play louder.
OMG this piano looks and sounds like my first piano, a Kranich &Bach console my parents bought for me in 1958. You played the Bach and Mozart beautifully. Your performance of the Beethoven piece was absolutely fantastic. Thank you for doing this amazing video.
This video was excellent. Not all of us can justify the cost of a very lovely Bosedorfer. This really helps with the idea that you have to settle for less.
My heart stopped when you played this piano! What a steal to get it for $100! If I lived somewhere relatively near you in the US, I would totally bid! I was given a keyboard as a gift last year and I feel bad for the giver but hate it--can't play dynamics, doesn't have pedals, just feels pointless. I would love, though, to find a very affordable pre-loved piano, preferably acoustic, in my part of the world. (I live in Indonesia.) I haven't played in awhile but if I find this piano I would love to learn songs I like, rather than the semi-classical pieces I was made to play from a book, how I was taught piano. Thank you so much for making this video, will check out your channel!
Man, I love your vids- I’ve had a piano for about 7 years now and I’ve played through the years but now I have a love for music and I just like watching your videos! 👍🏽 Edit: Holy shit, you played Wet Hands 😂
I have a 130 year old (at the least) Austrian-made upright piano. Ivory keys, deep sound. Would be near impossible to tune but it sounds gorgeous and is in great condition. I'll never have sold but this video has gotten me curious.
id buy it rn if i didnt live in a small upstairs appartment and live half way across the country but this is incredible thanks for showing us whats out there for so cheap but tbh whoever sold this either didnt know about the value that a piano of this calibure would hold or were in a huge rush to get rid of it because from just hearing it and hearing the good things u have to say about it 100$ is a throwaway price and the fact that they can even say it so directly that it would just be ditched is appalling it stood the test of time it deserves to be enjoyed as long as it can be i hope whoever decides to purchase this enjoys it nothing sadder than a perfectly good instrument rotting in a ditch
@@MrAgmoore nice man good luck on your piano journey its been about 2 months for me now but no formal lessons a few tutorials of some parts of some pieces from youtube but mostly self taught for me hard to find a in person teacher during covid here T_T
Very cool! my grandma had an old Kimball Spinet, nothing flashy, but those keys were the first I'd ever played and I think thats what gave me my love of pianos and keyboards. As a side note, I would love to see a video on the Yamaha CP80 from the 70s if you ever happen to come across one :)
I did NOT expect him to bust out into the Minecraft music... Sounds beautiful!
Me neither but I mean as he said it’s one beautiful piece
🤗
the tone of the piano fits it so well
@@variamente6855 same i wanna know
@@variamente6855 It's Wet Hands from Minecraft Volume Alpha
Such a cool/kind gesture to not only save, clean and tune the piano but put it back for the same price! Hope whoever gets it will truly enjoy it.
Sharing the
The George Steck Piano that you are playing was made by the Aeolian Company in NYC. They also made Weber, Chickering and Winter Pianos. The George Steck Piano was their "top of the line" instrument, much like the Cadillac was to General Motors. I have always loved the beautiful sound of a Steck piano and mine was actually amde in 1956. This piano you are playing sounds as good as many console Steinways I have heard, maybe even better. Once the Aeolian Company folded in the late 1980's, a Chinese piano maker, perhaps Pearl River purchased the George Steck name and these pianos, with the exact same fallboard hallmark are still produced today, but do not in any way compare with the quality, workmanship and pride that Aeolian put into the George Steck pianos thay made. Being a real George Steck piano fan, I am so thankful that you posted this video.
How much would this piano have cost new at the time?
I have to tell you, I`ve grown to love the unique mixture of this channel: From 100000....$ Steinways to cheap digital pianos to... this. Love it, I hope you`ll continue in this vein!
James you're probably the best pianist that has ever played that piano.
Somewhere, Billy Joel is heard saying 'hold my gin and tonic!' 🤪
James, that piano is still a beauty. And you played any music beautifully as well.
I found a 1937 Bush & Gerts console at a thrift store for 125$ and it's been a total love story. I love the leaf blower idea, vacuumed mine with brushes. Very similar story though.
When I pass it to my son, it will be over a century old (hopefully :) )
Cleaning a piano with a leaf blower and wearing a ThePianoGuys shirt.
How cool is that?!?
