Members C#minor Posted January 23, 2008 Members Share Posted January 23, 2008 There is a new show on Discovery channel called "Some assembly required". In today's episode they had a 10-15 min overview of the making of a Steinway concert grand in the Steinway & sons factory in Queens NY. I just had a blast watching this, it was amazing to say the least. Didn't know they make close to 5000 pianos a year, that's a lot of pianos. I was also surprised at the high degree of dependence on the human element, from bending the maple sides to shape to the fine adjustments of the hammers and felt, all done by ear and no machines involved. On the same show last week they went to a Gibson factory and explained how a Les Paul was made from a blank piece of wood, but that was nothing to what I saw today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mediterranean Posted January 23, 2008 Members Share Posted January 23, 2008 I missed the Steinway portion of the show. I was watching the cheddar cheese portion then switched channels and forgot to go back. Sucks Do you know if that program will be aired again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TempusRob Posted January 23, 2008 Members Share Posted January 23, 2008 If nothing else, there's a pretty good chance it'll show up on a certain swashbuckling Torrent site, as the other episodes are already there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members realtrance Posted January 23, 2008 Members Share Posted January 23, 2008 Obviously I'm tired this morning, I read the subject heading as Disney channel, not Discovery channel. Now _that_ would be fun -- imagine Mickey Mouse and Buzz Lightyear dancing and singing around Steinways in the process of being constructed. Michael Moore where are you when we need you?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Musicale Posted January 23, 2008 Members Share Posted January 23, 2008 Just saw the 90 Min movie at the Gene Siskel Film center - Chicago last night. Fantastic. They show the building of L1037 a 9 foot concert grand @ 115,000.00. Took a year to make it. Ths piano was out in the Lobby and they have pianists playing it for about 20 minutes before each showing. The piano and the film are touring around the country to a few cities. I loved it. Now I want one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Pro Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 I saw the Discovery Channel show featuring the Steinway segment last night. It was great! I didn't know that when they assemble the thin boards that make up the "horseshoe-shaped" cabinet it has to be put into the jib and tightened up in the space of 14 minutes before the glue begins to set. It was really educational, and yes the reliance on human rather than machine abilities was a highlight. What they didn't mention is that Steinway also has a facility where they have machines make pianos under the "Boston by Steinway" brand name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tony Scharf Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 I found it ironic (in the extreme) that the man who does the final quality assurance tests had only just picked up piano lessons 3 years prior despite having been at the job for decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OPEN OCEAN Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 nice one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members C#minor Posted January 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 I found it ironic (in the extreme) that the man who does the final quality assurance tests had only just picked up piano lessons 3 years prior despite having been at the job for decades. Yeah and he looked like he was 80 years old. I guess he must be that good, not necessarily technically, but he must have golden ears I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lerber3 Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 The older piano manufacturers have been in business a long time, and many of the super-specialized jobs have been passed within a family for generations. It's really incredibly how many unique careers are involved in hand-building a piano. I wish I'd seen the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members C#minor Posted January 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 According to the schedule on Discovery web site, this episode (episode 4) will be replayed on Feb. 9th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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