When considering a pre-owned Steinway & Sons piano, it’s natural to look at the year it was built. But after spending most of my life around pianos, I’ve found that age tells us surprisingly little about the instrument itself.

I’ve played wonderful Steinways from virtually every period. A piano that’s 60 or 70 years old isn’t necessarily less desirable than one that’s 20 years old. In fact, in some cases I might prefer the older instrument. What matters considerably more is its present condition and its individual characteristics.

One of the interesting things about a piano is that it tends to tell us its own history.

People occasionally ask me about the history of a particular Steinway. Naturally, any documented history can be interesting, but I’ve always felt that examining the piano itself tells us considerably more.

Its tone and response tell us something. So do the condition of the action and the structural components. Even the condition of the cabinet contributes to the overall picture. When you’ve spent enough time around these instruments, all of those things together tell you quite a bit about the life a piano has had and, more importantly, what the piano is today.

A piano that’s been played regularly isn’t something I consider a negative. Pianos like to be played. That’s what they were built for. Normal use and age shouldn’t be confused with condition.

There’s also a tendency with almost everything we purchase to assume that newer must somehow be better. With Steinways, I don’t believe that’s necessarily the case.

Many pianists, technicians and people who have spent considerable time around Steinways actually have a particular affection for older instruments. Steinways produced from the late 1910s through the early 1930s, for example, are frequently referred to as “Golden Era” Steinways.

Of course, at some extreme, age eventually becomes part of the discussion. A piano that’s 150 years old presents different considerations from one that’s relatively new. But among the pre-owned Steinways most people encounter, whether an instrument is 20, 40, 60 or 80 years old wouldn’t be where I’d begin.

I’d be much more interested in the instrument itself—its condition, its tone, its response and its individual character.