Bösendorfer Pianos

Bösendorfer pianos are regarded as one of the very best makers of the instrument. They are often found on the concert platform, though they are rare in the UK (perhaps one for every hundred Steinways). At Roberts Pianos we do our best to have at least one Bösendorfer grand and one upright piano in stock. A professionally restored Bösendorfer from about 1920 to about 2001 is one of the finest domestic and concert pianos. If you’re thinking of buying a Bösendorfer grand piano it must be said that they generally have a warm, powerful rich tone and smooth responsive touch, with an aesthetically pleasing cabinet. The most common colours are black and mahogany. They also do “Art cases”.

/Used Bösendorfer pianos in the Uk

In the UK there is about one Bösendorfer for every twenty Bechsteins, Blüthners or Steinways. Generally speaking older Bösendorfer grand pianos have been used extensively and are therefore very worn. Reconditioning can also vary widely. We fully restore all models from 170cm upwards.

/Brief history

Bösendorfer 170 (5ft 7in) are superbly engineered baby grand pianos. You’ll mostly find them from about 1920 to 1965. A used Bösendorfer 170 from this era are found mostly in black or mahogany. Modern Bösendorfer grand pianos are 170 to 290cm long. These mostly date from 1960 to 2000. Casework of modern Bösendorfers are commonly found in bright black.

Unlike other instrumentalists who can carry their instruments with them…

Unlike other instrumentalists who can carry their instruments with them, pianists are more reliant than most musicians on the people who maintain and care for the instrument. For that reason there has always been a strong relation between pianists and piano makers, technicians and tuners (e.g. Beethoven and Broadwood, Chopin and Pleyel, Liszt and Bechstein, Gershwin and Steinway, Richter and Yamaha, etc.). Oxford is really fortunate in having Marcus Roberts and Roberts Pianos. He has shown the same care and attention to the need of the professional pianist as any of these famous names from the past. For my annual Oxford Summer Piano Series Marcus went out of his way to make sure I had a superb instrument on which to prepare 8 taxing recital programmes while visiting the city, and his help has been invaluable. I would also not hesitate in recommending his business to the amateur pianist as much as the professional. All budding pianists, of whatever age and whatever level of skill, should always have access to the best instruments available, and Roberts Pianos, whose instruments are superbly maintained, is in a unique position to help.

Jack Gibbons

I thought I would send you a few lines expressing my gratitude to you and your team

I thought I would send you a few lines expressing my gratitude to you and your team for the fantastic job they have all made in reconditioning my Steinway grand piano. The outcome is a beautiful piano, the rosewood veneer now looks just like it was over hundred years ago. Truly magnificent and the polishing by Mana was a great work of art. The high polish looks fabulous in the snooker/piano room. The interior again looks like brand new and is joy to behold. The sound is splendid, I just wish for the first time in my life that I had carried on with my piano lesson so that I could enjoy playing it now. To say I am pleased with the result is an understatement. The men who did the actual removal and reinstallment were extremely nice and very courteous I would be more than happy to recommend your Company at any time.

Robert Cranmer-Brown

/List of Bösendorfer models

170 (5ft 8in) Fine grand with rich warm tone
200 (6ft 7in) This is the most common of post 1965 Bösendorfer grands
228 (7ft 6in) As above but deeper tone. Not so common in the UK. This piano can also have 92 keys, going down to F below bottom A

275 (9ft) This model has 92 keys and is superbly engineered with a warm rich deep tone. Highly recommended.
290 (9ft 6in) The longest concert grand, and with 97 keys. Very similar to the 275

/ Styles of Bösendorfer grand pianos

There are a few baby (170cm) and boudoir (200cm and 228cm) Bösendorfer grands from 1900 to 1930 in the UK, mostly black and mahogany. Warning! Older 5ft to 6ft Bösendorfers up to about 1900 often have what’s known as a “Viennese” action. This is a very different design from the standard. They are not really acceptable for all-round playing. (NB this is not to be confused with the “Strauss” model, which refers to a style of cabinet). There are very few modern Bösendorfer concert grand pianos on the second hand market (about one for every 30 Steinway concert grands) . These vary from being well worn to hardly used. They are often unique, having 4 to 9 extra notes in the bass.

/Bösendorfer upright pianos

The most common Bösendorfer upright is 130cm tall and ranks as one of the best uprights ever made. Very few Bösendorfer upright pianos are available in the UK so you may be frustrated trying to find one; we get one or two into stock each year. If you’re thinking of buying a professionally reconditioned Bösendorfer upright then you’re getting a piano with a very refined touch and warm subtle tone. The most common colours are black (95%) and mahogany.

/Recommendation

As there are too few Bösendorfer upright pianos in the UK, so if you’re looking for a fine German upright piano you’re more likely to find a Grotrian Steinweg, Steinway, Blüthner, Bechstein, Lipp or other top make (see our “common makes in the UK” page). However if you have your heart set on a Bösendorfer then you could rent or buy one of these other makes while waiting for a Bösendorfer to come into stock.