Best Piano Brands in the World
When we talk about the best piano brands in the world, a few names are absolute shoo-ins. Just like diamonds or cars, there is a timeless allure to Tiffany’s and Cartier, Ferrari and Mercedes.
When we hear Steinway, Blüthner, and Fazioli, we recognize them as the top piano makers globally. The key to the enduring success of these premier piano brands lies in their proprietary technologies, which have been developed and patented over decades and even centuries of exquisite craftsmanship. Each of these remarkable piano manufacturers offers something distinctive that sets their instruments apart. For customers, knowing what to look for in a piano ensures a successful selection and acquisition of the right instrument. There is an emotional connection with one’s piano, making it challenging to rank these top brands. This article will introduce the top ten piano brands in no particular order. Once you learn more about these beautiful pianos and their artisanal makers, we believe your preferences will guide you in determining which of these top brands is right for you.
1. Bechstein
Founded in 1853 in Germany, Bechstein has grown to become one of the world’s most trusted piano brands. Over the course of a century and a half, Bechstein has produced grand pianos for concert stages and exquisite upright pianos for music lovers with space considerations. Its absolute dedication to precision and craftsmanship, along with the complete manufacturing of all parts at its facility in Seifhennersdorf, establishes Bechstein as an internationally recognized and reputable piano brand. What distinguishes Bechstein pianos is their unique, voice-like sound. Since Carl Bechstein founded the brand, he has aimed to create fine instruments with a singing voice. Many illustrious pianists of the 19th and early 20th centuries chose Bechstein for that special quality perfectly suited to the music of Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Mendelssohn.
Today, Bechstein focuses on producing new models and technical innovations, as well as creating museum-quality replicas of its vintage pianos built for European royalty at the turn of the 20th century. The iconic Sphynx grand piano comes to mind, taking over 1,600 hours to construct. Currently, Bechstein is proud to have its sixth generation of piano artisans, woodworking specialists, and metal craftsmen who ensure that every component of these priceless museum pianos is made in-house and exemplifies perfection.
2. Blüthner
Here is another esteemed German piano brand that has been consistently delivering exquisite instruments for over a century and a half. Curiously, Julius Blüthner established his piano factory in the same year as Bechstein—1853—in the industrial city of Leipzig, Germany. His theoretical and mathematical knowledge, combined with his entrepreneurial spirit, contributed to the meteoric rise of his piano brand to a truly global phenomenon. By 1868, he was already trading on an international scale. The combination of continuous innovation (he introduced the fourth string to the piano at the Philadelphia World Fair and won the gold medal for it) and skillful courting of the leading artists of the day quickly placed Blüthner’s piano brand in the spotlight among royals and artists alike. Affluent middle-class music lovers sought out Blüthner pianos for the allure of knowing that the likes of Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, and later Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich all owned one and composed many masterpieces at their Blüthner bench.
The ‘golden tone’ that distinguishes Blüthner from others results from Julius’ meticulous engineering, passed down through generations. To this day, Blüthner remains a family business. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Blüthner expanded its factory and heavily invested in high-tech innovation and the production of premier concert instruments. The merger with Lucid Pianos created the world’s foremost brand of crystal and luxury pianos—Blüthner Lucid. This remarkable innovation employs industrial-strength lucite and carbon fiber to create the most stunning instruments the world has ever seen. In many ways, it can be said that Blüthner holds unrivaled supremacy in the crystal piano market today. However, this does not diminish its traditional concert grand line. Many of today’s leading concert venues feature Blüthner pianos. The price range of Blüthner pianos starts at $50,000 for a basic model and can reach up to half a million dollars for the breathtaking modern Lucid Enzo piano.
Read more about the history and model range here.
3. Bösendorfer
The renowned Viennese manufacturer, founded in 1828 by Ignaz Bösendorfer, holds the distinction of being the oldest piano brand in existence. Renowned for its exceptional craftsmanship, the company has become an integral part of Austrian cultural heritage, with its pianos receiving official endorsement from the Royal House of the Emperor. Notably, one of Vienna’s most esteemed concert halls of the era bore the Bösendorfer name until the early 20th century.
