Schimmel Konzert
Modern, noble and timeless.
Selection for a first-class tone.
Perfection meets aesthetics.
In a world of wonderful tonal colours.
Brilliant Finish.
The fount of good sound.
Perfect sound.
A class of its own.
The grand piano for great moments.
Superior Components & Virtuosity In Working With Wood
It is with good reason that a Schimmel piano has an excellent sound. Only exceptional quality components are selected by Schimmel’s piano manufacturing experts, sourced from premium suppliers. Companies that use wood in their products have a special obligation to nature. We at Schimmel are aware of this and take care not to waste this precious, raw material.
The Ideal Soundboard Wood - Exclusive to Schimmel
The sound-producing portion is the soul of a piano. Which is why the correct selection and composition of suitable woods is of special importance. Only spruce grown under specific climatic circumstances in high mountain regions can be used to make a high-quality soundboard. This wood, which is rare and of high value, is exclusively selected and reserved for Schimmel by the Bavarian forestry service. The most important woods used in manufacturing Schimmel sound-producing portions, are select soundboard spruce from these special growing regions in Europe and the durable wood of the domestic beech. This unique arrangement has been in place for almost a century and ensures Schimmel a superlative soundboard material.
Enlarged Soundboard
You will notice the broad body shape of a Schimmel grand piano, with particularly wide dimensions in the bell of the body. This allows the Schimmel grand pianos on average to have 15% larger soundboard area than a standard grand piano of a similar size, giving you greater power.
Keytops Made of Mineral and Ebony Wood
Schimmel is on the only German manufacturer who manufactures their own keyboards. The keys of a Schimmel piano offer an improved sensation of touch with their mineral and ebony composition. This means they are softer and less slippery than modern keys, offer absorption of moisture (as close as possible to ivory, without the environmental impact) and give a more pleasant visual experience as the light does not reflect off the keys.
Keybed Resonator
The integration of the keybed in the Schimmel sound system particularly permits the amplification of the bass frequencies to produce richer tonal colours and greater tonal volume. It also transfers subtle vibrations to the pianist through touch, enabling the pianist to feel at one with the instrument.
Konzert Grand Piano Action
The touch of a full-size concert grand piano is achieved in smaller Schimmel grand pianos due to the use of larger action, which has been seamlessly integrated into each Konzert and Classic model. The unique key length gives greater leverage and playing control for the pianist.
Tension Collector
Schimmel has created a tension collector in their grand piano models, which is a connecting element between the solid mountain spruce back frame construction and the stable cast iron plate, distributing the tension of up to 21 tons in a controlled fashion throughout the instrument. This eliminates the danger of the soundboard being affected by uncontrolled forces which would unintentionally interfere with its vibration process. It also adds extra support to the instrument resulting in excellent tuning stability.
Laminated Construction
Wherever it is advantageous, laminated-wood components are used for the cabinets and sound-producing portions of Schimmel pianos, for example, bent grand rims, pin blocks, bridge caps, key beds, grand tops etc. This ensures strength and durability for generations to come.
Solid Workmanship
Veneers, solid-wood components, plywood and other wooden materials are the raw materials from which the cabinetry of Schimmel pianos is manufactured. Under the supervision of experienced specialists, beautiful veneer patterns and elegant cabinetry styles come to life. Since wood is a product of nature, no two Schimmel pianos can have exactly the same wood grain pattern and colors. We even consider this desirable, as it makes each of the instruments a unique natural work of art.
CAPE (Computer Assisted Piano Engineering) Design Software
In the process of any piano manufacturing, one encounters mathematical relationships and the basic laws of physics. The Schimmel CAPE program takes all these factors further. CAPE opens up new dimensions in the area of piano manufacture. It enhances accuracy and optimizes quality, programs the automatic machines, improves production methods, and implements results of research.
Triplex Scale
Featured in Schimmel Konzert series pianos is triplex scaling. Harmonic richness of tone is achieved through the integration of the front and rear sections of the string into the production of sound. The tuneable triplex scale allows precise voicing of the partials (harmonics) for every individual note. Through the use of the same scaling as the full-size concert grand piano, all Schimmel grand pianos can achieve an element of the larger instrument’s sound.
Dynamic Bar
Computer Assisted Piano Engineering has allowed Schimmel to position a dynamic bar within the piano that allows the greatest range of sound dynamics even at pianissimo, through careful control of the vibrations of the soundboard in certain areas and at certain volume levels.
The Backbone of a Schimmel Piano
Over 230 strings serve as sound sources, each vibrating independently. Once set into vibration by the hammer blow, they set the bridge, and in turn the sensitive soundboard, into vibration. The strings of a piano are each under tension in excess of 686 newtons / 154 lb., adding up to a grand total of 176,520 newtons / 20 tons. This is a good reason why the cast-iron plate, the backbone of a Schimmel piano, is computer optimized with the aid of the Schimmel CAPE software.
Mass Reduced Bridge
Schimmel concert bridges produce a dynamic groove which makes these bridges lighter and the soundboard more flexible. This produces superior tonal dynamics and longer sustained notes.
Keyboards Made In Germany
Schimmel has good reason to manufacture its own keyboards – it is the vital link to the Schimmel keyboard/action assembly. The action is the complicated system of levers located above the keys. Its system must be in perfect balance in order to allow fine pianissimo and strong fortissimo, fast repetition, and subtle sounding notes and harmonies. The pianist’s touch of the keyboard determines the speed and energy of the hammer in the action, contacting and energizing the strings. Details in workmanship and material are paramount if the pianist is to enjoy playing the instrument and experience rich, expanded dynamic sonority. Schimmel keyboard/action systems are examples of exclusive workmanship, regulated to discriminating standards and ideally matched to the strung back assemblies.
The Action
Each Schimmel keyboard/action assembly is a work of art and precision, made from over 10,000 pieces in grand pianos (uprights over 8,000) carefully put together and perfectly regulated by Schimmel’s master craftsmen. The original Schimmel keyboard provides intimate access to the instrument. What looks so simple at first glance, is indeed very complex. The hammer headers are among the most important parts of the action. Schimmel uses only the best. The hammers are inspected for the properties of the felt that determine the sound (type of material and its origin, form, size, weight and felt tension). Schimmel hammer heads have the correct balance between internal stresses and resilience, to enable a pleasant, shapeable tonal character throughout the entire compass of the instrument, from the softest pianissimo to the most powerful fortissimo.
