Today's Steinway: they are still made like before... only better!

  • Acoustic piano
  • Innovation
  • Evolution of the piano
  • Buying advice

A TRADITION OF INNOVATION

Steinway & Sons is a pioneer in the design and development of the modern piano with the aim of making the best piano in the world. A Steinway remains a matchless instrument with uncompromising expression, the choice of 97% of concert pianists and the foundation of many concert halls around the world. Although Steinway have more than 135 patents to their name since their founding in 1853, they refuse to rest on the laurels of their past successes. Steinway's drive and passion for innovation and continuous improvement continues to this day.

 

Steinway Factory Hamburg

To build the best piano possible...

Steinway & Sons continues to improve appearance, touch, tone, structural stability and every aspect of what makes a Steinway a Steinway. The pioneering artisanal working methods employed at the Hamburg factory since 1880 still guarantee the brand's uncompromising quality standards. The integration of this craftsmanship with ongoing development and significant investment in state-of-the-art technology has resulted in an instrument with the widest range of timbres by far and the most responsive touch ever. The tradition of continuous innovation in materials, design and production, guarantees that today's Steinway breaks the hitherto imaginable boundaries of Henry Steinway's credo "To build the best piano possible".

De kast

The cabinet

A Steinway carries up to almost 21,000 kg of string tension. The piano's cabinet (rim) carries this tension while supporting and enhancing the acoustic properties of the soundboard. Steinway's patented one-piece continuous curved cabinet generates its strength by bending multiple layers of premium hard maple and mahogany in a continuous curve. The process of completely hand-bending Steinway's cabinet has taken place at the factory for more than 140 years, and recent developments in that process have led to significant optimisation. Over the past decade, Steinway has made improvements to the presses and the conditioning process: new reinforced clamps improve the curvature of the cabinet, new pneumatic spanners guarantee the right amount of glue between the layers of wood, and new stabilisers are installed after the cabinet has been bent to ensure that it can maintain its optimal shape. Today, the Steinway cabinet has more stability, durability and strength. Never before has Steinway's cabinet allowed the unique diaphragmatic soundboard to vibrate so freely to generate a beautiful, golden tone.

the frame

The cast iron frame

Up to 21 tonnes of string tension is constantly applied in a piano. It is the function of the cast iron frame to absorb this extraordinary force and provide strength and stability throughout the life of the piano.
Since 1998, Steinway & Sons has operated its own foundry in the US to manufacture the integral cast-iron frame to their own exacting specifications. The foundry forges the bell-quality slab with a new No-Bake process implemented just five years ago that enables a single-use high-strength mould that creates more accurate and consistent castings. In addition, Steinway has also implemented a revolutionary thermal recovery process. Moreover, new machines enable greater precision in milling the plate (down to 0.2 mm). Finally, their metallurgy lab has been modernised to further optimise the hardness and strength of the casting, virtually eliminating any potential deformations or cracks that might occur once the plate has been formed.

sound board

The soundboard

The soundboard is the heart of an instrument. The diaphragmatic soundboard of a Steinway is based on an innovative patent for optimal performance in dynamic range and maximum sustain. Today, the spruce for the soundboard comes entirely from a single island in Alaska, the only location that meets the stringent specifications. The unique microclimate yields spruce with the highest quality in grain density, direction and colour, improving the transmission of tonal string vibrations. Steinway & Sons uses state-of-the-art machinery and conditioning rooms to more accurately meet the specifications of their soundboard design.

the action

The action

Exact precision is the hallmark of the action in a Steinway & Sons and essential to the legendary Steinway touch. The mechanism consists of thousands of parts meticulously assembled by highly skilled and highly trained craftsmen. More precise and accurate parts make the action more responsive.
For Steinway, it is essential that the manufacture of such important mechanism parts is in its own hands, so that top quality can be guaranteed every time. This is why Louis Renner, the leading manufacturer of piano mechanisms based in Germany, has been part of our company since 2019 and Steinway has full control over the quality of all parts.

Dolce pedal

Dolce Pedal

With the invention of the Dolce Pedal in 2019, Steinway engineers have developed a system that allows musicians to play more quietly on a buffet piano without sacrificing sound quality. Every Steinway & Sons upright piano is now equipped with this additional pedal as standard.

Harmonic Damper Setting

Harmonic Damper Setting

In 2019, Steinway & Sons introduces the Harmonic Damper Setting - a special innovation developed for the Steinway & Sons concert grand piano D-274. It offers pianists new possibilities of expression and much more refinement when using the damper pedal (sustain pedal).

"This is the best damper system I've ever played on," he says. IGOR LEVIT

Martha Argerich, Jacob Karlzon, Grigory Sokolov and Igor Levit are just some of the world's greatest artists who are enthusiastic about this refreshing innovation. The Harmonic Damper Setting demonstrates the continuous improvement that distinguishes Steinway & Sons as a trendsetter and reference of the modern piano.

Spirio

Steinway Spirio

The Spirio from Steinway & Sons is a handmade Steinway like any other. It is also a self-playing piano with the world's highest resolution, making it the next step in Steinway's tradition of innovation. Spirio brings Steinway's unparalleled craftsmanship to your home, combined with cutting-edge technology and the peerless musicality of Steinway artists. Spirio's high-resolution playback system uses proprietary software to measure hammer speed, up to 1020 dynamic levels at up to 800 samples per second. Likewise for the pedals: up to 256 pedal positions at up to 100 samples per second. Spirio|r can also record, edit and play back live performances in high resolution. The result of the Spirio is a precise reproduction of the pianist's full range of movement and emotion. Subtlety, passion and individuality.

 

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