The pre-WWII era of piano manufacturing saw the growing American industry reach its height in both size and quality. This golden age of piano manufacturing saw the incredible quality and innovation become the standard as hundreds of makers competed for the hearts (and wallets) of a piano-loving public.

The first Steinway & Sons Model M Grand Piano #150293 was manufactured at the New York Steinway factory in 1911 and the Model M was introduced in Hamburg in 1926.

The 1927 Steinway M was designed to be a small baby grand well-suited to a home. Yet this piano is also a common choice for studios, churches, and other settings. At 5′ 7″ (170 cm) in length, this piano’s rich tone, responsive action, and manageable size makes it perfect for conservatories, and many homes as well.

Created like the soundboard of violins to give a free and even response throughout the entire scale, the STEINWAY Model M’s soundboard is 8 mm thick in the center and tapers to 5 mm as it approaches the rim and outer case before being double crowned. The design permits complete freedom of movement while displacing a greater amount of air, creating a richer and more lasting tonal response. Close-grained, quarter-sawn Sitka spruce — which has unusual stability and vibrance under stress and vibration — is used exclusively for the soundboard.

The better the materials, the better the sound. STEINWAY & SONS constructs its soundboard bridges exclusively from vertically laminated hardwood with a horizontal grain, capped with solid maple. Each bridge is notched by hand for precise, individual string-bearing. This design ensures optimal sound transmission from the strings to the soundboard, resulting in a sustained, resonant tone—creating the inimitable STEINWAY SOUND.

Up to 20 tons of string tension is being exerted within a piano at all times. It is the function of the cast iron plate to accommodate this extraordinary force and provide strength and stability throughout the life of the piano. STEINWAY & SONS uses its own “bell-quality” casting to support this string tension and reduce vibration, which in turn enhances the sound. This component is so integral to the construction of a STEINWAY piano that STEINWAY & SONS owns and operates its own foundry, which produces cast iron plates to its exacting specifications. The plate is sturdy gray iron; filled CNC–milled, and sealed; bronzed and lacquered.