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This thread is inspired by the "taming a C7" discussion. I cannot for the life of me see any reason for a grand larger than about 6 ft (say 180 to 190 cm) in a home, unless it is a chateau with attached concert hall. My music room is quite large and houses two pianos, two harpsichords and a hybrid pipe organ, but I allways think that the forte sound of the "A" with the lid open is way over the top. And the room is book-lined, draped and carpeted.

The only reason would be for a professional musician wishing really beefy bass for his practice, in preparation for the full size concert grand in the hall. This prompts me to review in my mind the sound of all the 6 footers I have tried. The one that most impressed me for bass was a Fazioli 183. Next was a Hoffmann P 188. I do not know how much was due to prep, and what techs can do to bolster bass. The S&S A is also quite good, but not as beefy as the Fazioli.

I can’t answer for everyone or for every room. My house is not a mansion, but my 7 foot piano is perfect for the room size and I love the base. And I always play on full stick. YMMV

The 5'8" PETROF I have coming was plenty full of sound even in a store, so I can't wait to hear how it will sound in my small 1939 house! I am with the OP on pianos over 6 feet in homes, but it's one of those "to each their own" things. There is a piano teacher around here who has a D in his livingroom that touches several of the walls with not much room left for the player. (Several of my past students had trial lessons with him, but I guess his personality was so difficult that they chose me and my at-the-time tiny Kawai console.) Anyway, I think 7' in a large living room might be okay (my son's clarinet teacher has a 7' in his living room and it almost looks small), but a concert grand in a house makes me roll my eyes. But, again, to each their own. I am sure a lot of people will think a 5'8" in my dining room is way overkill, but I wouldn't dare go smaller.

I will have a chance this summer to try a 1980s B in a small home. I can't wait to see how that sounds.

I walked through the "ultra rich neighborhood" last night so that I can see into their livingrooms in search of grand pianos through the windows. Almost every house has a grand piano in their livingroom. Knowing a lot of people who live there, those pianos are just for show and seen as class-based furniture; they are not played, and they are often Young Chang grands from yesteryear, not even S&S. My point is that they are all pretty small. I think the largest one I saw was maybe 168cm. Most were in the 5'2" range.

I have a 7' M&H in a 12'x18' living room and the volume is not a problem. Many pianists have larger than 6' pianos in relatively small spaces without the piano being too loud. Many PW posters don't think longer grands are even any louder than shorter ones although I don't have an opinion on that. IOW I think the premise of the thread is not true.

I haven’t tried a lot of pianos at 6 foot but the Shigeru Kawai SK3, Yamaha C3X and Estonia L190 are all too small for me.

If I was forced to pick a smaller instrument, I would go for a Mason & Hamlin AA, or a Steinway A3. Baldwin L might be a good one as well. Those were wonderful pianos!

I also don’t think longer pianos means larger volume. The room acoustics really play a big role in it. The issue with large grand pianos in a small space is that you have fewer ways to place your piano.

With a smaller piano, you are more flexible and have more space for furnishing your room.

The longest piano I’ve had is the best one. There is something to be said for the quality of tone that counts as much as decibels.

I have a customer with a Steinway D and a Steinway B in a small converted bedroom. Had to move them around a few times, but it works, and there is a definite reason to play a D if you can

Back to your original topic, I believe that bass strings on pianos above 6 feet have more flexibility, and so they are more prone to excitation in higher modes. This can be voiced out of the longer pianos, but it is not always done. So the maintenance makes a lot of difference. But longer pianos can sound better than shorter ones. In the shorter piano, the bass may always be more in a higher mode so you get used to it, but the sound is less clear.

I don't know if it's just me, but this seems "off" on multiple levels.

OK, I stand corrected, and I certainly believe it's fun to own a 7 footer if you have space for it. Maybe in Europe we are used to smaller things, like with our homes and cars, although again someone from Europe will prove me wrong...

But my question remains : any ideas about good bass in a six-footer ?

How about trying a Yamaha CF4 alongside a Steingraeber B192 and a Grotrian G192? The CF4 will give you a good bass but you might prefer the character of the German pianos.

I think any of the pianos in Iconic, Renowned, and Distinguished sections Performance Grade Pianos in Fine's ranking will have an excellent bass in their around six foot model. The M&H model A has a huge bass but some might say it's too big for the rest of the piano balance wise.

I have a 6’8” Bechstein Model B in my 11’x16’ living room.
I’ve tried many pianos from under 5’ to over 7’.
Generally (but not always) the larger the better for bass in my experience.
180cm to 190cm is about 5’11” to 6’3”.
From what I played hunting for a piano:
5’11” Bechstein Model A was OK. Better than anything smaller.
6’3” Bluthner that I tried had good bass and overall a lovely tone.
7’4” Bechstein Model C was fantastic.
I haven’t played a Fazioli or S&S. I don’t think I could afford one.

For richness, clarity, incisiveness, I have heard very few pianos in which the bass matches mine - which is a mere 180 cm. A Bluthner of 1878. I think the reason perhaps is that the bass is straight-strung.

I can answer the big bass question. For over three years i have been collecting soundboard data from every manufacturer i come across and rebuild.
Comparing rib scales as one element, i found how mfg's design flexibility into the bass ribs to get a bigger bass. On a scale from 50 to 100
50 being stiff and 100 being flexible. Steinway is 60 except the B and D which are 80. Mason and Hamlin is 75, Baldwin is 80. I just got a Baldwin SD-6 in and will be analysing it soon. Very big bass on this one. The Bluthner is mentioned, it measured at 85, as well as Decker Bros, and Collard and Collard. Chickering measured at 100. But i think anything over 85 contain engineering flaws. I will be publishing my database, computer software and a manual in the near future. Groundbreaking info for any future designer or rebuilder wishing to have more control over the outcomes of their boards.

-chris

Put your 6' piano parallel to a wall and all\any of them will be the 'best'.

The piano will be plenty loud, but you'll have cancellations if the room is small. so there will be valleys in a few notes.

Have you considered the Yamaha SX series? The hand wound bass strings combined with the acoustic resonance enhancement gives them really good bass. If you go and watch James Pavel Shawcross's videos on them, he comments that the bass on the smaller models is much better than you would expect for a piano of that size.

What are your criteria for best bass, Vikendos? Incisive, rich, clear, musical, beefy. loud? How much would you budget for acoustic treatment of the room? Repertoire?

And the pianist's ears?