Commissioned a 112 Key Stuart & Sons Piano

[Nathanael_I]

I mentioned to Dave Ferris a week or two ago that I commissioned a new concert grand piano.  Before pandemic, he tipped me off to the Kawai RX-7 that sits in my music room, and he has invested in his own Model D concert grand.  There's a piano-oriented membership here, alongside the synth and organ oriented crew, and he thought this would be of interest, and I agreed to start a thread. 

 

First, yes, this is AMAZING.  It is a dream come true, I'm still beyond excited.  Second, yes, it's "expensive" - not more or less so than other top-quality concert grands clad in exotic veneers, but really, this isn't important to the story or why it matters musically, or why I wanted it.  It's just a thing that's inconveniently true, but it isn't all that interesting past the shock value.  My wife was immediately supportive, simply saying, "That's the most `you' thing you've ever proposed!".  And that's when it got serious and I had my journey through that shock.  But really, I've wanted to do this for a decade, and it was possible, and so I did it.  There's not really more to say about the cost, so I'm not planning to say much more.  I'd rather talk about what makes it of value to me and I believe the piano playing and music listening world.

 

Next, the basics, then I'll post more about the why and the process.  I'm happy to answer questions as I can. 

 

The basics:  I commissioned a new Stuart and Sons concert grand piano in January. I expect delivery Aug-Nov next year. This instrument will be a world’s first:  112 keys, 9’10” long, 4 pedals.  It will be covered in highly figured curly redwood veneer that I picked out up North in California (I live in NorCal, north of SF).  This will be Wayne’s life masterwork.  The compass is one full octave above and below an 88 note instrument. I feel beyond excited. It’s like owning a Monet or some other artifact of Western Civilization. The pinnacle of the evolution of the acoustic piano…. I was just visiting Wayne in Australia a month ago. The plate is cast, almost all the parts are on hand and construction is about to start in earnest.

[Nathanael_I]

The short version of the backstory: 

Wayne Stuart's pianos captivated me the first time I heard a recording 13 years ago. They immediately went to the top of the ‘pianos I hope to play one day” list.   I started correspondence with Wayne seven years or so ago, and made it out to see him three years ago.  After playing a 102 key (down to C under the normal A and up to F instead of C at the top), I was immediately taken. I’ve played all the Faziolis except the 308, and thoroughly enjoyed them. I’ve played one or two truly excellent Steinways and Bosendorders. Wayne was a Bosendorfer master tech in his twenties. His pianos are shockingly well regulated. Fazioli is the best comparison as they tend to be very well prepared.   The 102 key piano I played was the finest piano I have played anywhere in the world, and Wayne insisted that the 108 key had evolved past it, and promises me the 112 will outdo the 108.  At this point I've played several of Wayne's instruments at 97 and 102 key sizes - all have thrilled.

A short version of what I find special about the instruments:

 

Wayne's instruments play higher & lower, brighter and softer, and louder and quieter than any other piano.  There is no tenor break.  The sustain is radically improved compared to a traditional piano from even the finest makes.  These statements  are objectively true and easily verifiable.   The piano sound is NOT a European sound like a Fazioli, or a Bechstein or a Bosendorfer.  It can be more complex and brighter than a Steinway sound, and is about the opposite of a Steingraeber & Sohne's take on grand pianos.  It is a modern sound - brighter and with richer harmonics as the volume increases than old design pianos.  Yet it can be warm and intimate due to the 4th "half blow" pedal.  This is not accidental and reflects Wayne Stuarts strong desire to make a new instrument, with new sounds, for a new century.  He believes the piano should never have stopped evolving in the late 1880's.  All this resonates with me, and I find myself very aligned with the philosophy and the result.

 

I believe them to be the finest pianos in the world. This later bit is, of course, the opinion of one man, and I'll happily celebrate your choice. 

 

And one amazing thing that is hard to imagine until it happens.... It's possible to have a piano built and customized for you.  And it's not that different from ordering a guitar, bass, synth or drum kit - all of which I've done, paid for and waited for.  I picked the veneer, and literally shopped for the redwood slabs myself.  I get to make a few other cosmetic choices along the way.  Most of it is Wayne, naturally. But yes, one can actually commission something as amazing as a piano!

[DeltaJockey]

Congratulations on your instrumental journey, I am so envious! The nearest claim I will ever have to this,  is that I lived in the mountains near Tumut, my "big smoke" shopping town, and my kids were born in the area. (Long before Wayne moved there though.)

