Today, Bechstein boasts its sixth generation of engineers, tone specialists, piano makers, and other specialists in the fields of finishing, wood working and metal processing, all of them contributing to the further development of the company that Carl Bechstein founded in Berlin in 1853. This visionary piano-maker succeeded from the outset in producing fine instruments with a singing tone that fascinated great pianists and composers, thus cultivating the brand loyalties of artists and music fans the world over.

The expertise required to create pianos with outstanding sound is a heritage that now lives on at the Seifhennersdorf production site. A team of 150 top craftsmen and technicians, old and young, are fascinated by the singularity of the Bechstein brand and pass on their skills and knowledge to each succeeding generation of piano-makers. The expertise gained from tradition, experience and the latest research into materials and innovative processing technology goes into improving the action assembly and the famous Bechstein sound.

C. Bechstein constantly endeavors to capture the imagination of young people over the world for the piano-making profession, and to provide top-level training. C. Bechstein is the world’s leading company when it comes to training professionals in the skills of making and servicing first-quality upright and grand pianos.

C. Bechstein not only invests in further training, modernization of production conditions and selection of materials, but also constantly expands the in-house production depth to maintain the excellent quality of materials and parts and to be highly independent from suppliers. This development contrasts with the general trend among other manufacturers, who increasingly outsource their production or merely assemble third-party components. C. Bechstein intends to increase its level of in-house production depth even further in the upcoming years.

What is the secret behind C. Bechstein’s world-renowned expertise advantage?

The knowledge of how to make top-class instruments; experience handed down since 1853; scientific advances in the fields of materials and processing; and, of course , the ongoing dialog between craftsmen and women, engineers, tone specialists and professional pianists.

C. Bechstein continuously promotes intensive as well as controversial exchange of ideas between all those involved to further develop versatile pianos that are a pleasure to play and to hear for generations to come, so that every C. Bechstein piano can truly become the owners’ “musical friend for life.”

Bechstein follows an integrative approach toward piano-making, starting with engineers, CNC technology for most accurate processing of materials, handcrafting both the acoustic body as well as the keyboard and action assemblies, up to the final adjustment of touch and tone in order to fulfill all expactations placed on a top-class musical instrument such as a sensitive touch and rich and colourful tone.

Research and Development, the constant process of developing components as well as the entire sound structure is a task to which a team of engineers, wood specialists and process technicians commit themselves to. Detailed specifications for all materials and supply parts also belongs to their relevant tasks.

C. Bechstein runs Europe’s most modern R&D department in the field of piano-making. While preserving historical assets like the legendary Bechstein sound and traditional piano-making methods, C. Bechstein pianos meet the demands of today’s pianists. The accuracy of modern CNC technology and the use of state-of-the-art CAD software are applied in the process of constantly improving and refining the quality of our instruments.

A dependable and precise action assembly is extremely important on stage. That’s why all materials undergo extensive testing under various climatic conditions (temperatures from –30 to +40 °C; humidity of 10 to 95%) prior to their processing.