Concert Grand Piano by Audi Design Studio
The Audi Design Studio in Munich, yes, the car designers, have designed a grand piano. “You can imagine the respect with which we approached the challenge of redesigning a musical instrument” says Wolfgang Egger, Head of Audi Group Design…

UPDATE: Commenter ori brings up a good point, is a Porsche better than an Audi?

More from Audi Design Studio:

“We were obliged to study the instrument in depth, and develop an all-embracing concept from the very start. The project was a useful source of experience for our young designers, and will benefit them later when they work on car design.” In due course it fell to pianoforte manufacturer Bösendorfer to build the first “Audi Design grand piano.”
The decision to design an Audi concert grand piano is a logical consequence of many years of cultural involvement by the brand with the four-ring emblem. This includes the high-quality jazz meetings at the Audi Forum in Ingolstadt where the Audi Design grand piano will in future be seen and heard.
At a price of approximately 100,000 euros, the Vienna-based company will be including this design icon in its high-quality catalogue of instruments from July 16 onwards - the day of its world premiere at Audi’s 100th anniversary celebration.

Chas

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Having trouble figuring out how this is a piano?
Designer Apostol Tnokovski sure gave it some crazy curves. Apparently he was watching Lady Gaga perform and saw that she was using just any ol’ set of keys.
He decided to take matters into his own hands.

He calls his creation the Hydra. It’s not actually an official piece that Lady Gaga will use on stage (well, unless she sees it and decides to, that is), rather he just wanted to create something that would look like something she’d use.

It’s definitely different than any piano we’ve ever seen, and we’ve seen some crazy pianos. Look down below for an extra shot of the Hydra from the front.

Chas

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“Ain’t Had Enough Fun”

Chas

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A nice teaching model, with 6 keyboards

Musitronic MKS-470

Chas

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If you are a Gambler, you already know
From Lost Wages:

“Baldwin High Roller”

Chas

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The world’s most expensive piano is a Alma-Tadema Steinway, built in the 1880s by Steinway & Sons with an original sticker price of $1200.00

The original Alma-Tadema was the 54,538th piano built by Steinway & Sons and 500,000 pianos later they built an exacting re-creation of the original bearing the serial number 554,538.
Sticker price for the copy: $675,000.00 USD. Only a song and dance considering it took 20 months to build.
The original Alma-Tadema sold in 1997 at a Christie’s auction for $1.2 million to the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Chas

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M.Liminal Piano-bringing sexy back

If I could make love to any piano in the world, it would probably be this one. Of course that’s a ridiculous assertion, everybody knows that piano’s reproduce asexually.
The name of this beauty is the M. Liminal and it was designed by Philippe Gendre and the NYT Line.  The instrument is made in Italy by the Fazioli Company.  If you were wondering, the design was inspired by the sea, the shape of the side evokes the profile of a wave while the black-silver colour that of silver-surfer; or a dolphin, I can’t remember which.
Take a look at the video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMKakr-SNUw

M. Liminal’s shapes and colors are combined in asymmetric designs which elegantly tie the medley of classic and modern styles.  Through the red of the soundboard, the black of the cast iron frame and the transparency of the plexiglas music stand, this piano seamlessly units ocular and auditory pleasures.

The instrument is inserted in a strip of wood and rests on a metal base which is soundproofed with the use of sound deadening paint. The base is aligned with the barycentre of the instrument which houses the pedals.
http://www.fazioli.com/en/

Chas

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Keeping the dreams alive:

Chas

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Die Wurzeln

Am 6. M�rz 1835 wird Heinrich Schulz in B�rnecke im Harz geboren. Der Sohn des Leinwebermeisters Johann Schulz erlernt das Klavierbauhandwerk, wird Klavierbaumeister und 1859 Teilhaber bei der Firma Steinweg in Braunschweig.

1865: Theodor Steinweg verkauft den Herren Grotrian, Helfferich und Heinrich Schulz seine Fabrik in Braunschweig und wandert aus nach Amerika. In New York leitet er mit seinem Vater die Produktion der weltbekannten Instrumente Steinway & Sons.

1869: Die bekannten Instrumente aus Braunschweig tragen den Namen

Grotrian, Helfferich, Schulz
Th. Steinweg Nachf.

1873: Der Hof-Pianoforte-Fabrikant Heinrich Schulz stirbt im Alter von 38 Jahren an den Folgen einer Lungenentz�ndung. Seine S�hne Albert und Franz werden von der Mutter erzogen. Franz wird Kaufmann, Albert Klavierbauer.

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Family History

On 6 March 1835, Heinrich Schulz in Boernecke in Harz (a region in Germany) is born. The son of a master weaver, Johann Schulz learns the piano building craft, becomes master of building of pianos and in 1859 partners at the company Steinweg in Braunschweig.

1865: Theodor Steinway way sells his factory to the Grotrian, Helfferich and Heinrich Schulz in Braunschweig and moves to America. In New York with his father, he leads the production of the world acclaimed instruments Steinway & Sons.

1869: The well-known instruments from Braunschweig carry the names Grotrian, Helfferich, Schulz Th. Steinway Nachf.

1873: The year Pianoforte manufacturer Heinrich Schulz dies at the age of 38 years from pneumonia. His sons, Albert and Franz, are educated by their mother. Franz becomes a buyer, Albert a piano builder.

Chas

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Walden Woods Art Case

Piano’s are one thing I guess that are always being auctioned. However, usually I have seen black pianos and for me piano’s never had any other color. We have found a strikingly beautiful piano, which is the outcome of unique collaboration between Steinway and Sons, artist Silas Kopf, popular recording artists, and the Walden Woods Project and American Forests. Now, when so many creative minds are working on one project, it has to be a masterpiece.

This piano called the ‘Walden Woods Art Case piano’ has been auctioned and the proceeds will be sent to the Walden Woods project which is an organization that is instrumental in preserving Walden Woods and helps upcoming conservationists and is also supporting the nation’s oldest nonprofit conservation group called American Forests. The piano holds a history of having been played by big shots like Elton John, Dave Brubeck, Herbie Hancock, Bruce Hornsby and Billy Joel. However, what makes it more appealing is the work crafted on it. The piano supports work that is carved out of naturally felled wood from Walden Pond in Massachusetts. The work and even the arched legs of the piece depict and are symbolic of Thoreau writings. The piano is beautiful in itself and of course a masterpiece.

Source: Luxist

Chas

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1920’s Violin Piano Machine
In an antique store in Solvang they have two teens and twenties violin piano machines that were used to make money at speakeasies during prohibition. It won awards for best patent in engineering. It is the most intricate machine I have ever seen operating. There are litterally thousands of moving parts. I will try to get the video uploaded.

Chas

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This is the most beautiful piano I’ve seen

So far today anyway, Big Smile:

Chas

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What a marvelous sunny day, a beautiful day…

Chas

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“The Last Time I Dropped A Grand”

I remember that moment, like it happened yesterday. hahaha

Chas

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Next piano to London, leaving on runway number 9.

Chas

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