I've talked to lots and lots of players, and an extremely common statement is that the feel of the Steinway keys is the best. I kinda agree with that, while realizing that there's no convincing anybody on that one way or the other.
I don't think it's just that Steinway's got a name, although that's certainly a factor. They do have the marketing budget to be able to supply one to almost any orchestra or concert hall that needs one.
Finally, there's a whole book on Glenn Gould's Steinway, and I was there when the author came to talk about it:
Gould liked the feel so light that you could practically breathe on it and it'd play. There was only one tuner, Vern, who is blind, who was allowed to tune it. There's a hilarious moment near the end where I ask her a question about the feel of the pedals and she said "I don't know, let's call Vern." So we call him up live and talk to him.
I am not a Steinway hater; I've just done an enormous amount of research during the course of buying my own pianos. This included trying new and used Steinways, interviewing conservatory technicians (that have Steinway in their stock), and so on.
Steinway is a hugely successful brand and the piano of choice for many. Steinway's best pianos are undoubtedly world-class. Those are the pianos you hear in recordings and concerts.
The "feel" of Steinway's keys are due to the Renner action. They bought Renner-the-company relatively recently, which about every other top tier manufacturer uses/used, including Bechstein, Fazioli, and so on. Previously, Steinway built their own actions, but Renner simply did a better job.
Gould owned a Chickering, and also recorded on Yamaha. He used Steinway at concerts in NYC as well. His famous Goldberg recording of the 80s was on a Yamaha.
I don't recall; probably. This is part of Steinway's business, even today.
Gould's concert career was rather short anyway, as he—quite famously—vastly preferred to record and manage post-production, than to perform. To my knowledge, he didn't elect to use Steinway so much in that setting.
Steinway has their "Steinway Artist" program [0]. Many top pianists elect to be a part of
it if only so they can ensure a good Steinway to be available at almost any venue they go to.
Other manufacturers have similar programs, but their inventory isn't as widespread or predictable.
Some pianists like Herbie Hancock or Angela Hewitt elect to fly their piano with them everywhere. (They both happen to have Fazioli pianos.)
I've talked to lots and lots of players, and an extremely common statement is that the feel of the Steinway keys is the best. I kinda agree with that, while realizing that there's no convincing anybody on that one way or the other.
I don't think it's just that Steinway's got a name, although that's certainly a factor. They do have the marketing budget to be able to supply one to almost any orchestra or concert hall that needs one.
Finally, there's a whole book on Glenn Gould's Steinway, and I was there when the author came to talk about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow_ZGVGmfAw
Gould liked the feel so light that you could practically breathe on it and it'd play. There was only one tuner, Vern, who is blind, who was allowed to tune it. There's a hilarious moment near the end where I ask her a question about the feel of the pedals and she said "I don't know, let's call Vern." So we call him up live and talk to him.