Steinway Model D and Model A Prices: What the Concert Grand and the Parlor Grand Cost Used

Two of the most searched Steinway prices belong to two very different pianos. The Model D is the nearly nine-foot concert grand that most major halls keep on stage. The Model A is a six-foot-two parlor grand built for homes and teaching studios, discontinued in the United States for decades and then revived. People search both because both carry the Steinway name, but a used D and a used A are bought by different people for different reasons, and their prices behave differently. This guide explains both.

The two pianos

What decides a used Steinway price

1. Original versus rebuilt. A Steinway with its original soundboard, action and strings is valued one way; a rebuilt Steinway is valued on who rebuilt it and what was replaced. Rebuilds with Steinway parts by a known shop sit near the top; rebuilds with aftermarket parts sit lower.
2. New York versus Hamburg. Hamburg-built Steinways carry a reputation for finish and often ask more in the US because fewer were imported.
3. Era. Pre-war golden-era instruments, the postwar decades and modern production each have their own following. The serial number dates any Steinway exactly through Steinway's own records.
4. Provenance. A concert-hall or artist history adds to a D; it rarely changes an A's price.
5. Finish and case. Ebony satin is the standard; rare veneers and art cases can add or, if damaged, subtract.

A Steinway's price is a condition report with a name attached. Two Model As of the same year can sit far apart because one was rebuilt by a respected shop and the other has a cracked soundboard. Get a technician who works on Steinways to inspect before you negotiate either way.

What Steinways are asking right now

The current median asking price by brand from live listings on this site is below. The Model D and Model A guides list every example currently for sale here with its year, origin and asking price, which is where the real comparison happens.

Why a used D is not a bargain concert grand

Buyers sometimes assume a retired concert hall D must be cheap. A hall retires a D because it has been played hard for decades, and the buyer inherits that wear. The instruments that sell at the top of the D market have been fully rebuilt; the ones that sell at the bottom need it. Add the cost of moving a nine-foot piano and the room it requires, and a used D is a serious purchase in every direction.

Why the A is the Steinway families actually buy

At six feet two the A has enough string length for a genuine grand-piano bass without demanding a concert hall. It sits between the Model M and Model L on the short side and the Model B on the long side, and buyers who want a Steinway for a home with a large living room land here or on the B. Vintage As from the early twentieth century, often rebuilt, make up much of the used supply.