We were lucky enough to see The Piano Guys live in LA just before everything shut down.
I like the fact that ur knowledgeable enough and willing to get ur hands dirty and take apart and clean and tune a piano. More talents than just playing the instrument. Great deal as well.
Only YOU can pull this off...youre a very. Talented and gifted young man...i lived in same town...Grass Valley Calif near Rough and Ready...lived below Bitneys corner and across from the Abra Cadabra thrift store on old Marysville hiway...but was LONG ago...decades before you were born!, early 1960s...i begged pleaded and cried for a piano AND begged..sadly my parents were cruel and I never got a piano...
My dear husband got me a Boston/Steinway 6 ft grand on Valentine's to help me w grieving over my lifelong friends unexpected and sudden death from allergic reaction to latex....i love playing and learning to read music ..I admit it's NOT easy for my 67 yr old brain...but I'm obsessed with learning and even got an award for my learning playing Prelude and Fugue C major, I played for music festival awards...i felt silly with my being oldest person in the group...i was terrified BUT I didn't run away crying like I wanted...i get very nervous because I've never attended recitals...thats very important
BTW...i find all sorts of free or cheap pianos and I gift them to kids who are serious about learning to play..i also pay for their lessons but must be serious about practicing and learning...is my way of healing my past issues with cruel parents.
George Steck was the top in the 1950s. We had one in grade school Our teacher bought it new in 1950 and was still going good in 1982
George stick is a solid brand. I’ve got a 1941 grand and it is a solid piano!
Wow... Great video! Great idea!
I bought my current piano for $100 back in 1997 and lit has been wonderful. I even moved it from TX to Hawaii. I believe it is an early 1970's model. But, I'm actually about to sell it finally because after 23 years I am finally upgrading to a new Kawai K-300 Aures.
Nothing better than the sweet acoustic sounds reverberating in a solid wood embrace.
I have a George Steck piano waaay older than that one. I love it. My dad bought it used in 1963.
I enjoyed this video a LOT.
Thank you for doing a video for us older, long-time subscribers, who tire easily looking at the endless stream of digital pianos.
Great use of the leaf blower, 60+ years of dust and debris removed from the old girl in just a few seconds. It looks, and sounds like you've saved a gem.
I'm totally gobsmacked by how good this piano sounds! Was not expecting that.
I have a Yamaha and yours sounds just like mine note for note. Thank you for saving this beautiful piano from the junk yard.
Beautiful old instrument, you've given it a new lease on life! Great video!
For a second there I thought you were going to take a chainsaw to it xD
I was listening from a position where I couldn't see the picture, and wondered if a chainsaw ad had come on...
so if you need to blow out the dust of a piano you use a leaf blower or air compressor instead of a can of the stuff
Perfect piano for practice Bach! Sounds very nice and warm.
Steck is a fantastic american piano.... my father was imported from us in iTaly a lot of time ago.... we had restored 1 2 month ago and it was amazing to play it again
Fantastic James! Steck was part of the Aeolian umbrella of piano companies. You did a great service keeping it from the dump or alley for the scrappers. Thank you!
We paid $200 for my 1973 baldwin acrosonic a few years ago. Everyone that hears and plays it says it is a very good piano for the price paid. I'm so glad you did this video on a similar priced piano
I wish I lived closer, I would buy this piano in a heart beat. It looks and sounds beautiful.
Also, your enthusiasm about this instrument reminds me of your very early videos when you showed a lot of excitement for every instrument you played :-)
For a piano over 60 years old, it amazingly looks and sounds new!
I have a mahogany Steinway that is 114 years old. I learned to play on it 60+ years ago. Original ivory keys which you won’t find today (legally) unless they come from salvage. The signatures of the builders are on the underside of the high octave keys. It’s been restored and will surely outlast me and I imagine another century plus. This piano maker of this maple studio piano was a German trained piano maker. Looks like a beautiful instrument and has a long life still in it. Glad it didn’t go the way of the dump!
I learned to play the piano on an acoustic one, over the years moving over to digital pianos, nothing has ever come close to replicating an acoustic piano for me, once you learn to use and play an acoustic piano, the feel, expressiveness, tonal quality, the slight vibration through the keys, everything else seems poor quality in comparison.
