The Anatomy of a Quality Acoustic Piano

	Action When you press on one of a piano's 88 keys, the back end of the key rises, engaging the action mechanism. The action is the most complicated part of a piano, composed of up to ten thousand tiny individual parts. Quality components are built of select seasoned hardwoods and state of the art carbon composites for durability and dynamic control. All bushings and dampers in a quality piano are felt, and all felt used in a piano should be 100% virgin wool. The action of a piano determines the "touch" of the instrument, that is, the expression and responsiveness to the player's hand movements on the keys.
	Hammers The hammers are felt-covered wooden mallets that strike the strings to make them vibrate. In a quality piano the hammer shank and head are crafted from seasoned hardwood and the felt is 100% virgin wool. Quality hammers are never coated with lacquer.
	Strings The over two hundred strings in a piano are stretched across a cast-iron frame called a plate. One end of each string is attached to a hitch pin and the other end is coiled around a tuning pin. A piano technician tunes a piano by turning the tuning pin and adjusting the tension at which each string is stretched. High quality pianos are strung with high-grade steel and solid copper wrappings. High quality pianos always have a solid cast-iron plate.
	Pinblock The tuning pins pass through holes in the cast-iron plate and, in a quality piano, are embedded in a cross-laminated, multi-ply, clear hardwood plank called the pinblock. Since the pinblock is located beneath the plate, it cannot be directly inspected after the piano is assembled, but it is essential to be aware of the quality of the pinblock, the device that solely determines the tuning stability of the piano. Since the strings exert more than 20 tons of pressure, the quality of the pinblock construction is essential to maintaining the piano in tune and reducing maintenance costs over the life of the instrument. Quality piano manufacturers use only the highest quality materials and production methods to craft pinblocks. The reputation of the manufacturer is your assurance of quality in the pinblock.
	Soundboard The sound of a piano string vibrating must be amplified by passing through the bridge to the large wooden diaphragm called the soundboard. For good tone the soundboard must be constructed from the highest-grade quartersawn Sitka spruce and the bridges must be crafted from straight-grained hardwood kiln-dried to the proper humidity. The entire "scale design" of the piano, the relation and quality of the tonal parts of the piano, is the determiner of the "tone" of the piano. A high quality piano resonates with a full, rich bass, a warm middle register and a crystal clear treble. It is never dull and muddy or overly bright and tinny.
	Size All pianos are about 58 inches wide across the keyboard. Grand pianos can range from 4 1/2 feet to about 9 feet long. Vertical pianos are usually about 23 inches deep and range from 36 to 52 inches tall. Size in pianos does not determine quality. Due to a mistaken perception in a percentage of the consumer population, however, that size and quality are somehow related; some manufacturers build a large cabinet or "box" of furniture around a small piano. Piano size is most accurately measured by "string speaking length", not the height of the cabinet. Craftsmanship, good design and quality raw materials are the primary determiners of quality in an acoustic piano.
	Cabinetry The piano cabinet provides additional structural support and aesthetic appeal. Quality construction and fine furniture will assure your piano an honored place in your home throughout the decades. Low quality pianos deteriorate rapidly, incur high maintenance costs and depreciate quickly.