What sets Bösendorfer pianos apart from their counterparts in the luxury piano market is their unique set of innovations. The Imperial Model 290, for instance, features 97 keys instead of the standard 88 keys, resulting in a darker and richer tone with an exceptionally powerful bass. These additional keys, strategically placed in the bass register and extending to the lowest F, were initially covered by a retractable lid. However, current models incorporate them in a matte black finish to minimize any distraction to pianists accustomed to the 88-key dimensions.
This innovation was the culmination of a custom commission by the Italian virtuoso Ferruccio Busoni in 1909. Busoni sought to transcribe Bach’s organ music, and the Bösendorfer Model 290’s unique design proved instrumental in achieving this goal. Its popularity led to its becoming the defining characteristic that distinguishes the Bösendorfer brand from other piano manufacturers.
Furthermore, Bösendorfer pianos differ from their counterparts in their construction. Instead of layers of veneers molded to a form, Bösendorfer employs solid pieces of hinge-joint spruce. Spruce, the most resonant wood variety, is ideal for such large pianos.
Today, Bösendorfer is wholly owned by Yamaha while remaining completely faithful to its legacy, manufacturing, and aesthetics. Bösendorfer has a sound presence on the ultra-luxury piano market with its million-dollar Kuhn piano, which has custom Swarovski crystals installed under the strings and at the front of the piano.
4. FAZIOLI
Unlike Bösendorfer, the oldest legacy piano brand in the world, Fazioli is the youngest. However, this does not diminish the exquisite innovation and exceptional quality of these dream pianos. Founded in 1981 by concert pianist and mechanical engineer Paolo Fazioli, the brand sought to create a piano with the softest, most delicate action capable of producing a sound that is both soft and resonant. Indeed, a pianist’s dream is to have an instrument that can evenly project the full spectrum of forte-piano (loud-soft) without compromising tonal quality. Fazioli pianos are the only ones in the world that consistently achieve this. Additionally, Fazioli produces the largest concert grand piano in the world at 10 feet 2 inches—Model 308—which features a fourth pedal that brings the hammers closer to the strings, thereby reducing volume without sacrificing the richness of the tone.
These outstanding instruments are built entirely from the ground up at Fazioli’s state-of-the-art facility in Italy, with only about 150 pianos produced each year. Leading artists, concert venues, prestigious piano competitions, and top conservatories are among the proud owners of Fazioli grand pianos. Notable names include Angela Hewitt, Aldo Ciccolini, The Juilliard School, Beijing Central Conservatory, as well as the Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Rubinstein Piano Competitions.
Fazioli is a leader in the ultra-luxury piano market, renowned for the custom production of one-of-a-kind instruments that will take your breath away. For the Sultan of Brunei, Fazioli created a rare wood piano adorned with emeralds and rubies. One particularly inspired commission became part of Fazioli’s designer pianos line: M Liminal. Commissioned for a super-yacht, this piano draws inspiration from both sailboats and dolphins. Crafted from composite materials such as wood, aluminum, chrome, and carbon fiber, it is truly a marvel of design. So much so that it appears in the Hollywood blockbuster Prometheus, starring Charlize Theron, as part of the spaceship interior. The price range of Fazioli pianos starts at $150,000 and can exceed a million.
Owning a Fazioli is like owning a Bugatti. ‘Nough said.
5. Grotrian-Steinweg
Grotrian is a German piano brand established in 1835 and is now a family business in the 5th and 6th generations. Curiously, the Grotrian family partnered up with and later took over a piano factory first built by Heinrich Steinweg (future Henry Steinway – founder of Steinway Sons). The first pianos bore a double name – Grotrian-Steinweg. From the get-go, Grotrian’s core values were building great pianos and inventing improvements to already excellent instruments.
The history of this brand is a multi-generational saga of successes and losses. After building up a great business in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, Grotrian factories were destroyed during WWII. Yet, family business rose from the ashes of war and continued into the later 20th century. In 2015, a Hong Kong company, Parsons Music Group, became a majority shareholder in Grotrian, which secured its economic future and enabled it to continue to innovate and build its incredible pianos. Grotrian produces superb upright pianos with its patented star design in the back. This iron frame is shaped like a star, allowing the vibrations inside the piano’s wood body to produce the most beautiful tone for the upright. Their amazing duo-piano is two grand pianos joined together at the sides of their tails like Siamese twins. The single duo-lid comes with this marvelous instrument. This unique piano allows the two to vibrate as one, creating an extraordinary soundscape for the duo pianists. Duo pianos can also be separated into stand-alone single instruments with individual lids. For piano duet lovers, this is the ultimate piano to have. This ingenious design is one of many Grotrian patents and is undoubtedly a sight to see and experience to listen to. Grotrian also has a fantastic line of limited-edition rare wood grand pianos and replicas of the historical art pianos from the late 19th century. Those are gorgeous and traditional instruments for lovers of the timeless elegance of the Golden Age of music salons.
