Grand Pianos
If you have available space at home, a grand piano would be a perfect choice. There are essentially 3 main classes of grand piano, generally referred to as the baby grand, the boudoir grand and the concert grand. The smallest baby grand can be just 4ft long or 122cm, whereas the longest concert grand measures 9ft 6in or 290cm.
Baby Grand Pianos
Baby grands are generally described as being 5ft (152cm) and under. A near-5ft piano is sometimes called a large baby. Grand pianos much less than 5ft long suffer from loss of tone quality due to short strings, though a small grand made by one of the better known makers can be a worthy instrument, if it is built with a roller action. As with upright pianos, the larger the instrument, the better the tone.
Boudoir Grand Pianos
Boudoir grand pianos tend to range from 5ft (152cm) up to around 7ft (214cm). The overall length is determined from the front of the keybed to the far curve.
Concert Grand pianos
Concert grands are usually around 9ft long. The c.7ft 6in grand is sometimes referred to as a 3/4 grand, a semi-concert or even a drawing-room grand, though the latter term is rarely used today. When it comes to the quality of the tone, the longer the strings on a grand piano, the more superior and richer the tone. This is why the finest pianos are almost always concert grands.
Grand Piano Actions
Actions in grand pianos are nearly always defined as Roller (the most sophisticated and responsive type of action), though baby grands often have Simplex (spring & loop), as they are more compact – and invariably inferior.
Julius Blüthner invented the Blüthner piano patent action, not a roller or spring & loop, but probably the only other type of action that provides a comparable quality of repetition to a roller when correctly regulated.
Some Unusual Grand Pianos we’ve Restored
An 1892 7ft Broadwood grand in a decorative and gilded satinwood case
A 1931 5ft Gaveau baby grand in a sunburst style quartered veneered rosewood case
An unusual double overstrung 1889 6ft6in Ernst Kaps grand – interior view
A 1913 Bechstein B grand in an Art Nouveau walnut case, rear view
Side view of a 1911 6ft Ronisch grand in an oak Arts & Crafts style case
A 1930s 4ft2in Monington & Weston baby grand in an oak mock Jacobean style case
Side view of a 1911 6ft Ronisch grand in an oak Arts & Crafts style case
COURTNEY PIANOS wishes to make it clear that all information herein has been compiled at its own discretion, and opinions expressed are those of our researchers, based on our years of experience within the piano trade.