What fired the passion to create the S132? The need to have a piano that as well as being Made in Britain, was also entirely Sourced from British factories. But this was no small challenge as the essential parts that we needed had not been manufactured in Britain for decades; we realised we would need to start from the ground up, designing, manufacturing and assembling each component.
So how did we do it? We created a design brief, set up a design team led by Del Fandrich, a highly respected expert in the field of piano design, and set to work. And yes, it was challenging, we were treading a path untrodden for generations in Britain, rediscovering those forgotten skills, releasing that hidden pent up talent… and although it was exhausting it was enlightening, inspiring and exhilarating.
A great all British piano had been born!
Listen as the youngest son of our founder, Mark Norman, tells the story of the coming of the Edelweiss S132.
We dared to dream and with the launch of the S132 – that dream became a reality – breathing life into the fading British Piano Making industry.
The solid soundboard core is from Sitka spruce, harvested from forests high in the European Alps, it is only here, where the harsh environment and altitude makes for a short growing season, that tonewood with the fine growth ring structure essential for a pure sound can be found. This is then overlaid each side with a Sitka spruce veneer: this was carefully researched to establish the perfect grain angles to provide a sound as good or better than a merely solid board and be almost proof against splitting in more extreme climates.
The ribs forming the soundboard crown are radiused to create an artificially forced crown as opposed to the more traditional moisture-created crown. This provides a much more consistent performance with enhanced tuning stability and longevity: a moisture-created crown is less stable and tends to move every time there is a humidity change, causing the piano to go out of tune: additionally, the crown is also prone to deterioration over several years.
The Soundboard benefits from Floating Technology in the bass regions which allows a greater flexibility in the board enabling the piano to project a much larger sound then would normally be achievable with its small size and create a richer, purer sound than the rigid versions.
The traditional cast iron frame has been replaced by a welded steel frame enabling the utilisation of local craftsmen and technology – in the absence of the traditional casting foundries – the result being a very strong and stable frame. We also opted to make the design barless as this provides the maximum space for the mechanism parts facilitating the ease of maintenance.
The string bearing set up utilises Vertical Hitchpin Technology to enable precision adjustment of the downward bridge pressure to optimise that delightful singing tone.
Julian Joseph OBE
British Jazz Pianist
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber
English composer and impresario
