Hand Built

Cavendish Pianos differ from most pianos in that they are hand-built. But what does this mean and why is it important? Piano building by hand is a highly skilled craft which requires years of specialised training. Each piano is built over a period of weeks. The making of our Cavendish action alone takes over twenty-four man hours by an action builder. This ensures the highest quality of tone and feel to the piano. It is acknowledged there is no satisfactory mechanised substitute. The hands on approach is the only way to build the delicate wooden machine that is a piano.

All our piano actions are hand built

The making of pianos has become highly mechanised which keeps costs down. Modern factories in the Far East can produce hundreds of pianos per day! Inevitably this not only compromises character of sound but also build quality which can be very variable. The benefits of building by hand are many and various...

1. Materials and their selection.
Wood is a natural material. No two pieces are exactly alike. When parts are handled by people they can be individually selected in a process of on-going quality control. It is well-know that every hand built piano is very slightly different with its own unique personal characteristics. This is because each piano is built in an individual way. A craftsman can pay attention to the "feel" of the materials and get the best out of them in a way that a machine never can.

Each hammer shank is aligned by grain direction and individually tuned.

2. Accuracy.
It is widely held that where accuracy is required a machine is superior to a human. However when each note has subtle differences the job of the craftsman is to bring evenness of touch. The subtle beauty of a piano is achieved through patience and artistry.

Perfect tone and touch. Each key has a down weight of 53 grams

3. The Human Touch
Traditionally pianos have always been made this way by piano makers passing knowledge from generation to generation. The advent of the highly mechanised, "robot made" piano is a far cry from its hand built counterparts and although mass produced pianos are often priced around the level of a hand built piano they lack perhaps the most important characteristic of any musical instrument - soul.