Carl Sauter

The secret to tonal beauty.

A grand piano is much more than the sum of its parts. Tonal beauty arises from the harmonic interplay between countless details, blended with the love, experience and musical sensitivity of the piano maker. A peep inside our grand pianos reveals some of the secrets behind the tone.

The woods. Priming the tonal colour.

Wood accounts for 70 percent of the body of a grand piano, which is why this raw material deserves the utmost attention. Sauter uses nothing but the very finest quality woods from carefully chosen sources: alder, yew, red beech, hornbeam, maple, spruce, lime, walnut. All the woods are carefully stored and undergo a precisely controlled drying process.

Omega 220 aus Mahagoni

The soundboard. The soul of the grand piano.

An 8 mm thin plate of young spruce from the central European mountain ranges is glued onto the sturdy back, stressed in a slightly convex shape. The soundboard is caused to resonate via the string and bridge, thereby amplifying the sound. Stabilising ribs are glued onto the back. Each rib has its own profile, aiding the membrane effect of the soundboard.

Sauter Resonanzboden

The downbearing. The force of the strings.

The musical quality of the piano hinges decisively on the pressure which the string exerts on the bridge and, thus, on the soundboard. This is developed individually and with absolute precision on every instrument at Sauter.

The cast iron plate. Stability for sound dynamics.

The cast iron plate which can absorb the huge 20 tons-plus string tension without any hint of distortion creates the basis for the
powerful, dynamic sound with its lively spectrum of tonal nuances. Top-grade sand cast iron is used for the cast iron plate, as it is
the type of cast iron which is least prone to vibrating, thereby causing unwelcome interference.

The strings. Sound material made from the finest metal.

Sauter uses the finest steel strings and also operates rigid quality controls over its own string production. High-precision agraffes in the bass and middle registers help the strings to resonate in the right way.

The scale. The way of measuring tonal culture.

The scale, i.‑e. the lengths and diameters of the strings, has a major influence on the tonal culture of a grand piano. While the work on the complex material is eased somewhat by specialised computer software, obtaining a balanced and rich quality of tone still takes a great deal of research and experience.

The action. The heartbeat of any grand piano.

This is a genuine piano making art form, combining over 6,000 parts made of wood, leather, felt and steel to create a smoothworking action. This wonderful piece of work is only possible with the lucky blend of craftsmen’s skills and artistic flair, as well as with the steady eye and precise manipulation of the experienced expert.

Voicing. Breathing life into the grand piano.

The grand piano is endowed with its individual tonal character during voicing, the preparation and perfection of the hammer. The musical ear, ability and experience of our voicing experts are all-important here. We are in constant dialogue with pianists during voicing.

Official Website: http://www.sauter-pianos.de