1881 Steinway upright features

Written By andrew croll

As a member of the Seattle chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild, I have had the pleasure of meeting many Veteran technicians. Recently I have received an 1881 Steinway upright from a senior technician who felt I would gain knowledge from the project.

This piano is older than the formal state of Washington where it resides. As such it has some very unique features that make it the middle point of upright piano design. Before Steinway solidified their upright action design in 1928, many features of the inner working of the piano were still being designed. Some of the unique features we will discuss in further blogs are-

  • 84 keys

  • hardwood hammer shanks

  • Vertigrand plate

  • double butt flanges

  • hardwood action rails

andrew croll