I don't really agree with the characterization of the brands as described. The best of Fazioli, Bechstein, Steinway, Bosendorfer, Yamaha, etc. are all world-cla

I don't really agree with the characterization of the brands as described. The best of Fazioli, Bechstein, Steinway, Bosendorfer, Yamaha, etc. are all world-class, and all have $200k+ price tags new. Bosendorfer doesn't seem to be the piano of choice for many these days, save for a few pianists like Andras Schiff who really appreciate a very rich and warm tone for playing Bach, especially without pedal. There's some truth that Fazioli is in a separate class, but not for the reason you might think. Fazioli isn't necessarily in its own class because of superlative quality (they do have amazing quality and amazing customer support!), but rather because so few are made per year, built in and exported from Italy, with extreme quality control, and they're incredibly expensive.