The Bösendorfer 214 VC Vienna Concert is a 21st century 7′ grand piano from the world’s oldest and finest premium piano manufacturer. Since 1828, Bösendorfer pianos have been treasured by legendary composers such as Franz Liszt, Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss, and favored by modern luminaries such as Leonard Bernstein, Oscar Peterson, Sir András Schiff, Tori Amos, and Peter Gabriel. From the intimate Viennese salons where the Bösendorfer’s pristine clarity, warm tonal palette, and exquisite keyboard control reigned supreme, the Bösendorfer 214 VC adds an entirely new level of power and richness to the modern concert hall.
The Bösendorfer 214 VC is designed to mimic the acoustic characteristics of a Stradivarius violin, where the entire piano structure contributes to the instrument’s resonance, rather than being limited to just the soundboard. Unlike other pianos that utilize multiple layers of thin laminate hardwoods to form the outer rim, the Bösendorfer 214 VC utilizes solid pieces of 10 mm quarter-sawn spruce, specially grooved for precision bending, that acts as a resonating case.
The Bösendorfer 214 VC’s soundboard is the result of cutting-edge 3D modeling, combined with a hardwood floating rim.
The bridge acts as a natural acoustic transducer, transferring the vibrations of the struck strings directly to the European spruce soundboard. In the Bösendorfer 214 VC, the bridge is uniquely aligned along the central crown of the soundboard, ensuring optimal acoustic transference and a far richer sound throughout the entire range of the keyboard. The bass bridge features holes that reduce the wood mass, allowing more of the strings’ vibrations to transfer directly to the soundboard.
Another unique feature is the open pinblock. Rather than relying on the precast holes of the cast iron frame, the pin holes are drilled in by hand – a much more labor-intensive artisanal process. By eliminating the added depth of the cast iron frame over the pinblock, the wound piano strings are able to rest much lower on the pin, eliminating the “flagpole” effect of high tension piano strings pulling the pins out of alignment and ensuring much more stable tunings throughout the life of the piano.
In the upper register, the Bösendorfer 214 VC utilizes unique tunable duplexes. This allows the piano tuner to adjust the higher overtones for greater tuning precision and richer sonic possibilities.
While the world may be raving about the Bösendorfer 214 VC, in the end, the only opinion that truly matters is your own. We invite you to audition this magnificent piano for yourself – the only one on the east coast – and share your honest opinions with us.
