Essex Grands

The wide-tail design featured on all Essex grands is a special innovation by Steinway & Sons that creates 6% more surface area in the soundboard. This enriches the sound, giving the pianist the impression of playing on a larger instrument. The larger soundboard area also allows for better placement of the bass bridge — which yields more volume, greater tone, and a bass that sings.

Like all pianos designed by Steinway & Sons, the Essex contains a soundboard of solid, premium grade, straight-grained spruce chosen for its superb acoustic qualities. It also features a special tapered profile that is thicker in the treble and thinner in the bass, enabling freer vibration and better tonal volume.

Designed by Steinway & Sons, the plate is cast from gray iron and over engineered to provide strength to support 20 tons of string tension. Long-fiber cast iron creates a very dense plate, which does not absorb energy and yields a fuller tone.

Essex grand hammers are specified by Steinway and made by Imadegawa in Japan using German–made hammer felt and hornbeam moldings. Based on the exclusive designs of Steinway & Sons, the Essex action is made of wood (not plastic) and is characterized by a faster repetition, better stability, and heightened responsivenes — allowing the musician to play with maximum expression and control.