The Chris Maene straight-strung grand piano differs in many more ways from the contemporary piano than just the altered string-concept. It fills out the missing link between the historical aspects of piano playing and building, and the nowadays needs for pianists and concert halls.

Since strings, bridges and soundboard all work together to create the sound quality of the instrument, all of these aspects have been revisited and optimized through scientific research and Computer Aided Design.

To achieve the same sustain and power of a contemporary piano in the treble register, Chris Maene has come up with an innovative solution: a unique, patented soundboard consisting of two parts.

Contrary to the bass and middle register, the grain of the soundboard of the treble part doesn’t follow the strings but has been redirected parallel to the bridges. This maximizes the use of the smaller soundboard area and results in a more powerful, rich sound quality for the upper register.

The soundboard’s shape, its thickness and the positioning of the support ribs are all designed to enhance the straight-strung concept. in order to ensure the highest quality of performance standards, each Chris Maene straight-strung grand piano is custom-made.

Contrary to standardized grand piano making, the inner rim is perfectly matched to the individual soundboard curvature, which gives every instrument its own character.