Like you, I am excited about the continued evolution of the acoustic piano, sadly the nearest I could ever come to experiencing a Stuart & Sons piano is to go for a drive and get a factory tour!

 

best of luck!

[dazzjazz]

4 hours ago, Nathanael_I said:

I mentioned to Dave Ferris a week or two ago that I commissioned a new concert grand piano.  Before pandemic, he tipped me off to the Kawai RX-7 that sits in my music room, and he has invested in his own Model D concert grand.  There's a piano-oriented membership here, alongside the synth and organ oriented crew, and he thought this would be of interest, and I agreed to start a thread. 

 

First, yes, this is AMAZING.  It is a dream come true, I'm still beyond excited.  Second, yes, it's "expensive" - not more or less so than other top-quality concert grands clad in exotic veneers, but really, this isn't important to the story or why it matters musically, or why I wanted it.  It's just a thing that's inconveniently true, but it isn't all that interesting past the shock value.  My wife was immediately supportive, simply saying, "That's the most `you' thing you've ever proposed!".  And that's when it got serious and I had my journey through that shock.  But really, I've wanted to do this for a decade, and it was possible, and so I did it.  There's not really more to say about the cost, so I'm not planning to say much more.  I'd rather talk about what makes it of value to me and I believe the piano playing and music listening world.

 

Next, the basics, then I'll post more about the why and the process.  I'm happy to answer questions as I can. 

 

The basics:  I commissioned a new Stuart and Sons concert grand piano in January. I expect delivery Aug-Nov next year. This instrument will be a world’s first:  112 keys, 9’10” long, 4 pedals.  It will be covered in highly figured curly redwood veneer that I picked out up North in California (I live in NorCal, north of SF).  This will be Wayne’s life masterwork.  The compass is one full octave above and below an 88 note instrument. I feel beyond excited. It’s like owning a Monet or some other artifact of Western Civilization. The pinnacle of the evolution of the acoustic piano…. I was just visiting Wayne in Australia a month ago. The plate is cast, almost all the parts are on hand and construction is about to start in earnest.

You should read Dr Kevin Hunt’s PhD dissertation on the Stuart and Sons piano. He’s the chair of the Jazz Department at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where I teach across 3 departments, including the jazz dept. 

[Al Quinn]

Wow! I had no idea such an opportunity is available. I hope this piano is everything you desire it to be and look forward to future updates 🎵 

[Nathanael_I]

3 hours ago, dazzjazz said:

You should read Dr Kevin Hunt’s PhD dissertation on the Stuart and Sons piano. He’s the chair of the Jazz Department at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where I teach across 3 departments, including the jazz dept. 

Yes, have read it!  When one gets interested in the Stuart and Sons pianos, there's a focused set of writing available and one takes advantage!  The piano does indeed match his description. 

[Nathanael_I]

4 hours ago, DeltaJockey said:

Congratulations on your instrumental journey, I am so envious! The nearest claim I will ever have to this,  is that I lived in the mountains near Tumut, my "big smoke" shopping town, and my kids were born in the area. (Long before Wayne moved there though.)

Like you, I am excited about the continued evolution of the acoustic piano, sadly the nearest I could ever come to experiencing a Stuart & Sons piano is to go for a drive and get a factory tour!

 

best of luck!

Driving from Canberra to Tumut was my first time driving on the left side of the road.  So many roundabouts getting out of Canberra!  But all was well.  I've now navigate the journey twice without incident.  If you've had opportunity to visit the factory and play one of the instruments you are in very rare company, all things considered.  The pianos are mostly in private homes, but a few exist at the factory, in school/conservatory concert halls in Australia and one or two studios.  Here in the USA, they are much thinner on the ground - I think there's two in private homes?  So playing one does take an effort for most.  I'm glad you experienced it!  In my opinion, Wayne is a national treasure for Australia!

[mate stubb]

So many questions...

 

First of all, congrats on your tremendous adventure!

 

At the end of the process, it has to be shipped from down under to the US? How does it get set up and regulated afterwards?

 

Does he build his own actions in house? How do they compare to Renner and other premium actions? Is the harp conventional or does he do special things for the extended range?

