Think you know your makes of piano? There are the obvious big names, of course, but would your list include Steingraeber? The littleknown company, more properly known as Steingraeber & Söhne, actually celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2020 and can name Liszt and Wagner among its most famous customers. It is based in Bayreuth, home of the famous Wagner festival, in a restored Rococo palace called Steingraeber Haus. Located in the heart of the city, the building features concert halls and several piano sampling rooms. It also has apartments for visiting customers who are invited to specify their new piano or try freshly built examples as well as tour the factory, situated next door.
Thanks to its small size – it produces only around 110 pianos, a mix of uprights and grands, each year – Steingraeber claims it is more customer focused than its rivals. Of course, all self-respecting, premium piano manufacturers would claim to be nothing less, but Steingraeber’s modest scale means it can satisfy a customer’s personal requirements better than most, as well as offer useful technical options unavailable elsewhere.
‘We are one of the smallest top-notch piano companies, which is why we can be more customer oriented,’ says Steingraeber President Udo Schmidt-Steingraeber (pictured right, with his family),
