Schimmel K219 Grand Piano

Product Overview

Schimmel pianos have a sterling reputation for quality, and with 2,500 pianos built in Europe every year, they’re also one of the most productive of manufacturers. In spite of a great reputation, Schimmel has traditionally been viewed as a step down from certain other German, Austrian, and Italian piano builders such as C. Bechstein, Hamburg Steinway, Bosendorfer, and Fazioli.

Schimmel has attempted to bridge this gap with their relatively recent Konzert series upright piano and grand piano models. Featuring brand new computer-aided designs, innovative upgrades, and state-of-the-art CNC machinery, the new Schimmel Konzert series grands have been a breath of fresh air, and have truly elevated Schimmel to new heights.

Absorbing virtually all of the advanced design features from the 9’2″ K280, the K219 makes a compelling case for being one of the most elite 7-foot pianos in the world and easily holding its own against the aforementioned German heavyweights. And if you’re considering a Japanese 7 footer like a Shigeru Kawai SK6, or Yamaha CF6, or even a New York Steinway B, you simply need to try a Schimmel K219 in a piano showroom before making your final decision.

Action

Probably the feature that most distinguishes the K219 from other 7-foot grands is the action. This Schimmel designed/Renner built German piano action is identical to the action found in the 9 foot K280. Yes, you read that correctly – this 7’2″ grand has a 9-foot concert grand action!

And not only does it have a concert grand action, but it’s also 6 cm longer than the vast majority of concert grand actions. If you’re looking for maximum control, you’ll find it here.

With ebony black keys and white keytops of various minerals, this action is built for playing in any climate.

Fast, wonderfully responsive, and easy to control, this action will impress players of all levels.

Tone

The K219 has a unique, distinctly dark tonal profile – a far cry from the Schimmel grands of old which were known for their brightness.

The sustain is practically limitless due to the new bridge design that allows the soundboard to vibrate more liberally, and the bass register nothing short of revelatory. Bartolomeo Christofori (inventor of the piano) would probably weep after hearing a K219 seeing how far his creation has come in the last couple of hundred years since the birth of the pianoforte.

Advanced design features include tunable rear duplex scaling, plus mid and treble “triplex scaling”, a technique developed by Schimmel which adds a third-string and extends the speaking length.

Hammers

The characteristics of the hammer-head felts were laboriously considered by Schimmel, prior to sending the detailed instructions to Wurzen who produce and supply the hammers in the Konzert series. With a maple core for fast response, the potential of the action can be fully realized.

Soundboard

Bavarian AAA Solid Spruce of the mountain variety is selected for the K219 from special reserve stock from the Bavarian Forestry authority.

Not only is the soundboard tapered, but it’s also 15% larger than the average soundboard in an instrument of this size. A dynamic bar is installed to improve the colour pallet, and Schimmel uses a unique ‘3D’ method for achieving the crown, which they stipulate will help maintain perfect crowning for decades.

Cabinet/Rim

To ensure the cabinet actively resonates, Schimmel uses laminated layers of Beech and Maple for both the inner and outer rims on the Konzert series grands.

The rim is shockingly thick – at first glance you might mistake the K219 as some sort of warfare implement – but this is done consciously to ensure a stable frame facilitating a generational lifespan.