[Nathanael_I]

Delivery is fun. The piano will be airfreighted to me. Given how it all works, it will be next day air delivery of a a 1600lb piano!  They truck it in an air-worthy aluminum crate to Sydney, then it flies direct to SFO, clears customs and is lift gated to me 50 mi north of the city. Wayne will come and set the piano up for me. Given that the pianos have almost no downbearing force, they are substantially stable where tuning is concerned.  It will likely arrive in very good tune and perfect regulation. Wayne’s standards for regulation and tuning are essentially “internationally famous hall with internationally known performer”. 
 

The harp is his own design. Mine is shown below, freshly arrived from the foundry.  You will notice that it has fewer frame bars. Obviously it is wider than a conventional one to accommodate the extra keys. The picture lacks scale but it is 3.0m or about 9’10”.  Wayne can talk for an hour about what makes the harp special. In the 108 key model he adjusted the tilt of the plate slightly and it produced 1-2dB more sound for the player. The attention to detail and testing of all parameters is extreme. 

 

Whippens and action parts are purchased from one of the handful of German companies that make them for the whole industry. Wayne specifies and assembles the whole action.  The magic isn’t in the manufacture of the whippens. It’s in the design of the action geometry and the care of adjustment.  They make the keys themselves and all the action frames, key beds, etc.  The damper heads are made from curly redwood and will be stunning. 

[VLH]

Wow! Congratulations!

[mate stubb]

How big of a room does that baby need to speak in?

[Nathanael_I]

2 hours ago, matted stump said:

How big of a room does that baby need to speak in?

Well, a concert hall is a good choice!  But seriously, it’s a big acoustic instrument and will sound best in a larger room with a hard floor and high ceilings.  Do remember that pianos don’t actually put out tons of low bass. The fundamental is much overpowered by the harmonics on the wound strings.  The Stuart and Sons piano does have a useful fundamental. It’s one of its special tricks. But there’s no room size for that to work. Will it overpower a small room?  Sure, it could I suppose.  I play my RX-7 in a 400sf space (formerly a two car garage). The space is fully acoustically treated and it’s a delight. Would I like a larger space?  I would?  But could it work here and fully delight?  Of course!

 

it’s a lifetime investment, and will encourage all future real estate choices to accommodate its sonic generosity!

[DeltaJockey]

10 hours ago, Nathanael_I said:

Driving from Canberra to Tumut was my first time driving on the left side of the road.  So many roundabouts getting out of Canberra!  But all was well.  I've now navigate the journey twice without incident.  If you've had opportunity to visit the factory and play one of the instruments you are in very rare company, all things considered.  The pianos are mostly in private homes, but a few exist at the factory, in school/conservatory concert halls in Australia and one or two studios.  Here in the USA, they are much thinner on the ground - I think there's two in private homes?  So playing one does take an effort for most.  I'm glad you experienced it!  In my opinion, Wayne is a national treasure for Australia!

I moved down from the snow country to Canberra, and lived there 26 years, then retired closer to the coast. Most people mention the roundabouts in Canberra Your driving experience reminds me of the first time I rented a car in the US. Landing in Albuquerque at midnight, and driving out of the airport on the right side of the road in the dark whilst desperately tired after 30 hours in the air! Wayne has picked a nice part of the world to set up shop

[Threadslayer]

17 hours ago, Nathanael_I said:

 Do remember that pianos don’t actually put out tons of low bass.

I'll bet your new 112 key monster does. I would love to feel the power of that extra octave on the low end.

[TommyRude]

wow! A piano with the most keys ever, that's amazing!  

[David Emm]

That's downright dream-like. I got to play a Bosendorfer Imperial Grand, with the added bass keys, but I'm curious about what you play with 112. I'm going blank when trying to recall any composer who wrote for that many. Someone from the avant-garde arena? Regardless, that's the design of the gods.

[Synthoid]

[Nathanael_I]

3 hours ago, David Emm said:

That's downright dream-like. I got to play a Bosendorfer Imperial Grand, with the added bass keys, but I'm curious about what you play with 112. I'm going blank when trying to recall any composer who wrote for that many. Someone from the avant-garde arena? Regardless, that's the design of the gods.

No one has!  No one has been able to. It’s three notes lower and one higher than his 108 key instruments. A small number of works have been written for those. Obviously, improvisational play can make immediate use. And, not every piece uses all of an 88 note, so there’s that also.  The extra bass notes are magical, especially played as soft octaves below the normal lowest note. They just add this warmth and support. 