6. Sauter
Sauter is a brand with almost 200 years of innovation and invention ‘under the hood.’ Since 1846, Sauter has built grand and upright pianos with uniquely resonant sound and high-precision keyboard action. Throughout the years, Sauter perfected and patented the ‘spherical concavity,’ which gives the Sauter piano its unique overtones. The soundboard is made of spruce that grows in the Alpine region, which is solid yet light and flexible. The shape and position of the structural slats are crucial for distinct concavity. These slats are glued to the soundboard under high pressure, stabilizing the concavity. Thus, the membrane effect is created, imbuing the instrument’s tone with Sauter’s signature clarity. The piano is made in-house, including the strings, which are measured precisely to the nano-millimeter so that vibrations during playing resonate off the soundboard for ultimate tone production. The metal components, such as the pins of Concert and Omega Plus pianos, are made of pure titanium.
The most exciting pianos Sauter makes are designed by Peter Maly and are works of modern art. Steeped in the modernist esthetic, these gorgeous baby grand pianos and uprights are captivating, fresh, and beautiful. The ‘butterfly’ lids on the Sauter uprights are a stunning visual effect and a brilliant acoustic strategy, filling up the space with sound in a stereo-like fashion. The exemplary models are Pure Basic and Vitrea – which are semi-transparent uprights. The entire line of Sauter uprights is simply the best on the market. Ambiente and Vivace baby grands are studies in laconic minimal design, while Rondo upright is a throwback to the 1960s bubble obsession expressed through its rounded-up corners. No matter how witty and charming the design, these luxury pianos are authentic German precision machines with extraordinary action and acoustic properties.
7. Steingraeber & Söhne
It is unsurprising that, yet again, we are turning to a legacy German family brand piano – Steingraeber & Söhne as piano innovation is in the DNA of the country’s rich musical culture. This stellar piano manufacturer is one of the best-recognized brands in the world for their unique innovations that adapt the modern grand piano to the performance of period music from Mozart onwards. Unique features like Mozart Rail and Sordino enable a contemporary piano to sound like a pianoforte of the Mozart times and create the softest and fastest repeated notes action on the modern instrument. Standing out from its peer luxury piano brands is Steingraeber & Söhne’s focus on professional usage of its instruments and inventions like carbon fiber soundboard, which are climate resistant, making their concert and semi-concert pianos perfectly suitable for outdoor Festival performances. Speaking of festivals – the brand’s hometown is a fabled playground of Richard Wagner-Bayreuth. The birthplace of The Ring of The Niebelung is one of the world’s most prestigious and attended music Festivals. Steingraeber & Söhne pianos are prominently featured at the center of its venerable events. The Steingraeber & Söhne artisans are so steeped in Wagnerian heritage that they replicated the unique instrument of the Bells of the Holy Grail for Parsifal – Wagner’s Christian apogee opus magnum opera. These bells are believed to be the best such instrument in the world by leading opera conductors.
Steingraeber & Söhne also focuses on producing professional-grade upright pianos with magnetic action, bringing the upright feel closer to that of the grand piano. Their action is impeccable and fast, while proprietary aluminum and carbon fiber elements make the uprights’ tone rich and resonant. These instruments are extraordinary innovations in the piano world, and one would have something remarkable as a proud owner of Steingraeber & Söhne. The design of this brand is more of an example of a classic, timeless tradition focusing primarily on what’s ‘under the -hood’ of the piano.
8. Steinway & Sons
In a world of German machines (now we sound like a movie trailer), there is a rare and stunning jewel – an American piano recognized among the world’s best. But let’s start from the beginning.
