Konzertflügel Werkstatt Hamburg
Welcome to the workshop of Klangmanufaktur! We kindly invite you to visit us in Hamburg to play our instruments. A short registration in advance is sufficient.
Klangmanufaktur thrives on the exchange between pianists, piano technicians, sound engineers, researchers and other interested parties from different disciplines. This special network constantly generates new ideas, carries the quality of our work out and helps us improving every day through feedback. We welcome you to be a part of it.
In addition to the sale of instruments, we also carry out refittings and repairs on behalf of the customer. We are specialists in turning rundown Steinway grand pianos into mint condition, high quality concert instruments. Our customers include music academies, concert halls, radio stations and foundations. You can find an overview of our references here.
As with the instrument sales, you have the opportunity to follow the development of your instrument through regular visits to our workshop. Please contact us for further information on our services, or to discuss an offer.
On the following pages you will find brief explanations of the workshop services that include a general overhaul at Klangmanufaktur.
Above all stands our holistic sound philosophy to optimize the energy transfer within the instrument. This enables a quick response and an open, clear sound with a wide dynamic range.
If you would like to have more specific information or get a better understanding of how we work, always feel free to be in touch.
In order to optimize the vibrating properties of the soundboard, we remove the old varnish, specifically calibrate and taper the panel, shim cracks and eventually seal the soundboard with a non-dampening but durable wax.
In our workshop we restore the entire bridge caps. String pressure and tilt of bridge are precisely adjusted to the acoustic system and the bridge is notched anew.
If a new pinblock needs to be installed, we use pinblocks from Bolduc made from Rock Maple. With the aid of our custom-made pinblock drilling machine, we achieve an optimal torque of pin.
For the new strings in the treble and middle register we use either Paulello or Röslau steel strings. The bass strings are made by Heller according to our individual specifications.
We offer a high quality new finish for the plate, which does not stain over time as current bronze coating does, because it is sealed with a satin clear finish.
We renew the v-rib of old piano plates in order to achieve a good tunability and a clear sound with good sustain in the melody register. For this purpose, we machine a groove along the tip of the v-rib and insert a specifically hardened silver steel.
We renew bushings and cushions and, if required, we replace the key tops. Our approach to weigh off of keys is dynamic. This increases responsiveness and evenness of the keyboard. We use non-toxic CKM key weights.
We usually replace all action parts (hammers, shanks and repetitions) and install new dampers in order to achieve the touch of a new piano. We are using original Steinway action parts.
Voicing is where all threads of the restoration finally unite. By means of voicing the tension of the hammerfelt, we define the dynamic range and by shaping the geometry of the hammers we arrange the spectrum of partials.
As an alternative to current mainstream polyester coating, we offer a coating with satin hard oil. This finish is acoustically open, easy to care for, pleasant to the touch and emphasizes the natural wood structure of the instrument.