[BluesB3]

Wow 112 Keys! I didn't know such a piano was possible.  I have yet to master 64 keys. 😉

[re Pete]

Are your arms long enough to play the top and bottom notes at the same time?

[Nathanael_I]

1 hour ago, re Pete said:

Are your arms long enough to play the top and bottom notes at the same time?

At 6’6” tall, yes, I can do this physically without strain. That said, I’m not sure it is musically important to play a subcontra A and the C nine octaves higher at the same time in many circumstances. The highest and lowest notes on a standard piano are often used to end runs or patterns in a dynamic, exciting way or to add extra color played in octaves with other notes. 
 

The additional keys on a 97, 102, 108, and the new 112 extend the voice of the standard piano. Runs don’t have to end or reflect back early depending on the key. High shimmery, sparkly stuff has extra options. Soft, low support, or sub bass rumbles have new depths. But the extra notes and soundboard volume do something else - they make all the other notes better. 
 

For example, the last treble notes on an 88 note piano that don’t speak as well are pushed an octave higher on my new piano.  The thin, plinky top notes on a 88 key instrument ring out with full resonance on a Stuart & Sons.  So even a piece that never leaves the familiar 88 notes has access to better tone and resonance due to the extended compass. 

[Al Quinn]

Wow, that’s fascinating! Looking forward to learning more. 🎶

[RandyFF]

Congrats many times over- you will have both a world-class piano and a decent room to play it in!

 

I remember your original posting of your trip to visit the factory, and even before that I’d read about the innovations to piano design Stuart and Sons had made and was very intrigued- if the technology of piano building can be improved/evolved, why not?  

 

Have been surprised there’s relatively little press about the improvements in sound quality achieved by these new designs, but I suppose when there’s so few of them out there and they are so expensive, and the factory location so far flung for Americans and Europeans, that explains a lot.

 

That’s good to hear about the secondary benefits of having the extra notes on top and bottom giving more power to the 88 notes we’re all familiar with. Unlike many, am not that impressed by having more notes, it’s all about sound quality, right?  Hard for me to imagine much benefit to those extra low and high notes- 88 notes already sounds generous to me, the lowest and highest notes are already rumbles and plinks.

 

I corresponded with ? some time ago from the factory?, wondering why they didn’t advertise much about the difference their new designs make- this particular guy didn’t seem to want to go there, IIRC, wanted that press to happen organically because the sound and playing difference was there and very noticeable.

 

It’s great that someone wrote a PhD thesis on these pianos, which I am not going to read- TL;DR.  I’m hoping you’ll be the summarized, personalized version of why we should care at all, or a lot, for this upgrade in piano sound!  Does it also include the feel of the keybed?  Am intrigued by this fourth pedal, more about that please!  It sounds like overall there’s further dimensions/layers of expressiveness possible.

 

For me all of this begs the question- if it really is a substantial upgrade in sound quality and expressiveness, why haven’t these pianos been more widely called on for concert stages?  I imagine top-notch pianists can specify their piano, I believe some of them bring their own pianos to whatever stage they’re playing, and certainly top concert halls can afford any piano they desire. I imagine there’d be an adjustment period needed to get used to it’s greater volume, expressive playing and 4th pedal.

 

Congrats again!!!!!  

 

 

[bfields]

5 hours ago, Nathanael_I said:

For example, the last treble notes on an 88 note piano that don’t speak as well are pushed an octave higher on my new piano.  The thin, plinky top notes on a 88 key instrument ring out with full resonance on a Stuart & Sons.

How high do the dampers go?

[Nathanael_I]

2 hours ago, RandyFF said:

Congrats many times over- you will have both the piano and a good room to play it in!

 

I remember your original posting of your trip to visit the factory.  When I read about the innovations to piano design I was very intrigued- if the technology of piano building can be improved/evolved, why not?  

 

Have been surprised there’s relatively little press about the improvements in sound quality achieved by these new designs, but I suppose when there’s so few of them out there and they are so expensive, and the factory location so far flung for Americans and Europeans, that explains a lot.

 

That’s good to hear about the secondary benefits of having the extra notes on top and bottom giving more power to the 88 notes we’re all familiar with. Unlike many, am not that impressed by having more notes, it’s all about sound quality, right?  Hard for me to imagine much benefit to those extra low and high notes- 88 notes already sounds generous to me, the lowest and highest notes are already rumbles and plinks.

