I’m continually amazed by the amount of useless and irrelevant information about the Stuart pianos on the web. As an owner of one I have always tried (and this blog is no exception) to identify and counteract some of the crap I see. Typical of such comments is the following from a piano forum in the UK.
“The Stuart piano is very expensive and having played one I think they are overrated. I would buy a Bluthner and save your money.”
Whilst the writer of this piece of nonsense is entitled to his view (as indeed I have mine) it does demonstrate very clearly a
total lack of understanding of why these pianos were built in the first place and the sort of person who would shell out a lot of money for one. To be perfectly honest, in my case, money was never a consideration. I wanted the best, and I got it. Additionally, I knew that it would take me quite a while to adapt to the piano and start to play it in the way in which it was intended. Even now, after some two and a half years, Wayne and I are still “exploring the possibilities”. Owning one of these is a long term commitment.
Let me make one thing very, very, very clear. You don’t play a Stuart piano like a ‘normal’ piano, because it is not a ‘normal’ piano. Take for example this email exchange I had with someone who was interested in the Stuart piano and wanted some advice
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> I'm still looking around at pianos, unsure which way
> to go, although I did love the Bosendorfer sound - a recent friend
> showed me his two Austria-imports of rebuilt 100yr old instruments.
Good (no offence meant!) for playing 100 year old music in a 100 year old way....
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To help others to understand the ethos of both the builder and the people who are his customers, I’m quoting part of a missive from Wayne which is very instructive and revealing (the emphases are mine).
“The challenge to all new comers to the old piano game is how to get the message and product through this maze. The golden rule is, do not do what everyone else does!
By selling these bespoke pianos directly to the public, Stuart & Sons are also able to provide the dedicated and special service that purchasers of bespoke products should rightfully command and not to be subjected to the expediency of the commercial imperative.
No Stuart & Sons pianos have been discounted for a sale and this will not happen. The three instruments that have changed hands since the company commenced were all on-sold for more than their original price. What one must consider is that Stuart & Sons will not lower their price to shift product or do special deals that effectively spit in the eye of their sincere and loyal customers.
It is worth mentioning that the profiles of the people who have purchased Stuart & Sons pianos have similar characteristics. All have been well educated, successful in their chosen life path both financially and personally, have sought individuality in their surroundings and belongings. They usually form the cutting edge and the Stuart & Sons piano is, in effect, a synthesis of that mind and ethos.
The ho hum of the musty old piano world, the intrigue of the boring lineage of players and incestuous relationships within the microcosm of the arts community are not for these individuals. They seek light and enlightenment; this is not rhetoric but reality. Often, they play at an amateur level or purchase for young student study. It is contemporary relevance and vitality they seek as any old standard piano can be had at the local shop for whatever the going discounted price!
This should give the readers a firm grasp on where Stuart & Sons wish to be in the modern world. I have no illusions or pretensions about the snobbery and elitism of the arts world. I seek to explore the possibilities and I want to be with like minded people who wish to explore and live now in our time and not that of our forebears”.
Further comments down the track.