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A new pedal has been created and patented by Fazioli to reduce the sound dynamic and allow playing pianissimo without any alteration of timber. With the new pedal, the entire keyboard is moved closer to the strings. In this way, the hammers hit the strings with less force and produce a smaller sound without modifying the timbre and the hammer hits the strings in the same place. With the una Corda pedal the soft sound is obtained by moving the entire action to the right allowing the hammer to strike only two strings and thus producing a different timbre.
Consequently with the keyboard shift and the reduction of the distance between the hammers and the strings, the depth of the keys reduces from 10 mm to 7 mm.
In this way the following results are obtained-
Glissando become easier
Fast passages become easier
Better legato
A sound which is much longer and sustained (cantabile) |
Model | F308 |
Dimensions | 1000 mm
1560 mm
3080 mm |
Weight | 690 Kg |
Black Keys | Ebony wood |
White Keys | Non-slippery and non-reflecting composite material |
Soundboard | Red Spruce from Val di Fiemme - Italy |
Pedals | Sustain , tonal, soft (una corda), fourth pedal (view technical information) |
Keyboard, Renner Action And Hammers | Built according to Fazioli specifications |
Finish | Black high-gloss polyester finish or other choices |
Rims | The inner and the outer rims of the case of the piano are made of multiple layers of solid wood of impeccable quality. The inner rim is made of layers of solid beech and the outer rim of layered solid mahogany. The rims are formed by clamping straight thin lengths of these woods around counter-moulds in order to hand-shape the section. Glue is applied between the individual layers of wood to secure them into the molded shape. The shaping procedure is in keeping with the time-honored tradition and is incredibly time consuming, but the quality of the final outcome cannot be equaled by any mechanical or automatic process. |
The Wooden Frame | The frame is constructed in such a way as to provide the maximum strength possible from the wooden components. In this way the two rims should work as "walls", through which the waves are transmitted into the soundboard from the strings via the bridge. For this reason they have to be as rigid as possible to avoid any energy loss. The soundboard is glued to the inner rim before then attaching the outer rim to the inner rim. We have developed a system to give a high tension to the soundboard without having the two rims glued together previously. This allows for a greater precision within the musical scale. |
The Soundboard | The frame is constructed in such a way as to provide the maximum strength possible from the wooden components. In this way the two rims should work as "walls", through which the waves are transmitted into the soundboard from the strings via the bridge. For this reason they have to be as rigid as possible to avoid any energy loss. The soundboard is glued to the inner rim before then attaching the outer rim to the inner rim. We have developed a system to give a high tension to the soundboard without having the two rims glued together previously. This allows for a greater precision within the musical scale. |
Soundboard Double Curvature | The soundboard is made of "abete rosso" (red spruce), which comes from the famous Val di Fiemme forest in Italy. This is the same forest from which the violinmakers of the Cremona School, which included Stradivari, found the spruce for their violins. The main characteristics of this type of wood are-
- High strength
- Light weight
- Superior regularity of the grain
The Red Spruce shafts are cut on the quarter with a variable width (8-12cm) and thickness of approximately 10mm. These prepared lengths are then glued together to form the outline of what will become the soundboard.
Each soundboard is left to season in a temperature-controlled room for a minimum of two years. The soundboard is then shaved around the edges until the center is the only area where the thickness measures between 9 and 6mm. The supporting ribs, which are attached to the underneath of the soundboard, are made of the same wood as the board and are tested before being installed to ensure they have the required strength. |
The Treble Bridge | We use a special gluing process for the ribs and bridges to obtain a "double curvature" in the soundboard. If one observes the soundboard before the gluing process a slight curvature toward the same direction of the ribs and bridges will be noticed; this is to simulate the surface to form a spherical crown. |
Pin Block | This bridge is laminated with mahogany and maple. On the top we use three different kinds of wood depending on the area in question- maple for the bass and center, hornbeam for the treble and boxwood for the high treble. The hardness of the wood increases in relation to the increase in frequency. The bridge tops are hand-carved by specialists. The notches are cut vertically so that the strings are completely free from the point they leave the bridge pins. In the tenor section the bridge is only attached to the soundboard at the location of the ribs, which allows the soundboard to resonate more freely. The bass bridge This bridge is laminated with maple and mahogany (maple on the top). The bass bridge has holes that reduce the mass, which makes it more elastic and provides better transmission of the vibration. |
Strings Length | The length of the strings and the related diameter of the strings affect the quality and type of the sound they create. We researched these measurements by using state of the art computer software. Each measurement was verified to optimize the relationship between the instrument length, tension and load. |
The Duplex Scale System | The traditional Duplex Scale system was created by the use of a front and rear static resonator. We have developed this system further to enable it to be adjustable. In fact the capo d'astro bar, (the pressure-bar where the resonating portion of the string begins) made of bronze is independent and simply laid on the iron frame, it can be moved whenever necessary. Consequently the front and rear resonating portions of strings can be adjusted and thus these portions of the strings 'tuned' in harmony with the main string. |
The Iron Frame | The iron frame is a fundamental part of the piano. The iron frame must resist all of the tension produced by the strings, which is between 19-21 tons. For this reason the frame design must be made with particular attention to the stress points where the force is more concentrated. The iron frame is produced by the time honored wet sand casting process and is prepared with painstaking accuracy. It is smoothed, sanded and sprayed with several coats of special metallic gold lacquer. |
Keybed | The keybed is a wooden frame constructed of three beech-laminated rails and two large solid crossbars at the edge, which are also made of laminated beech. This construction gives the keybed maximum stability. It is important that the keybed remains completely flat so that the key frame can remain in contact with it without interference by the stresses coming from the front legs, which are attached to the keybed. The area between the keybed rails is filled with laminated spruce made from the same spruce we used in our soundboards. In order to improve the movement of the key frame when the left pedal is used, the "key frame glides" on Teflon inserts, the most suitable material available to date. |
Action | Action, hammers and keyboard, collectively known as 'the action' is built to specific Fazioli specifications by the finest makers of the respective parts-
- Renner (action)
- Kluge (keyboard)
- Abel (martelliera)
The wippens and the hammer shanks are made of hornbeam wood, which is extremely strong and stable.
The wippen has a double spring and the profile of the repetition lever is made to our specification. The dampers have a double joint damper wippen and the wippens are actioned by an adjustable spoon. |
Keyboard | The three key frame rails are made from maple, the front rail is shaped with a small concave curvature and the keybed has a convex curvature thus the fit between the two is perfect. The crossbars are made from spruce so that the complete key frame is elastic and will fit perfectly to the keybed without gaps that may produce noises. The keys are reinforced at the top by the "key button" which is made of maple and the capstan and back checks are inserted in a beech block, which is glued to the keys. The touch weights are fixed from 48 grams at the treble to 52 grams at the bass. The up-weight, which is extremely important, is also controlled; in particular the up-weight is generally 21-23 grams in the bass and 25-26 in the treble. |
Hammers | The hammers are made to our specifications by Abel they are made of walnut wood, which is both strong and light. The felt quality is carefully selected in order to have the maximum power and elasticity without using any kind of chemical additives. |
Polyester | We use the finest quality polyester applied by a complex process on a previously treated surface. Sanding, is performed before the polishing is completed to the highest accuracy employing the finest sandpaper available. Two state of the art polishing machines are used however the final polishing is completed by hand in order to reach the most beautiful mirror effect possible. |
