The wide-tail design on all Essex grands is a special Steinway & Sons innovation that creates 6% more surface area in the soundboard. This enriches the sound, giving the pianist the impression of playing on a larger instrument. Essex grands are wider at the tail than most pianos of the same length — allowing a larger soundboard area and producing a richer sound. The larger soundboard area also permits better placement of the bass bridge — which yields more volume, greater tone, and a bass that sings.

Like all pianos designed by Steinway & Sons, the Essex contains a soundboard of solid, premium grade, straight-grained spruce chosen for its superb acoustic qualities. It also features a special tapered profile that is thicker in the treble and thinner in the bass, enabling freer vibration and better tonal volume.

Designed by Steinway & Sons, the plate is cast from gray iron and over engineered to provide strength to support 20 tons of string tension. Long-fiber cast iron creates a very dense plate, which does not absorb energy and yields a fuller tone.

Each of the 88 keys of a grand or upright piano transmits its movement to a small, felt-covered wooden hammer which strikes one, two or three strings. In 1880, Steinway & Sons introduced pear-shaped hammers with reinforced shoulders and metal ligatures to ensure superior stability and a more powerful sound. This exclusive Steinway & Sons design is also a part of Boston grand and upright pianos. Boston’s Steinway-type action geometry yields faster reptition, better stability, and heightened responsiveness — allowing the musician to play with maximum expression and control.