Founder
Well, Steinway & Sons is the founder of the modern cross-string piano as we all know it today. The first instruments were built as early as 1860, and grand pianos from this period are still played and sold today.
The various patents, some 149 in total, were used by all other piano builders over the years, because Steinway & Sons' concept was perfectly right. The one-piece cabinet, the rigid cast-iron frame with crossed strings, the best woods and the unique diaphragmatic soundboard gave the instrument a great projection and at the same time a very full tone, without sacrificing richness of colour. So it was no wonder that all piano builders in the first half of the 20th century blindly adopted the Steinway concept and try to imitate or surpass it to this day. This confirms Steinway's authority again and again. As long as other piano builders continue to create variations on the concept developed by Steinway, pianists and concert halls will continue to opt for the power of the original.
Celebrated by artists
Over the past 170 years, not only Steinway & Sons has proved that they build the best piano, but especially the pianists themselves. The especially sensitive and highly reliable touch, the wide dynamic range, and the special tone of a genuine Steinway were and are praised worldwide by the artists themselves, and because of its versatility are also always cited as the standard. Steinway & Sons builds around 3,000 instruments a year in Hamburg and New York. Compared to the total production of pianos worldwide, that seems little, but it is 15 to 30 times more than other piano builders in this segment and the best proof of how beloved these instruments are.