 

I corresponded with ? some time ago from the factory, wondering why they didn’t advertise much about the difference their new designs make- this particular guy didn’t seem to want to go there, IIRC, wanted that press to happen organically.  

 

It’s great that someone wrote a PhD thesis on these pianos, which I am not going to read- TL;DR.  I’m hoping you’ll be the summarized, personalized version of why we should care at all, or a lot, for this upgrade in piano sound!  Does it also include the feel of the keybed?  Am intrigued by this fourth pedal, more about that please!  

 

For me all of this begs the question- if it really is a substantial upgrade in sound quality and expressiveness, why haven’t these pianos been more widely called on for concert stages?  I imagine top-notch pianists can specify their piano, I believe some of them bring their own pianos to whatever stage they’re playing, and certainly top concert halls can afford any piano they desire. I imagine there’d be an adjustment period needed to get used to it’s greater volume, expressive playing and 4th pedal.

 

Congrats again!!!!!  

 

 

So much here. I’ll cherry-pick….

 

The piano keys feel entirely normal. The whippens are normal and adjust like any standard action from a technicians perspective. This is good. Else it would be a new instrument to learn.  (Roil Seaboard, anyone?).  The regulation on the instruments I’ve played is superlative. Wayne was a world-class, elite technician in his twenties, long before building a piano of his own. They are the best prepared pianos I’ve played, even over the Faziolis (which I have found to be consistently excellent).
 

The fourth pedal raises the hammers up to halfway closer to the strings, softening their strike, and exciting fewer overtones. It is a continuous pedal, not on/off.   It is located next to the una corda pedal and they can be taken together with one foot or separately. It’s like having an variable, extra “soft” gear below the una corda sound.  This results in being able to play much softer and more intimately than other pianos. This does not alter the feel of the action, just the strength of the resulting hammer blow. This is an entirely new timbral area of exploration and expression. The adjustment period is relatively  short - it’s more like driving an exotic, high performance car. It’s just like any car at one level, but just so much more responsive!  I’m sure consistency at the outer edge of possibility and expression will take some time.  But accessing more than a standard piano offers is immediate.  I believe Fazioli does this same fourth pedal option on the F308 (even bigger than my piano).
 

Concert stages and international piano performers are a very peculiar part of the music business. There are a lot of contracts and limitations as I understand it, both for halls and artists. It’s isn’t much about affording things, as the cost is similar. Ultimately, I’ve little concern for all the politics of halls and piano selection. You can see how little penetration Fazioli has made given decades of work and much effort. Wayne is a pioneer.  A craftsman of the highest caliber. To your point,  I’m not sure that he has industrial magnate ambitions like Steinway did back in the day. It would certainly take a large production volume to make inroads into the institutional environment and massive marketing. 

[Nathanael_I]

3 hours ago, bfields said:

How high do the dampers go?

Standard place.  I had never asked, so just checked with Wayne. 

[bfields]

2 hours ago, Nathanael_I said:

The fourth pedal raises the hammers up to halfway closer to the strings, softening their strike, and exciting fewer overtones. It is a continuous pedal, not on/off.

That's typically what the left pedal does on uprights, isn't it?  (As opposed to moving the action to the side so the hammer hits fewer strings.)  Interesting to have both options.

[TommyRude]

A couple of questions..

 

Are you aware if a Stuart & Sons piano has been used or featured in any notable pop or rock music?  

 

One of the drifts I'm getting is that these pianos are "easier" to play.  What's the explanation for this?  Do the keys weigh less?  Is the force needed to press the keys lessened by something in the design & construction?  (you may have already explained this - sorry for the repeat)

 

Is the aforementioned "ease" dramatically different than a comparable Yamaha or Steinway?

 

Thanks in advance.  This whole thing is fascinating.  If I'm understanding this correctly, you will have the piano with the most keys in the entire history of mankind.  That's astounding, and a distinction that will likely come with some publicity.  Wondering if Guinness has a category for this?  (I know that's not your intention here!)

[RandyFF]

Nathanael,

Thank you for your detailed answers!  

 

That sounds intriguing, the 4th pedal and the way it gives you easier access to playing softly but expressively.  So in essence, how does this 4th pedal translate when playing with great force, medium force or with a light touch?  I’m curious because obviously there’s a fuller sound the harder you play, which means you could use the 4th pedal and play mf to f and get a somewhat different tonality than without the 4th pedal-?

