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Bosendorfer 290


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I have the answer! (don't get to say that very often)

It's listed in the 2005-2006 Annual Supplement to Larry Fine's Piano Book:

Bosendorfer 290 (9'6"), polished ebony: $172,640.

"........! Try to make It..REAL! compared to what? ! ! ! " - BOPBEEPER
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Originally posted by Cydonia:

Originally posted by gangsu:

Bosendorfer 290 (9'6"), polished ebony: $172,640.

Does it include the bench? :)
Probably not. But the 9 extra keys are n/c. :thu:
"........! Try to make It..REAL! compared to what? ! ! ! " - BOPBEEPER
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Originally posted by Jackson Maberry:

Its actually not as much as i was expecting. i had 300,000 in my head for some reason. Thanks for the info and the welcome! And wait, is that thing about the coverfor the extra keys true?

Yes, there's a little cover, although its purpose might be something else than to prevent heart attacks... ;)

 

Maybe so you don't break the windows with the huge bass, I don't know. :)

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I'm pretty sure it's to cover them up for when you're not using them (which is likely most of the time). For instance, I'm working on a piece right now where I have to quickly strike an octave A, where the bottom A is the very last note on the piano. The octave A in the bass is followed by some higher register stuff, so I don't even look at it. I just feel quickly with my left hand, but this is based on being able to identify where the end of the piano is within a split second. If I was playing on a Bosendorfer, my left hand would be all over the place without that key cover.

 

Besides, the design of the Bosendorfer with the extra bass notes is I believe primarily for resonance purposes anyway. I can't see anyone ever needing those extra notes.

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Are you sure about that, Jackson? I've never heard that before, but I'm really only familiar with Debussy's piano music first-hand (his Etudes are kicking my ass right now -- I can only get the easiest one, the one for repeating notes -- and I don't recall seeing anything there or elsewhere in his music unusual except passages where a sostenuto pedal would be necessary to play the music literally, i.e., as written).

 

I bet you have heard of Busoni and you just don't realize it yet. Throw it on the platter.

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I guess inflation is rampant in piano's. I worked at a music store that stock a Bosendorfer 7' or 7'4" I can't remember. But in 1982 it was selling for $55,000. I imagine it goes for well over $100,000 today.

 

I played it quite a bit and found the action to be too stiff for my liking. The low end however was monstrous, and the overall tone was sweet.

Jimmy

 

Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho

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Originally posted by Cydonia:

Yes, there's a little cover, although its purpose might be something else than to prevent heart attacks... ;)

I imagine it's low in saturated fat and salt, so the claim wouldn't be worse than some margarines. It can probably boast a fibre content that they can't too :)
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Yea, but does it come with a sostenuto pedal?

No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message.

 

In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments.

 

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I'll pass on a true story and will take some flack for telling it. I had a trio job a few years ago at a golf club house. The owner of the golf course was a avid pianist (I was told) and actually had a Bosendorfer, a six footer or so, in the club,. Considering the size of the room, the number of people, etc., it really made more sense for me to use my electric set up ... and I did.

 

I've played on several Bosendorfers, all quite used, and was unimpressed. The warmest sounding piano I ever played was a second hand Knabe in a music store outside of Newburgh, New York.

 

The finest CD I own is George Shearing's My Ship. On that CD (originally an LP) he plays the biggest Bosendorfer made and it sounds so very nice. (His playing is also first rate and you forget you're listening to a person and just listen to the music.)

No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message.

 

In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments.

 

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Originally posted by Bridog6996:

Besides, the design of the Bosendorfer with the extra bass notes is I believe primarily for resonance purposes anyway. I can't see anyone ever needing those extra notes.

They are useless for classical, but I would certainly experiment with them if I could afford such a monster. :)

 

What I know is after they made a few extra-wide range pianos, the guys at Bösendorfer found out that the new sounding board accommodating the extra notes gave their instruments a much better resonance for the usual range as well. So resonance wasn't the initial goal - it came by a lucky accident. So from there, they decided to use their new frame and sounding board for all their bigger instruments.

 

Note that there are also extra-wide Bösendorfers with "only" 92 notes (down to extra F), apart from the 97 notes Imperial grands.

 

About the extra keys, certain models have just a different color for them. Some all black notes, some in reverse colors like a Hammond B3/C3. And some Imperials have the little extra cover. :)

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When I was in music school one of the recital halls had both a Steinway D and a Bösendorfer 280 (9 footer, but only 88 keys). Most preferred the sound of the Steinway, but a minority liked the Bösendorfer better. I never noticed anyone who seemed to switch preferences based on the piece being played. Some people were just "Steinway" people and a few were "Bösendorfer" people.

 

I was at the Tchaikovski Competition in 1978 (just observing!). They of course had an amazing array of the greatest pianos from around the world to choose from, including Bösendorfer, but most players went with a Hamburg Steinway. Including the Russians, who I presume (in that Soviet era) might have felt pressure to play the Estonia.

 

Larry.

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Originally posted by Jackson Maberry:

With regards to using the extra keys, apparently Bartók, Debussy, Ravel and Busoni wrote some stuff that used a few of those keys. Crazy freaks... and why have i never heard of Busoni?

Hmm, that's interesting. I'm not familiar with any piano pieces that use notes that are below the traditional, 88-key range of the piano. But I suppose if those extra notes were available, then composers inevitably experimented with them.

 

I've have some experience with Bosendorfers, and while they are extremely nice instruments, I must say that I'm one of the "Steinway people." Although, like everything else, the right piano depends on the context. I played on a Bosendorfer model 290 a few times per week in grad school because my school had one in the rehearsal hall where the big band rehearsed. In that context, the Bosendorfer was a step above the rest. It really cut through, even in big ensemble sections. It was a good blend. I've used many different types of pianos in a big band setting, and none worked as well as the Bosendorfer. But, for just about everything else, if given the choice, I'd pick a Steinway. :)

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Chuckle :D

 

I played a big Bosie once; it was in a "Grinell's Music" store in a mall, of all things. I don't know what model but it was over 9 feet long and had keys below A (though I don't remember how many).

 

The thing I do remember is that blues/jazz chords just seemed to fall flat, as though the dignified piano was offended at my choice of music. Chords that normally have a nice dissonance to them just liad there passively waiting for something to happen, sort of like some ladies that are too pretty for their own good.

 

I have more & better technique now, and perhaps I would get a better response.

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Originally posted by Jackson Maberry:

why have i never heard of Busoni?

You must be kidding... Ferruccio Busoni, an Italian who lived in Germany, is one of my favorite composers, and probably, the best pianist in history after Listz. I've heard some of his very few recordings (he died in 1924) and I could not believe my f*****g ears.

 

I still prefer a *good* Steinway to a Bosendorfer, but all pianos tend to have an individual voice; plus, regulation is everything. I played a 290 in Buenos Aires many years ago, which was the closest thing to a perfect instrument I've ever played. It seemed to read my mind; it was unreal. I stayed in the theatre till late night, playing it for myself and the crew, till they had to close the doors and threw me out. Knowing that I would never be able to own it, I wanted to taste every possible moment!

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The title for "best pianist in history after Listz" is highly disputed. Some might say Sigismond Thalberg was "second best." Some might say Charles Alkan. In fact, there are some accounts that indicate that Alkan was at least Liszt's equal. There's also Walter Gieseking, who had memorized the complete works of Beethoven by the age of 16. Don't forget about the legendary Anton Rubenstein. And, of course, Busoni.

 

The only thing most people agree on is that Liszt was probably the best.

 

But I digress. :)

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