First phase

The Factory

Fazioli Pianos has been producing grand and concert grand pianos since 1981, when the company was established by the engineer and pianist Paolo Fazioli.

The Forest

The Val di Fiemme, is situated in the heart of the Western Italian Alps.
In the 1800s, the celebrated violin maker Antonio Stradivari used the wood from this red spruce forest for his violins

The Rim

The first phase in constructing a piano begins by forming the rim, which is made in two layers, internal and external.
The internal rim, which is lower, is made by stacking together 5mm thick lengths of solid maple, which is then bent around special moulds to form its characteristic shape.

The Frame

The load-bearing frame of the piano is attached to the internal rim, a front cross-piece is applied and a metal joint fitted; the reinforcing bars are then fitted into the joint and connect to various points on the rim.
The bars are made of three lengths of spruce which are glued together in a way to guarantee maximum stability.

The sound board

The sound board is made by laying several lengths of red spruce, cut from the trunk using the quarter sawn method, side-by-side and gluing them together.
After passing a rigorous selection process the 1cm thick lengths, which are between 8 and 12cm wide, are chosen by the highly specialised Fazioli technicians.

Diaphragming the sound board

Before moving on to the next phases in the production process, the sound board is planed down further at the edges in order to increase its mobility.

Gluing the ribs

The sound board is now a very flexible membrane. In order to reinforce the sound board small crosspieces known as ribs, which are also made of red spruce, are attached perpendicularly to the grain.

Measuring the curvature

Both before and after gluing the artisans make sure that the curvature of the board is accurately measured along each rib in order to ensure that the rigorous parameters set out in the design have been achieved.

Planing down the ends of the ribs

After gluing to the board, the ends of the ribs are planed down to a specific profile which gives the board better and more controlled elasticity resulting in better acoustic efficiency.

Gluing on the bridges

The two bridges are glued onto the board simultaneously using another special press; by compressing them on a purpose-made mould the board obtains its "double curvature".

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