 

Sounds like you’ll have the best of both worlds, being able to expressively and easily play ppp to fff!  Compared to other pianos, how would you describe the amount of finger strength/force required to play pp without the 4th pedal engaged-?

 

Am also very curious about the extra long sustain you mentioned.  With DPs I’ll often extend the Release on pianos just a bit so that I can use the sustain pedal less and still have an overall more fluid and connected legato sound.  But achieving this with a DP using envelopes is a bit mechanical, even artificial compared to the organic long sustain of a well-designed piano, and am curious how you would describe the qualities of this long sustain and how it influences how you play.  I imagine sympathetically resonating strings would sound all the better for it.

 

 

Related to the extended dynamic range you will have, I had an epiphany last night that will forever change for the better how I play my Kawai ES920.  I live in an apt with people above/below/both sides.  Accordingly, I’ve put the volume knob typically at 40-50%, and play with it like that to keep the volume down.  While I enjoy most things about the ES920, I haven’t been happy about how much effort it takes to play expressively.  I find I tend to have to work too hard to get the expression I want, my hands become somewhat stiff and eventually tired from exerting that much force.

 

Fast forward to last night: I’m house/dog-sitting for my cousin in hilly country in San Diego county, an acre of avocado trees etc., and have set up the ES920.  S 0 0 O NICE!  I can play as loud as I want for a change and have made a crucial discovery.

 

The musicians and engineers of Kawai designed the  sound system on the ES920 to be played at full volume!  Before this it felt like playing the keyboard was more work than I liked, my stiff hands appreciate light touch keybeds. But it turns out that with the touch sensitivity set pretty high (goes from Normal to Light 1-4), I can play softly, delicately, and with minimal effort and get a full sound, and of course I can play with great force and have a thundering response.

 

This is a major discovery.  Like most on this forum, I will never be able to afford a top end piano like you have on order, or even a used 10k-20k piano, which also requires a decent sized room for the sound to ‘blossom’.  But now that I’ve figured out how to play the ES920, I have a quality piano-centric instrument that I can play expressively even in my apartment.  Of course with the volume slider all the way up, it’ll go far louder than I need, but it can also be as quiet as I need by playing with a lighter touch.  The sound quality and ease of expressiveness went way way up!

 

My DP is not a real piano, but it feels like one to me now-

[Nathanael_I]

7 hours ago, TommyRude said:

A couple of questions..

 

Are you aware if a Stuart & Sons piano has been used or featured in any notable pop or rock music?  

 

One of the drifts I'm getting is that these pianos are "easier" to play.  What's the explanation for this?  Do the keys weigh less?  Is the force needed to press the keys lessened by something in the design & construction?  (you may have already explained this - sorry for the repeat)

 

Is the aforementioned "ease" dramatically different than a comparable Yamaha or Steinway?

 

Thanks in advance.  This whole thing is fascinating.  If I'm understanding this correctly, you will have the piano with the most keys in the entire history of mankind.  That's astounding, and a distinction that will likely come with some publicity.  Wondering if Guinness has a category for this?  (I know that's not your intention here!)

There is a recording studio in Australia that purchased one of the "studio" instruments at roughly 7'6".  Rai Thistlewaite (Sun Rai) has recorded some things on it.  Missy Higgins also (who can sing for me anytime...)  You can find videos of them playing and singing here: https://www.stuartandsons.com/sound.html

I'm not sure the piano's are "easier" than any other concert grand - after all, the mechanism is largely the same.  The regulation and preparation is superb, which does aid "ease of playing".  I think what I'm trying to convey is that even without being a classical concert pianist (which I am not), it is easier to be more expressive than on anything I've played.  The pedals are part of that (easier to play very soft).  The extra soundboard is part of it (easier to play loudly without "topping out").  If you've ever had the experience of sitting at a piano and it was a better instrument than you could fully utilize, you'll know what I mean.  It pulls everything you have out, and encourages you to want to play better, to ask more of it. 

 

Your understanding regarding its uniqueness is correct!  I've already got a composer asking me to premiere a song cycle on it.  Like I said, that's the "pinch me" part of this - its like owning a Monet or a Rembrandt - its historically significant.  When I got in touch to see about a piano, I would have been very happy to buy a showroom instrument, but this has happened instead!  Sometimes when "once a lifetime" comes along, it's best to just say "YES!".