There’s that sound that goes along with hitting the string where it kinda decays, the digital pianos leave that out
So true
My teacher always said an acoustic piano is something alive, a digital piano is just circuits connected to a speaker, it doesn't have a "soul"... I started playing piano on a very cheap keyboard with 48 keys(Casio CTK-150), then another keyboard with 61 keys (Yamaha PSR-E233) and now I have a digital piano with 88 keys (Kawai KDP90). But where I enjoy it most is to play on a real acoustic piano whenever I can!
I agree....but can't get my husband to understand that
I really enjoyed this kind of videos! Please more! Greetings from Germany
I was glancing away from the monitor and then I heard the motor rev up. I momentarily thought you decided to take a chain saw to your new purchase. That was so funny!
Wow that really does sound beautiful, you are very kind for selling it for the same price as you bought it!
You are a saint and a scholar! From a high end woodworker.
What a beautiful piano. It deserves to be played beautifully like this. Thanks for another superb video. You are very inspirational and a pleasure to watch.
I am a piano tuner. Another thing that is only found on an acoustic piano is overtones. These are technically tones created when a string you hit causes other strings to vibrate. This is actually an imperfection, but the world has become so used to them that when they are prevented by a digital piano. it causes the digital piano to sound sterile and like something is missing. To hear this effect, raise the top of the piano, hold the sustain pedal down with your foot, strike a note in the middle to high base, and at once mute the strings off that note you played with your finger. You will hear all sorts of tones rather quietly from various strings, usually at octave intervals, but also at fifths and other partials. This is one sound that is missing in the digital piano. The other sounds are from various places. The harp can actually create some sound, though faint. Even a single string can make more than one tone, which is called an overtone. And, most of all, tones can be set up between the bridges of the piano and the end of the string. And tones can be set up between three strings in one note, that is, tones other than the tone desired. These imperfections make an acoustic piano alive with sound that, so far, cannot be produced by a digital piano. The issue is not that the factories could not do this, and Yamaha is said to be considering it. The problem is, the overtone pattern in every piano is totally unique and different like every snow flake is different. This is also why piano tuners, and concert musicians, have a bad attitude toward digital pianos. They sound dead compared to the acoustic piano. I have to wonder if a music center is serious if they buy a digital piano, no matter how much they paid for it. I would not claim that the acoustic imperfections will never be added to digital pianos because some company will one day do it and make a fool of me. But, not yet. The last thought is this..... an electronic piano is a small runt compared to an acoustic piano, and the acoustic piano makes your home looks classy. And, you cannot ever call up a piano tuner/technician like me and expect him to repair your digital piano. But, I can repair your acoustic piano, and usually right in your home. The digital piano will have to be shipped to Rochester, New York or Seattle, Washington to be repaired. As to the eBay piano you bought, there are many deals like this out there. I would only add that the ideal is to shop nearer home so you can go play the piano before you buy it. Sorry for this huge epistle. I just thought it might be interesting.
Your comments are great! A brilliant insight into the finer details. Don't apologise!
Thats amazing, I bought an old Estey NY upright around 140cm tall made in 1919 while I still own Yamaha's digital model P515 and your commentary really said all. My Estey isnt in great condition but it does have a beautiful sound, just needs mechanical improvement to be great. Have you ever heard of that piano company? Were they any good? Im from Brazil so I dont know where to find more about the Estey company, if you're familiarized with them,please let me knoe! Thanks
How very beautiful. But one has to money to buy certain "class", at least to have the space and leisure time to accomodate a piano. I think a poor person entrains him/herself with a digital piano can also have class, also dignity.
Still working on overtone... it's like a new Physics topic for me =O
But I can't really hear the thing... one thing for sure I could possibly differentiate digital piano sounding from the acoustic one.
Interesting
the same applies to any "analogue " instrument . I'm a drummer and have played both accoustic and digital drums and digital stuff sounds sterile - and , to be honest , rather crappy - in comparison . I'm prety sure the same applies to accoustic and electric guitars
Thoroughly enjoyed this video! Some spinet pianos are really, really nice! Great vid, James. Also, Minecraft! Awesome.
The size of this piano is considered a "console". Spinet pianos are generally 36-37 inches and have a drop action. This piano was 40 inches high and had a direct blow action and was a much better piano.
It's so old-school American decent sounding Console. I actually like it very much. Good full tone and, well, vintage sounding.