Heinrich Steinweg built his first piano in the kitchen of his village house in Germany. This piano is now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The family immigrated to the United States in 1850, and in 1853, Steinweg & Sons was founded on the lower West Side of Manhattan. They were building square pianos. Soon after that, Heinrich decided to Americanize the name to Steinway & Sons. The business was growing fast, and in 1857, the first Art case piano was built with a highly ornate carved body and legs. In 1859, Steinway patented his cross-stringing – where bass strings go under the shorter strings at an angle – which imbued Steinway pianos with their inimitable resonance and sound. In 1867, Steinway became the first American piano manufacturer to receive the Gold Medal of Honor at the Paris Piano Exhibition. By 1871, Steinway was making one piano per hour. With its astonishing rise in market share, the Steinway family opened the Hamburg factory in Germany in 1904 in addition to the New York factory. The two factories work in parallel these days.
Over 150 years of its legendary presence in the music world, Steinway amassed over 125 patents, completely dominated the piano world, and produced some of the most lauded and beautiful pianos the world has ever seen. From the White House to Carnegie Hall, Juilliard to Yale – the world is populated with proud all-Steinway institutions. If only Steinway could see the fruit of their labor rise to such heights. Today, Steinway also leads with hi-tech inventions. In 2015, Steinway acquired a private digital player developer company, Live Performance, for its flagship model XL created by Wayne Stahne and re-branded it as Steinway Spirio. This player piano system is so precise that it reproduces the highest caliber of piano performance. Many reputable piano competitions are beginning to utilize Spirio technology to open participation globally. Steinway also has a metronome app for Android and iOS systems. The world’s most famous pianists, from Horowitz to Lang Lang, praise Steinway pianos for their sound, action, and top quality. One hundred fifty years after being founded by Steinway, this piano maker has become a global juggernaut covering all piano market niches: from affordable entry-level brand Essex to a 2.5 million dollar Fibonacci masterpiece. The price range of Steinway grand pianos is $63,000-$2.6 million.
9. Shigeru Kawai
Among the leading piano brands of the world, Japan has two names that are on par with their counterparts: Kawai and Yamaha. Let’s start with Kawai. Known for its obsession with details and craftsmanship, Kawai is considered one of the best brands in the world. Shigeru Kawai is the best among Kawai’s lineup of fantastic instruments. As piano makers go, Kawai represents the famous Japanese perfectionism and graceful execution. Without a doubt, Shigeru Kawai is the best Japanese piano on the world’s stage. This flagship concert grand is built by a team of Master Piano Artisans – the highest level of piano craftsmanship in Japan. Like piano Samurai, these specialists have technical and musical training so that each detail is part of the wholesome, harmonious, and sublime instrument. The rarest of premium mahogany, spruce, and maple is used in the creation of Shigeru Kawai, and many leading pianists are endorsing the instrument with great passion and enthusiasm. While most of Kawai’s piano range is traditional ebony pianos, it also holds its own among brands producing art case luxury pianos. With a crystal CR40 piano, they have built a luxury piano among the world’s best. With a price tag of $261,000, this is a treasure to behold; only three are made yearly. Kawai raised the bar even higher with the super limited edition CR-1M. The price tag is close to $800,000 and is build-to-order. For his crystal piano with polished metal elements that reflect the rainbows of colors, Kawai created a unique semi-order system. The customization list provides options, and all required fields are marked. The interested party can fill out the form and add desired customizations. In a few days, the piano maker will email the quote, and thus the process begins. Since 1927, Kawai has produced Japan’s ultimate instruments, and one can rest assured that Kawai branded piano will be a prized possession.
10. Yamaha
Last but by far not least on our list is Yamaha. The world’s largest piano maker is probably one of the most recognized piano brands. The first Yamaha piano was built in 1900 by Torakusu Yamaha, the founder of Nippon Gakki Co. Over the next 100 years, Yamaha grew into a global giant producing various musical instruments. However, the piano remains the main focus of this remarkable brand, and it occupies a significant place among its fellow piano makers. Throughout the 20th century, Yamaha artisans traveled the world, appraising themselves for the most recent technological and piano-building developments. Then, I would analyze and build on them to scale the piano manufacture to produce an extraordinary number of outstanding pianos. With its expansion to the US market in the 1960s, Yamaha became one of the most recognized brands in the world. Decades of research went into creating its best piano – Yamaha CFX. Upon unveiling this grand piano in 2010, Yamaha became among the top performance piano brands by becoming the choice instrument at prestigious Piano Competitions such as Chopin and Tchaikovsky. CFX is considered one of the best concert grands due to its rich singing tone and light action, suitable for long competitive recitals that are part of the major competition circuit. The Yamaha piano makers crafted an incredibly responsive and fast action that does not require as much torque of the fingers, making it very easy to play. Unsurprisingly, many a competition winner ends up choosing CFX piano and voting it best in class. Yamaha produces occasional luxury designer instruments, but its main focus is on performance pianos and baby grands for music students and lovers alike. The quality and craftsmanship of these pianos are guaranteed by over 100 years of stellar records from this legacy Japanese piano maker.
