Craftmanship

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Estonia grand and concert pianos are the result of an ideal - to craft inspirational instruments by hand using only the best suited, and therefore limited, materials, parts and experienced craftsmen in Europe.

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To build a truly hand-crafted piano in the European tradition, Estonia sets the standard and then seeks out only proven European partners to supply each selected component in the pianos we build.

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Our iron plates come from Finland, and are made the old-fashioned, European way.

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In order to qarantee the right quality, they are sand-cast, seasoned, and only the best plates pass the final selection. We have one year of iron plates in our inventory, and only the best would be selected. It takes modern machinery to make even the rough surfaces and prepare for our mirror-like polish finishes,, at which our craftsmen show their experience. We continue to test them, to make sure that they do not interfere with the piano sound but are there to support the structure. Shiny, smooth, and even, they have received a lot of praise at international music trade shows, and are considered among the best from Europe.

 

Our rims are strong and thick, much thicker than most other pianos.

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Dense rims are important for a rich sound, plus solid beams support the overall tension of the piano structure, further adding to the balance and longevity of the instrument. Multiple layers of select North-European birch are glued together in a press where they dry over a long time; in addition, the outer frame is set aside to cure separately thereafter. After curing and testing, the wood is further shaped according to exact measurements to form the rim.

 

The keybed on our pianos is built into the rim.

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This uniques feature - to have the piano components all connected and supportive - is an old tradition. How many other makers would spend the time to set the keybed into the piano rim? It is a lot more time consuming process, as compared to attaching the keybed separately under the rim. Estonia continues the old traditions of European piano making.

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The look of the ebony polish finish, made with the Euroepan, shiny polyester laquer, is classic - very elegant and very European. It protects the piano surface and lets minor scratches, if they were to come from using the instrument, to be polished out.

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The highest quality resonance spruce for our soundboard might require more explanation, for it is one of the most important parts of the piano and its sound creation.

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The wood is resonance spruce, it has a high number of growth rings per inch, from the heartwood of clear grain, and acquires very minimal coloring over the years. It comes from the high altitudes of Swiss or Italian Alps, as the spruce has to to grow slowly. Special boards are then shipped to Germany, further selected and matched, and glued into boards. The highest grade is shipped to the Estonia factory, where our craftsmen will now set their years and years of experience into making the most musical board for your piano. Very important is the way the wood would be treated – to have instrument’s musical tones as natural as possible, as pure as possible. The same highest quality resonance spruce is used on all piano models, from smallest to the largest grands. Listen to the sounds and you will hear the Scandinavian landscapes, the untouched nature of Estonia, the history and tradition of Northern Europe...

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The bridge and its position are measured for each piano individually.

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Experienced craftsmen set the exact location of the bridge and bridge pins – experience counts as each string termination is cut and carved by hand. As on the picture, craftsmanship is a big part of creating the Estonia sound.

The pin-block is made of Dehonit material, imported from Germany. There are about 20 layers of beech that would hold the pins in place and help to sustain the tunings.

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The special scale design (length, thickness & spacing of the strings over the whole instrument) has been developed in cooperation of Estonia Piano Factory, Tallinn University of Technology, and specialists from Europe.

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Individually tuned duplex scaling, front and rear, on all grand models.

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Beyond the speaking length of the string, duplex scales add rich overtones to the overall piano sound. By having movable duplex aliquots, technicians can change the tuning according to their wishes and necessary acoustics. This level of control over the sound is found on only a few of the finest pianos.

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Estonia pianos must have treble strings made of the best wire, etc. To execute the Estonia bass tone, we must must make and wind each string within our factory walls.

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The wound bass strings are made by a specialist in our factory.

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The process of stringing the instrument begins by inserting a wire through the hole in the tuning pin. The wire makes three coils around the tuning pin before being driven into the pin-block beneath the cast iron plate. The system works together, as the cast iron plate resists the tension of the wires while the pin-block resists the torque to create stability between tunings. Our pins come from the Biene Company in Germany, and have been long tested for your quality. The treble strings are imported from Germany, and we receive their highest quality steel string wires.

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Estonia pianos must have precise & responsive keys, so each key set is made in the Estonia factory or by Kluge Klaviaturen GmbH of Remscheid, Germany.

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Our keyboards are built to be most responsive and smooth.

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The responsiveness enables subtle expression within the musical interpretations, whereas the smoothness enables pianists to perform technically difficult passages with ease, extending pianists' physical endurance and performance precision. Our keyboards are either handmade in our factory or ordered from the Kluge Company, Germany. Each key is carefully crafted, sanded, and tested. We use the highest quality resonance spruce for its light weight and reponsiveness. Keytop material is from the Kluge company as well. Felts come from the Renner factory, the same that makes the actions.

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Estonia seeks out the most reliable, serviceable & traditional action parts, and selects Louis Renner GMBH & Company of Stuttgart, Germany.

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The Estonia pianos have the Renner actions, chosen for their highest quality and performance by professional pianists. Louis Renner GMBH & Company, founded in 1882 in Stuttgart, Germany, are being used by many high-end European piano makers. All Estonia piano models have the full Renner actions. In addition, all piano models have the selected, premium Renner Blue hammers for ideal tone and longevity. For more information, please visit http://www.louisrenner.com

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Each piano receives several tunings and voicings. First, our pianos get played by a player machine at the factory, so that the stings would be streched and piano action would get a good workout. Thereafter it is tuned, voiced and regulated again. Second, the piano is played and evaluated by a member of the Laul family, and when necessary, more tuning and voicing would get done. Each piano receives the heightened degree of attention to detail that makes your piano performance a pure joy.