ROCOCO CRAFTSMANSHIP
This special-collection piano is a prime example of the Chippendale furniture style with the famous “Ball & Claw” style leg and foot, with all the grace and distinction of design made famous by Thomas Chippendale, master cabinetmaker of 18th-century England. Handcrafted legs and lyre. Length: 5'7" (170 cm)
For more than a century and a half, the world’s most accomplished pianists have preferred to express their musical genius on Steinway & Sons pianos. The list includes the giants in classical, jazz, and popular music; the men and women who have shaped the world’s musical heritage. Today, more than 95 percent of the world’s active concert pianists choose to perform on Steinway pianos.
The joy of playing and owning a Steinway piano, however, is not the exclusive domain of the virtuosi. Rather, it is a world open to all who share a love of music … whether listening or playing … fine craftsmanship and enduring quality.
While Steinway adheres to the traditional values of craftsmanship, Steinway & Sons has also consistently led through innovation. The very earliest pianos crafted by Steinway were distinguished by their inventive features — many of which helped define the modern piano. Today, each Steinway piano is a summation of our commitment to innovation. Each incorporates over 125 patented features and processes, including our patented Diaphragmatic® soundboard, Accelerated Action® and Hexagrip® pinblock.
Ultimately, the pieces — massive and delicate — come together through the interweaving of the craft and technology until the instrument is complete. However it is not a Steinway until voicing gives it the special quality that makes it unique. Here, every subtle nuance is drawn out by balancing and adjusting the keys and shaping, hardening or softening each hammer. In the end, the new piano is transformed from more than 12,000 individual parts into an instrument… and from an instrument into a Steinway.
LENGTH — 5' 7" (170 cm)
WIDTH — 573/4" (147 cm)
WEIGHT — 560 lbs (275 kg)
Specifications
Braces
3 solid spruce with a volume of 1,196 cu. in. (19,597cm3); Spruce provides tensile strength with less weight. Maple dowels fasten braces to rim & crossblock producing a single homogenous foundation upon which is built the tonal component. A cast iron treble bell, affixed to rim's underside at treble bend, holds plate firmly in position by means of a steel bolt. The STEINWAY & SONS iron wedge anchors brace ends securely to crossblock assuring permanent rim posture.
Scale
Overstrung; combination agraffe; Front AND rear duplex. Tension: 33,823 lbs. (15,040 kg)
Ribs
Made from durable, resinous sugar pine to assure strong and constant support of string down-bearing on the soundboard; rib ends are hand-fitted.
Tuning Pins
Premium blued steel with rust-resistant, nickeled heads.
Strings
TREBLE: Eleven whole & one-half sizes from high-tensile Swedish steel.
BASS: Swedish steel core wire wound with pure copper. Longest, agraffe/bridge: 49 1/4" (125 cm)
Hammers
Premium wool top felt over premium wool under felt; treated to resist insects and moisture. Compression-wired to retain permanent shape. Hard birch moldings. Shanks from select resilient maple.
Dampers
Horizontal-cut premium wool for effective dampening. Maple heads for endurance.
Keys
European spruce, individually weighed-off. Chip-proof, stain-resistant coverings for naturals; slip-proof, delicately abraded ebonized sharps. Durable Linden wood buttons reinforce keys over balance rail permitting maximum tonal power with every strike. Longest: 19" (48.3 cm)
Keybed
Made from planks of quarter-sawn spruce. Horizontal and verticle birch planks present a vented system for humidity escapement. Crowned and reverse-crowned action frame gives a snug fit, intensifies key movement and prevents "slapping" during heavy playing. Large maple dowel ends provide a solid mount for adjustable brass touch-regulating screws. Thickness: 1-3/4" (4.45 cm)
Pedals
Heavy, solid brass. Soft, sustaining, and full sostenuto.