<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> Hi Phil,      It is critical that whoever will be doing most of the playing choose the piano.  There are just too many varied opinions about what's good.  The pianist should be fully happy with it, in every way, so you will only need to maintain it and never be expected to make "improvements".    IMHO, the piano with the greatest power and sustain in the upper treble will make the best hall piano.  The pianist should have a minimum of an hour to practice on each potential choice, in private, so they can concentrate on the piano rather than being tempted to perform for whoever's there.   I would council the pianist to be alert on what acoustical differences exist between the selection room and its' final destination.   -Mike Jorgensen philromano@attglobal.net wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE><style></style> Hello CAUT list, I monitor this list and occasionally post to Pianotech. I enjoy reading all your comments and insights. I will be travelling to NYC with the Chairman of the Music Dept and another Prof of Music from the local university in my area to choose two Steinway D's and two B's at Steinway Hall. As the tech in the mix, can anyone suggest what I should look for? My playing skills are limited but I think I do know a great piano when I hear one. Both profs are quite talented so I should be spending most of my day listening. Any and all comments would be appreciated. We've already taken delivery of three B's (these were taken on order - no selction involved) and all three are quite different pianos. We've also received three Boston GP-178's and several Boston uprights. The Bostons were considerably more prepped than the S&S's!  Phil RomanoCoastal Carolina University Myrtle Beach, SC <a href="mailto:philromano@attglobal.net">philromano@attglobal.net</a><a href="mailto:philromano@attglobal.net">.net</a></blockquote> </body> </html>