You’ve heard of them: the leaders in the piano world. Steinway, Baldwin, Yamaha, Kawai. And, if you got the money, Bosendorfer. You’ve heard of the second tier: Everett, Essex, and Celviano. Maybe others too.
But if you’ve ever heard or seen a FrankenSteinway, you have seen the bottom of the musical barrel. Unfortunately, this “brand” is being promoted on the internet more and more.
According to the Steinway Piano Gallery in Naples, the FrankenSteinway is a fake in many ways. The company’s website states: Steinway Piano Gallery of Naples does not deal in Frankensteinway or Stein-was pianos. We do not accept them as trade-ins, buy them, or sell them.
If you wonder why, it’s because some of these pianos have one or more parts replaced with cheaper ones that impact the sound and performance. It could be the strings or the keyboard. Or the original Steinway was damaged extensively and its salvageable parts were removed and put into another piano. The name ‘Steinway’ was added afterwards.
I have a Kawai piano; so this aberration wasn’t on my radar until now, because I didn’t research Steinway when I was in purchasing mode. Still I advise anyone who is looking for a piano to be aware that the FrankenSteinway is out there. In fact, it gives the original work by Mary Shelley a bad name. At least, Frankenstein’s monster felt some regret for his actions; those who build the knock-off don’t seem to feel that way.
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