Model C-227
Recital Grand

dimensions

Length: 227 cm
Width: 155 cm 
Net Weight: 400 kg 

braces

4 solid spruce braces with a volume of 33,296 cm³; Spruce provides tensile strength with less weight. Beech dowels fasten braces to rim producing a single homogenous foundation upon which is built the entire 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: 19,909 kg

ribs

Made from durable, resinous sitka spruce to assure strong and constant support of string down-bearing on the soundboard; rib ends are hand-fitted.

tuning pins

Premium steel; rust-resistant, nickele-plated

strings

Treble: twelve whole & one-half sizes from high-tensile steel.
Bass: steel core wire wound with pure copper.
Longest: Agraffe/bridge: 163 cm

hammers

Premium wool top felt and under felt; treated to resist insects and moisture. Compression-wired to maintain permanent shape. Maple hammer moldings and shanks.

dampers

Horizontal-cut premium wool for effective dampening with bubinga heads for endurance.

keys

European spruce, individually weighed-off. Chip-proof, stain-resistant coverings for naturals; slip-proof, ebony sharps. Durable Linden wood buttons reinforce keys over balance rail, permitting maximum tonal power with every strike. Longest key: 567.6 mm.

keybed

Made from planks of quarter-sawn pine. Horizonal and vertical beech 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 beech dowel ends provide a solid mount for adjustable brass touch-regulating screws. Thickness: 42.4 mm.

pedals

Heavy, solid brass. Soft, sustaining, and full sostenuto.
 

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 D soundboard is 9 mm thick in the center and tapers to 6 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 defies splitting. Bass bridges are continuous with treble and maple doweled.

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.