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Steinway & Sons: Craftwork, Tradition, and Time Build Grand Pianos
Steinway & Sons remains one of the best-known producers of concert pianos in
the world. Throughout its great history, the company has shown a distinctive talent at
innovation, as evidenced by its more than 100 patents, and is known for quality
some rival piano makers, such as Yamaha, have tried to challenge Steinway’s dominance
of the concert piano market. (1) Can Steinway continue its cherished ways, or will it need
1853. Henry was a master cabinet maker who built his first piano in the kitchen of his
home in Seesen, Germany. Henry had built 482 pianos by the time he established
Steinway & Sons. The first piano produced by the company, number 483, was sold to a
New York family for $500. It is now displayed at New York City’s Metropolitan
Museum of Art.
Steinway’s unique quality became obvious early in the history of the firm as
proven by its winning gold medals in several American and European exhibitions in
1855. The company gained international recognition in 1867 at the Paris Exhibition when
it was awarded the prestigious “Grand Gold Medal of Honor” for excellence in
manufacturing and engineering. (2) Henry Steinway developed his pianos with emerging
technical and scientific research, including the acoustical theories of the renowned
Steinway was owned in the 1970s by CBS, and many concert artists complained
that the quality of the pianos had suffered as a result of that ownership. Pianists talked of
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the “Teflon controversy,” when Steinway replaced some fabric innards with Teflon (it
now coats the Teflon with fabric). Steinway was sold by CBS in 1985, and many experts
voiced the opinion that Steinway’s legendary quality was returning. Larry Fine, a piano
expert, argued that: “a Steinway has a kind of sustained, singing tone that a Yamaha
doesn’t have. Yamaha has a more brittle tone in the treble that some jazz pianists prefer.”
(3)
Today, the making of a Steinway piano follows the Steinway Tradition. Every
grand piano takes over a year to complete and incorporates over 1,000 details that set a
Steinway apart from its competitors. A tour of the Steinway factory is a trip back through
time, as many of the manufacturing techniques have not changed since 1853. The key
steps in the process of crafting a Steinway piano are described below. (4)
Using a method that was patented in 1878, the piano manufacturing process
begins with the creation of the inner and outer piano rims that give a grand piano its
distinctive shape this is known as the piano case. Eighteen layers of hard-rock maple,
each 22 feet in length, are laminated together and then formed into shape on a giant
piano-shaped vise. The rim-bending team centers the wood on the vise and forces it into
craftsman to be slightly thinner at the edges so that it can vibrate properly once it is glued
to the piano’s inner rim.” The bridge of the soundboard must be notched for the piano
strings before the soundboard can be placed into the piano case. A highly skilled
craftsman, with years of training, performs this operation because precision is so essential
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The veneer for a piano is cut from a single tree to ensure a uniform appearance of
the wood finish. It is cut to size and matched for grain, to be applied subsequently to the
designated piano.
A wooden brace assembly is then crafted to fit within the piano case and to help
support the 340 pound cast iron plate that provides the rigid and stable foundation for
approximately 40,000 pounds of tension from the piano strings. This brace assembly is
secured to the rim of the piano with fine carpentry joinery and maple dowels. The cast
iron plate is then fitted to the piano case and any needed adjustments are made before
After the soundboard and cast iron plate are properly fitted in the piano case, the
piano wires are installed, using both a machine guided stringer and appropriate hand
tools. Next, the felt hammers are formed into the proper shape, using glue and a copper
forming tool. The felt hammers are then put on the hammershanks and dampers are
painstakingly matches the damper felts to the strings; reaching underneath the piano
while looking in mirrors, the master technician adjusts the levers that control each of the
dampers.
Next, the key board is calibrated by inserting lead weights into the body of each
key so that the pressure required to push a key down is the same for every key.
Subsequently, a master voicer will adjust the tone quality of each key. This is done by
sticking the hammer’s felt with a small row of needles to reduce stiffness of the felt,
achieve the opposite effect. Finally, a tone regulator adjusts string tension by turning the
tuning pins.
processes and procedures that must be performed by highly skilled crafts people. True
crafts people produce the world’s finest quality concert pianos. However, not everyone
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wants or can afford a Steinway piano. What has Steinway & Sons done to reach other
market. Steinway & Sons designed Boston pianos using the latest computer technology
and then outsourced the manufacturing to Kawai, the second-largest Japanese piano
maker. By transferring its quality and knowledge of building pianos to the Boston Piano
operation, Steinway was able to open up a whole new market. The Boston Piano venture
In early 2001, Steinway & Sons introduced a third line of pianos, called the
Essex, to complement its Steinway and Boston lines. The Essex line offers two grand and
two upright models ranging in price from $5,200 to $17,800. With the Essex, Steinway
now provides pianos for every level of musical ability and budget. (6)
The question remains, can Steinway continue to operate in the way that has
proved successful over the past 150 years? At the moment, the answer appears to be
YES.
Review Questions
1. The equation specifying that Performance = Ability x Support x Effort is known
as the individual performance equation. Using this equation, explain the exceptional
2. Use the core job characteristics model to explain the implications of Steinway’s
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3. How does Steinway’s piano manufacturing process exhibit the need for
1. How does Steinway continue its emphasis on craftsmanship in this age of mass
production?
Case Endnotes
1. Cox, M. “Steinway Faces Yamaha Push in Piano Market,” Wall Street Journal,
January 19, 1988.
2. Steinway & Sons homepage, http://www.steinway.com.
3. Cox, op. cit.
4. “Factory Tour,” http://www.steinway.com/factory/tour/shtml.
5. Steinway & Sons homepage, op. cit.
6. “Steinway Unveils Essex Piano,” Business Wire, January 23, 2001.