I've been in the market for a piano like this. I kept debating on getting a used digital piano, but I really want a console like this. I've been trying to remember what models to keep in mind, this is definitely one,
I love how you cleaned it with the leaf blower 🤣
It was not a leaf blower... it was a gas-powered piano duster :D
OMG I was dying. So unexpected
He should use a mask to block inhaling dust - I had bronchitis just from working on dusty filing cabinets ( the drowning sensation in the lungs isn't something that I want to experience ).
Had a good laugh when he did that :)
@@snoolee7950 The action can be lifted out after removing a few bolts, which is not difficult. The keys have to be individually removed, and care must be taken not to get them mixed up, though they typically have numbers imprinted on them, which is helpful. A grand piano has a different system wherein the action is directly attached to the key.
Bravo James! Thank you for saving this instrument from the trash heap! Some lucky student will get to enjoy it for quite a few years. Please do this again as there's a need for good student instruments that are affordable. It is so much better than a digital piano for the touch and actual way the sound develops in a room. If I was closer I would consider it for myself as I have been using high-end digitals for the last10 years and would love to have an acoustic "real" piano again. I have to admit I never saw that leaf blower coming! A little overkill? Regardless, great effort!
Hi James,
Wow! What a great video. I got such a kick out of your leaf blower/ piano duster combo tool, lol.
That was a great find and you proved that there are really great bargains out there.
The piano sounded great and looked gorgeous as well. Your musical skill and expertise demonstrated the sound and capabilities of this fine piano. You do have a big advantage in the cost factor since you are able to set up and tune the piano. Even if someone had to pay for a cleaning and tuning, it is a great way to get a quality piano for so little money. If you went to a piano store and purchased a cheap new or very good used piano you would be spending in the thousands.
Great Job James, you are quite a guy!!!
Best wishes,
Brad from Long Island
Time to form a Save the Pianos group!!! I am 70 and actually a fairly good pianist (with a fair amount of arthritis). I am also kinda broke right now. I really feel for some of the grand pianos, and even the cheap pianos (and cheap old ladies) who have been left to moulder. (I am not not mouldering, but re-thriving, myself, so this is just a thought about how I now have to play Pathetique Sonata and am learning Bohemian Rhapsody on a Roland keyboard as I no longer have a nice piano and I would absolutely baby a "rescued" one. I'll bet there are many of us out there. There certainly must be a way to get some of us together. Well, (hahaha) maybe if I continue to practice and be a nice old lady, there'll be a nice "rescued" piano waiting for me in heaven!
Loved the part with the leaf blower, That was cool ! Piano was obviously kept indoors it's entire life, Sounded Great ! Good Job !
*goosebumps
the moment you started playing, i was instantly mesmerized by the sound. Like, it kinda doesn't sound like an upright piano at all. kinda like a grand. It is indeed beautiful!
Just got my PSS A50 last week after seeing your F30 review. Can't wait for your A50 video! I really enjoyed the stereo micing on this video. Nice work.
I kept seeing listings for 100$ acoustic pianos and never really thought they were any good but I mean now you’ve changed my mind
Just make sure you’re getting the real deal.
I picked one up for free. It needed new keytops, a tuning, and I also reshaped and voiced the hammers and It sounds and plays great. Check piano adoption as you can find some good stuff being given away.
Big reason you see so many adds for cheap pianos because they are generally only worth about 800 retail. A piano shop would have to pay to get ir moved which is beyween 200 and 600 usd depending on stairs and piano size so usually a piano store will not want it due to the low profit margins. They also are everywhere and look old and thus dont sell well. Usually they just need a small amount of work and can play as well as 100k pianos. If you find a turn of the century knabe baby grand, they usually sell for 100-300 usd and with about 5-10k worth of work from a competent piano rebuilder can sound and play better that a steinway. So for the price of a low end baby grand, you can have a piano that sounds better than a 150k piano
I actually am learning "Wet hands" right now.
Nice coincidence.
I would love to get this piano but it's a long way from you to Romania. =))
Remember to wet your hands
I'm glad you decided to review an old low cost piano. When I first saw it I was reminded of the Wurlitzer my parents bought for the family in 1965. It looks just like it with the solid maple construction. I still have it and it sounds about the same as your Steck though nobody plays it as well as you do.
Actually for a hundred bucks this is kinda insane, I don't know if you tuned it a little bit but it sounds better than some horrendous out of tune upright pianos on the market.