Conclusion
Is there such a thing as the best piano in the world? Probably not, as the elusive title lies in the eye of the beholder. The above-mentioned piano brands produce outstanding instruments, and choosing anyone from this illustrious list would be an excellent choice. A few reputable names, such as Mason Hamlin and Stuart & Sons, didn’t make the list. Why? Mason Hamlin is a fabulous American piano maker, and many of their pianos are available from reputable local piano shops. Though their market share penetration is, petite and more recent models aren’t living up to the warm tone quality of the older Mason Hamlin pianos.
Stuart & Sons is a fantastic Australian piano maker. They experiment with a 108-key keyboard – the largest in the world and use beautiful, rare veneers to finish the body of their pianos. The brand is very young – it started in 1992. While the acoustic effects of the extended keyboard are amazing and without a doubt will yield great new music written with that in mind and performance practice utilizing this unique feature, we will be closely watching how Stuart Sons pianos hold up on the international stages against an established coterie of legacy piano brands.
We hope this excursion into the best piano brands in the world was informative and entertaining. If you have any more questions or are interested in acquiring one of these sublime machines, please feel free to leave a reply below. We will be happy to assist you with any piano-related questions. You can also email us at info (at) luxury-pianos.com with your name, email, and phone number if those are your preferred ways of being contacted, and our luxury piano consultant will be in touch.
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October 10, 2020 @ 18:49
This was a wonderful piece of information. Having been born in Austria, and growing up in Germany, I realized a long time ago that they make the greatest pianos. For years I have wanted to buy a baby-grand. I’m curious as to your opinion of those. There are also a few brands of which I am not familiar. Thank you for enlightening me.
October 15, 2020 @ 23:42
Hello Rosamarie,
Thank you for you kind note. Please take a look at our baby grand piano recommendations: https://luxury-pianos.com/best-baby-grand-piano/
-Sergei & Konstantin
December 11, 2020 @ 02:08
Nice to know those informative facts.
February 8, 2021 @ 17:08
ThankYou for a superb article on
Pianos-
My mother learned to play piano as a
young girl & she owned a ‘Bossendorfer’!
I have always loved the piano & its
beautiful melodious sounds-I have a
small Yamaha key board & love to
play it often!
MUSIC is SO IMPORTANT to our
CULTURE!
Long Live the Talented Composers, Pianists & the Fabulous Companies that continue to produce these amazing instruments ! THANK YOU!
🎶🎵🎶
March 7, 2021 @ 05:07
Your article did better than most articles of this type, but they tend to leave out deserving parties; for example, Chris Maene of Ruiselede, Belgium, makes beautiful straight-strung instruments. Stephen Paulello of Villethierry, France, also makes straight-strung pianos and has rethought the entire piano manufacturing process. Wayne Stuart of Tumut, New South Wales, Australia, has built an extraordinary-sounding piano with 108 keys, from CCC to b””’.
January 3, 2022 @ 20:09
A warm thank you from Kenya as I expect to buy my first grand piano this 2022, as I turn 58 years of age.
Thanks for the enormous time you have put into sharing this wealthy gem of piano expertise with us mortals.
March 20, 2022 @ 14:42
I have always wanted to learn piano since I was a kid but never had the chance to learn but always listen to Classical Piano music like Chopin, Mozart, etc… when relaxing during stress time. The piano sound is the most powerful exquisite instrument of all time to me.
February 25, 2025 @ 19:52
My two kids 9 and 13 playing a digital piano and I am considering to buy one of the above brands preferably in white. I live in Toronto, Canada. Do I have to choose a specific brand for a white colour?