MODEL O

Steinway grand piano. The rim of the Steinway Model O is comprised of 13 layers of hard rock maple — with both inner and outer rim being pressed together in a single operation — which provides the structural integrity that enables a Steinway piano to endure for generations. This unique rim construction has been an integral part of every Steinway grand piano since it was developed and patented by Steinway & Sons in 1878.

The soundboard lies at the heart of a Steinway grand or upright piano, which is why great care is needed both in its design and in the selection of the wood. To meet the highest quality standards, only superior Sitka spruce with a regular grain and prescribed minimum number of annual growth rings is acceptable. The production of the Steinway Diaphragmatic Soundboard is based on a 1936 patent to achieve optimum performance in dynamic range and maximum sustain. Under this patent, the soundboard is gradually tapered from the center to the edge, permitting freedom of movement and creating a sound of unparalleled richness, sonority, and sustain.

Created like the soundboard of violins to give a free and even response throughout the entire scale, the Steinway Model O soundboard is 8 mm thick in the center and tapers to 5 mm as it approaches the rim and outer case before being double crowned. The design permits complete freedom of movement while displacing a greater amount of air, creating a richer and more lasting tonal response. Close-grained, quarter-sawn Sitka spruce — which has unusual stability and vibrance under stress and vibration — is used exclusively for the soundboard.

The better the materials, the better the sound. Steinway & Sons constructs its soundboard bridges exclusively from vertically laminated hardwood with a horizontal grain, capped with solid maple. Each bridge is notched by hand for precise, individual string-bearing. This design ensures optimal sound transmission from the strings to the soundboard, resulting in a sustained, resonant tone—creating the inimitable Steinway Sound. In 1963, Steinway introduced the Hexagrip Pinblock, which is engineered to enable pianos to hold their tuning longer and with incredible precision.

The Hexagrip patented design features 7 laminations of quartered hardrock maple stock. Grain is symmetrically distributed at successive angles of 45º and 90º, employing uniform grain direction around the circumference of the tuning pin to provide ultimate pin grippage. The exclusive design provides the tuning pin with smoother movement under torque, a more uniform retaining action, and a piano that holds its tuning longer.

Treble bridges are hard rock maple vertical laminations capped with solid hard rock maple; they are planed, graphite coated, drilled and notched by hand for precise individual string bearing, with a design that defies splitting.

Up to 20 tons of string tension is being exerted within a piano at all times. It is the function of the cast iron plate to accommodate this extraordinary force and provide strength and stability throughout the life of the piano. Steinway & Sons uses its own “bell-quality” casting to support this string tension and reduce vibration, which in turn enhances the sound. This component is so integral to the construction of a Steinway piano that Steinway & Sons owns and operates its own foundry, which produces cast iron plates to its exacting specifications. The plate is sturdy gray iron; filled CNC–milled, and sealed; bronzed and lacquered.

Instrument

Rim
Made entirely from hard rock maple; 13 laminations; continuous bent, both inner & outer form one single rim; unequaled strength and stability. Thickness: 2 7/16″ (6.19 cm)

Braces
3 solid spruce with a volume of 1,253 cu. In. (20,528cm3); Spruce provides tensile strength with less weight. Maple dowels fasten braces to rim producing a single homogenous foundation upon which is built the entire tonal component. The S & S iron wedge anchors brace ends securely to crossblock assuring permanent rim posture.

Pinblock
Hexagrip patented design; 7 laminations of quartered hardrock maple stock. Grain symmetrically distributed at successive angles of 45°, 90°, employing grain direction uniformly around the circumference of the tuning pin to provide the ultimate in pin grippage. As a result of this exclusive design, the tuning pin has smoother movement under torque, a more uniform retaining action for solid setting, and a piano which will hold its tuning longer.

Soundboard
Created like the soundboard of violins to give a free and even response throughout the entire scale, it is so constructed as to be 8 mm thick in the center and tapered to 5 mm as it approaches the rim and outer case before being DOUBLE CROWNED. This design permits complete freedom of movement, while acting as a homogenous unit to displace a greater amount of air, thereby creating a richer and more lasting tonal response. Close-grained, quarter-sawn Sitka or European spruce, a wood having unusual stability and vibrance under stress and vibration, is used exclusively for the soundboard.

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 into their mounting surfaces virtually locking in the important soundboard crown.

Bridges
Treble: Hard rock maple vertical laminations capped with solid hard rock maple; planed to prescribed height, graphite coated, drilled, and notched by hand for precise individual string bearing. Design defies splitting. Bass: Solid rock maple mounted to cantilevered and splined base. Maple doweled, glued, and screwed to soundboard.

Scale
Overstrung; combination agraffe; Front AND rear duplex. Tension: 41,888 lbs. (19,000 kg)

Plate
Sturdy gray iron; filled, CNC-milled, and sealed; bronzed and lacquered.

Tuning Pins
Premium blued steel with rust-resistant, nickeled heads.

Strings
Treble: Ten whole & one-half sizes from high-tensile Swedish steel.Bass: Swedish steel core wire wound with pure copper. Longest, Agraffe/bridge: 54 1/8″ (137 cm)

Hammers
Premium wool top felt over premium wool under felt; treated to resist insects and moisture. Compression-wired to retain permanent shape. Hard rock maple hammer moldings and shanks.

Dampers
Horizontal-cut premium wool for effective dampening. Maple heads for endurance.

Action
White, quarter-sawn maple parts are bushed with specially treated wool action cloth for freedom from friction. Parts are anchored in hard maple dowels housed in inflexible seamless brass tubing to assure precise & stable regulation. Exclusive single, combination phosphor bronze repetition & fly spring provides constant, crisp touch response. Specially designed to respond 14% faster fortissimo & 6% faster pianissimo by using an exclusive combination of half-round balance rail bearings and strategically placed key leads.

Keys
European spruce, individually weighed-off. Chip-proof, stain-resistant coverings for naturals; slip-proof, delicately abraded ebonized sharps. Tough, 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 stable, quarter-sawn spruce. Horizontal planks are freely mortised together, while their ends are permanently mortised into vertical planks, presenting a vented system for humidity escapement while allowing for necessary expansion and contraction. Front center is crowned contrasting the reverse-crowned action frame for snug fit. This design intensifies key movement and prevents “slapping” during heavy playing. Large beech 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.

Dimensions

Encasement