Randomly, Da FRIEDMAN, and MOIZEWITCH a bit unrivaled imho.
Den of course da trademark steely ROCK sound dat da Ho emulated too after da 1930’s
Of living dudes always liked Gekic trying to make something more than tickky tacky piano sounds
( hides under table acknowledging I’ve complimented a crazy and highly variable pianist)
tru! Da Giant Camel Dick is a TRU master.
Older pianists Id say perhaps Bolet of Hoffman, Modern pianists Id say Hammer, Volodos a few obvious ones. Earl Wild had an incredible sound, not always helped by the Boston piano he favoured, and the recording technique, but some of his live recordings…
Dead pianists: Friedman, Moiseiwitsch, Gieseking, Rachmaninoff, Lipatti, Moravec, Fiorentino, Feinberg, Cliburn.
Of living pianists: Freire, Alessio Bax, Volodos, Sudbin, Lupu, Pires.
The ones that come to mind instantly are hofmann, fiorentino and ginzburg.
For living pianists I’m gonna add in Trifonov, Kozhuhin and Fei Fei Dong
for living pianists I agree with Chris’s choices, although I can’t really vouch for Alessio Bax since I haven’t heard enough of his playing.
Beautiful tone isn’t that important a criterion for me, provided the pianist can still play a nice bel canto legato. 
Moreover, sometimes a pianist’s sound isn’t suited to certain composers.
For example, when I heard Volodos live I didn’t think he was suited to Beethoven.
Juz gonna add Solomon coz it’s quite unique.
Yes, you’re right he did have a beautiful sound!
His ham Klav - silky and full sexellent
da ZIFF-ACCEL
iz bazically da moz beautiful zound in recorded penizm
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hahaha TRU!
REZPEK da zepp
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Of course I’m going to be the one to say it, but even though his recs are often pretty shite audio quality, RICHTER had a beautiful full tone. Though he didn’t have the fine pianissimo of a Gieseking, he was able to create beautiful tones at the keyboard.
For example:
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I alluded to him in my post.
He might not have the “prettiest” sound but he has a beautiful legato and cantabile.
He has a tru “orchestral” sound with wonderfully balanced textures and juz, always a “natural” sound, letting da textures balance demselves tru.
His Mendy Vars are classic MOISTAHZ. What a wikid interp
also da Chopin Prelude op. 45, Richter has a wikid sound dere.
my favorite Ravel JUDO recz iz da Moiztbeeyatch
randomly da Friedman unleashed dis as well, his students remember one of hiz few memory slips happened in da Ravztah Judo
da RECTUM haz wut iz commonly known az
a clazzic
RAPE ZOUND
bazically, even a clean RECTUM perf zoundz lyk
tiz zumhow RAPED
Hahahaha iz da zepp terminology patented or can I use diz in my DMA dissertation.
"In da late Beethoven sonata, da brotha didn’t give two fucks about penizdick cuntsiderations, but went fo a CLAZZIC RAPE SOUND (Gao Wen, Speed Demon Community Forums)
ahahahah diz pozz a COMME or MART coinage if i zheeyat correctly
but tru
da zepp vil gladly take partial credit in any caze 