Plus just that maple and the work put in it are worth more than 100$ in my opinion.
I’ve got a 1941 George steak model N baby grand from New York. They are solid pianos!
Wonderful lessons here. Thanks for the rescue. That needle point seat is alone worth the price.
That little console piano sounds as good as a quite decent studio upright.
Nah still good but nah
My first childhood piano was a1950's vintage George Steck upright. I had it for 20 years and absolutely loved it.Your video was bittersweet, making me nostalgic about my well-loved old friend. I wish I still had it.
I love finds like this. And often, they become our greatest treasures. In a way, its how a came into my Hammond S6 Congrats James
He got lucky. The $100 piano sounds good to learn on and maybe more. Beautiful to look at. Of course the shipping will cost. I have a $2000 used piano which I didn't pay for. My lady friend gave it to me for free. This guy got lucky and so did I.
James flexing all over that piano!! One of his best videos!
Wrecking a master craftmanship unit like would have been a sacrilege. Glad you saved it.
Really enjoyed this video....I’m new to your channel but would welcome more videos like this.Nice job.
That was great playing on a beautiful old piano.
What a splendid project, I hope you do it again! I very much enjoyed watching this video!!!
Gorgeous piano! What a lovely sound! :) I enjoyed the concert! Nice!
The beautiful needlepoint bench is worth a great deal of money, too.
Good to see you back! We had a George Steck baby grand in our family and it was quite elegant! This piano looks very nice! Would be a nice instrument for a beginner! Nice review!
How do you not have more subscribers? Glad the algorithm brought me to this video.
Yea, me too. Just found him recently =O
I loved this. I did something like that myself.
I inherited, when my mother died, a 1940s Kimball Baby Grand. Mother was an Eastman grad and a fine pianist. I have never been all that good, although i try; but lately the arthritis in my fingers has gotten to the point where I really can't play the Kimball the way that it needs to be played. (My tuner says that by the serial number, it was either one of the last instruments made BEFORE WWII or one of the first made AFTER WWII.) I was able to find a free-to-good home 1935 Storey & Clark spinnet. I asked my tuner to go take a look at it, and if it was in decent shape to accept it for me. He said that it was in great shape considering that it had been enduring benign neglect, and didn't need any major surgury; he also said that a S&C was about the best spinnet one could get next to a Baldwin Acrosonic.
I'm trying to get the Kimball to a good home. Unfortunately, around there there are two sorts of people who want a grand----serious musicians and those who think a grand looks classy. The former generally already have a grand; the latter, who don't care about the quality of a musical insturment, but how it looks as a part of the decor generally get a Pearl River or some other cheap Piano Shaped Object. I'm thinking of finding a church to donate it to, but I don't want it put in a Sunday School room for it to be banged on by kids--I want it to go somewhere that it can be played properly.
@ BRUCE! Hope that You can find a GOOD home for the BABY GRAND! And not a bunch of children banging away on the instrument! BLESSED BE!
Hey law of probability- for every 10 kids that just ‘bang away’ there will be at least one child that learns and recites a song well ... maybe that will be worth it after all ...
Maybe reach out to some colleges/universities, music schools, or studios in your area? At the very least they might be able to connect you to a better recipient
I’d buy it if I already didn’t have 3 pianos and plans to get an organ. I love playing piano and looking at them. I also hope to rebuild my upright soon
@@cartilagehead Tried that.
Wonderful video This piano will surely get a new home..
That beautiful piano sold for only $285. Someone got a great deal.
Great vid, and beautiful piano for the price. You should make more vids like this one
I just loved this video
This is a nice piano. I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I were a piano player. I really hope it goes to a good home where it will be respected and played properly for the beautiful work of art that it is.
Love how you got the dust out.
I'm eagerly waiting for the new es series released last month. Great video!
Please continue this series!
Please make more videos like this James!
Watch this video reminded me of the videos from "Hope for Paws" where the go out and rescue abandon dogs and cats. Pianos to me seem to have a soul and a voice. With a bit if TLC they come back to life when played either as a beginner or a accomplished musician. I hope it finds a good home with someone who can love it.
