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Home of the one and only Fandrich Vertical Action that plays like a grand.
 
 
Heller Bass Strings (E model)

Go to www.hellerbass.de for information about these strings.

We choose our grands for their tone design, a large part of which is determined by string lengths that are part of the basic construction. Wire diameters, however, are equal factors in determining tone quality. We have studied the string scale design of hundreds of the world's best sounding pianos, now a thirty-five year obsession, and found our own variable which we call QN (Quantum of Nastiness) that enables minimizing tone changes between discontinuities such as the break between bass and tenor and between plain wire and wrapped strings.

 
Lyre (all models)

The best compliment you can give a pedal system is that it is unnoticeable during play. Pedals should never rattle, squeak, crunch and be neither too heavy nor too light. They just work all the time, unobtrusively. We spend about 6 hours building our pedal system, working from a checklist derived from many years of fixing things that go wrong.

 
Fandrich-Rhodes Weight Bench Micro-balancing Keyweighting

Our touch weight consistency is perhaps the best in the industry. Traditionally, touch-weight is measured by the amount of weight required to just start a key moving, not play. Small lead weights are installed in the keys until they all start to move under the influence of a standard "touch-weight". This measure, however, does not take into account inertia (resistance of a body to any change in its state of motion due to its mass). Inertia causes touch weight to increase as a key is played faster, e.g. 2 oz. will usually start a key moving, but 4 oz. are needed to get a key to sound and several pounds for a loud sound. So, uniform inertia is actually more important than touch-weight for an even touch. We evaluate the touch of every key using our in-house developed Fandrich-Rhodes Weight Bench system. Our software program allows us to accurately calculate to within one to two tenths gram, the exact amount of weight required by each key for an even touch-weight, as well as any action ratio changes necessary. Our proprietary process also determines the amount of inertia so that the touch is just right, not too heavy nor too light, and uniform while playing at all volume levels, not just pianissimo.

 
Forty hour Regulation/Voicing/Tuning Procedure

This is a complex procedure outlined in a three page single spaced check list consisting of tasks, many of which are repeated eighty-eight times, three times in a row-following the old piano builders' maxim that for accuracy and stability everything must be done three times.

 
Tuning Stability

To speed up tuning stability we perform several steps to help stabilize new piano wire. These include seating the strings at all bearing points and several tunings.

 
Maintenance

A Fandrich & Sons grand piano is the musical equal of any similarly sized piano built by the world's best makers. It is also superior or equal to any other piano in terms of the stability of its tuning, touch and tone. But without adequate maintenance, the day-to-day musicality will gradually deteriorate in a few years to hardly being better than a low priced "botton-feeder" piano. This is true for the world's finest "trophy" pianos, too. Therefore, we recommend the following service routine:

Tuning: Find the best tuner-technician you can, usually an RPT member of the Piano Technicians Guild. Follow the technician's instructions regarding humidity control (if none is recommended-change technician!). If the piano is new, plan on four tunings during the first year, three the second year and twice a year thereafter-more often for high-use pianos with over an hour a day average play. (Waiting to tune until a piano sounds out of tune is too long-like waiting for engine noise before changing the oil in a car). Good pianos will drop significantly in pitch before sounding unmusical, and to correct the pitch and regain stability requires a double, sometimes triple tuning.

Touch: Depending on how you count, there are thirty to forty adjustments for each key machanism. Because these mechanisms' parts are made of relatively soft and/or unstable materials (wood, felt, leather), settling takes place with play over time, and periodic re-adjustment (regulation) is required to maintain a quality touch. Trust and follow your technician's advice, which most often will include a day of additional service work every few years, even an occasional visit to the shop.

Tone: Without maintenance, the tone of any piano also gradually deteriorates, becoming unpleasantly harsh and strident. Hammers need regular voicing and shaping to keep the tone round and even. We prefer to do some voicing and shaping along with every tuning, with a service day for more extensive work every few years-more for high use pianos played for more than an average of an hour per day. We prefer traditional voicing methods-needling and shaping-over currently popular "quick fix" methods using chemicals and steam.

Owning a Fandrich 6' grand since 2000 has been a wonderful experience, something much beyond what I was anticipating or expecting when I was originally in the market to buy a grand piano. Darrell, Heather, and the whole family have supported my piano and my enjoyment of it in so many ways, including tuning, voicing, humidity control, and regulation. Over the years, I've learned much about pianos, shared musical stories, and most of all come to know some absolutely wonderful people, who I would recommend readily to anyone looking for a quality piano. Seeing son Steffen develop his own top-flight technical skills in servicing pianos, combined with the same personable sensitivity to the customer and their concerns is very reassuring that the Fandrich brand and reputation will be carried on in the next generation. It's hard to imagine anything else once you've become a member of the Fandrich customer family.

You guys are really terrific, Darrell. Thanks for providing such a great experience over the years.


-- Roger Newby