You're totally right. I own a 1909 Gaveau parlor grand made in Paris. It has had some maintenance done to it, but it still sounds better than some entry level new pianos
I don't have time to watch a 20+min video on youtube! However, I did watch it and got sucked in. Loved your passion for the instrument. That was a beautiful piano. Thanks for sharing!
I'm glad you rescued this beautiful instrument from destruction, and you will obviously put it to good use.
I was just talking about this with a friend. I was like, sometimes you luck out with a piano that just works. One of my good friends had this little cheap $100 würlitzer piano. It felt so buttery and was so bright and loud but also had these great low bass notes as well. The keys themselves were different than a studio piano. They were smaller and narrow and I cant express how quick the action was. It was so extremely responsive. It was loads of fun to beat up. Such a great little piano. It was absolutely hideous though. It was not anything like the one you bought nor was like my Yamaha upright. Completely plain. Sometimes we would just leave the cover off completely just to play louder.
OMG this piano looks and sounds like my first piano, a Kranich &Bach console my parents bought for me in 1958. You played the Bach and Mozart beautifully. Your performance of the Beethoven piece was absolutely fantastic. Thank you for doing this amazing video.
Glad to hear you tuned it. The touch on a console is so much different than on a digital piano. Sounds good.
14:24 Love it! Here it really starts to shine.
What's the name of that piece
I love this video, that's all I wanted to say.
I played that four-hand mozart piece. Awesome job man.
Fantastic sound
yOU MADE ME CRY OVER THAT AMAZING MINECRAFT SOUND
Nostalgia hitting hard, aye? Yeh me too
that piano and stool both look beautiful.
This video was excellent. Not all of us can justify the cost of a very lovely Bosedorfer. This really helps with the idea that you have to settle for less.
My heart stopped when you played this piano! What a steal to get it for $100! If I lived somewhere relatively near you in the US, I would totally bid! I was given a keyboard as a gift last year and I feel bad for the giver but hate it--can't play dynamics, doesn't have pedals, just feels pointless. I would love, though, to find a very affordable pre-loved piano, preferably acoustic, in my part of the world. (I live in Indonesia.) I haven't played in awhile but if I find this piano I would love to learn songs I like, rather than the semi-classical pieces I was made to play from a book, how I was taught piano. Thank you so much for making this video, will check out your channel!
Man, I love your vids- I’ve had a piano for about 7 years now and I’ve played through the years but now I have a love for music and I just like watching your videos! 👍🏽
Edit: Holy shit, you played Wet Hands 😂
I have a 130 year old (at the least) Austrian-made upright piano. Ivory keys, deep sound. Would be near impossible to tune but it sounds gorgeous and is in great condition. I'll never have sold but this video has gotten me curious.
What a nice find !
Love the choice of music wet hands is legendary
id buy it rn if i didnt live in a small upstairs appartment and live half way across the country but this is incredible thanks for showing us whats out there for so cheap but tbh whoever sold this either didnt know about the value that a piano of this calibure would hold or were in a huge rush to get rid of it because from just hearing it and hearing the good things u have to say about it 100$ is a throwaway price and the fact that they can even say it so directly that it would just be ditched is appalling it stood the test of time it deserves to be enjoyed as long as it can be i hope whoever decides to purchase this enjoys it nothing sadder than a perfectly good instrument rotting in a ditch
Kinda sucks living in shared accomodation. I just had my first piano lesson October 9th.
@@MrAgmoore nice man good luck on your piano journey its been about 2 months for me now but no formal lessons a few tutorials of some parts of some pieces from youtube but mostly self taught for me hard to find a in person teacher during covid here T_T
First time on this channel, does anyone else see young luke? I think the force is strong with this one..
Please do more of these!
Mr. Gould smiles... You are incontrovertibly likable, Mr. Shawcross!
Wow! You’ve definitely put in you practice time as a younger student! I wanted to play secondo on the the Mozart duet with you😊👌🏼🎹
I appreciate you doing this for us, the ones that want a piano but don't really pay and would like to learn.
Loved this video and the pieces of music you played. Great sounding and looking piano.
Very cool! my grandma had an old Kimball Spinet, nothing flashy, but those keys were the first I'd ever played and I think thats what gave me my love of pianos and keyboards.
As a side note, I would love to see a video on the Yamaha CP80 from the 70s if you ever happen to come across one :)
I have an 1966 upright George Steck Piano also, but needs some restoration, seeing this video has inspired me to do it!!! :B