A Visit to Fandrich Piano Co.
Mark Alexander
visit the Fandrich Piano Company's factory in Hoquiam, Washington. I
did just that while on a family vacation last month, and came away
with a case of piano lust so severe that I wanted to trade in my 1917
Steinway "M". The amazing thing is that my new-found object of desire
is an upright piano. But this is no ordinary upright: this one was
designed to compete with or surpass top-quality grands.
Fandrich is a tiny family-run company that produces about 50 pianos
per year, all of a single model, a full-sized upright. When I visited
the factory, the staff were a bit short-handed, but graciously agreed
to let my family have a tour. Del Fandrich, the founder and principal
designer, explained to us some of the unique features of the piano.
One such feature is the the large curved laminated rib on the
soundboard that acts as mechanical "crossover", dividing the
soundboard into bass and treble sections as in a grand. The extra
weight of the crossover also improves the depth of the bass.
The action, designed by Del's brother Darrell and Chris Trivelas, is
also unique. It uses a gravity-strength hammer return spring and a
repetition spring (among other innovations) to overcome the problems
of ordinary upright actions. These problems include slow repetition
rate, and the loose feeling that Fandrich calls "dynamic lost motion".
These and other technical advances are described in literature
available from Fandrich. But the real test came when I was allowed to
play a nearly completed piano for a few minutes. I tried bits of
Chopin's c minor Nocturne and Debussy's Sunken Cathedral to see how
the piano sounded over a wide range, and it responded wonderfully.
The bass was very deep and satisfying, and the treble sang out
beautifully without being harsh. In fact, I stopped playing several
times in sheer astonishment at hearing such incredible sounds coming
out of an upright.
I also played the Brahms A major and F major Intermezzi from the Opus
118 to test the piano's responsiveness in quiet passages. Here is
where this piano really shines. The action had just the right weight
and control, like a very fine grand. In fact, I felt that I had more
control over subtle shadings than with any other piano I've played.
I've tried Steinways (including my teacher's "D"), and larger Kawais,
Schimmels, and Yamahas, but the Fandrich has the best action of the
bunch.
I don't play well enough to know whether the Fandrich action can
really achieve a grand-like repetition rate, but I have no reason to
doubt the claim. I also briefly tried the "soft" pedal (obviously not
a real una corda) and it produced a pleasing mellow sound, and without
the super-loose feeling that you normally get in an upright. The
piano has no sostenuto pedal, but I rarely use it and wouldn't miss
it.
The rest of my family, even though they're non-pianists, also liked
the Fandrich piano. My wife says it's the first upright she's heard
that she liked. The kids enjoyed the way it sounded on the Debussy,
and liked seeing all the elaborate machinery used to assemble the
pianos.
So if you find yourself in Hoquiam, give Fandrich (pronounced "Fond
Rick") a call and tell them you play the piano, and they should be
glad to give you a tour. But keep in mind that you may be unhappy
with your own piano after the tour. Here's the address and phone:
Fandrich Piano Co.
P.O. Box 736 (3001 Murphy Street)
Hoquiam, WA 98550
206/533-8053
Postscript:
The Fandrich folks appreciate all the nice things people on the
Internet have said about their piano in the past, but want to clear up
some misinformation:
1. Del and Darrell are brothers, not husband and wife.
2. The Fandrichs do not live at the factory, although they often work
very late. (We software nerds should understand this perfectly.)
Mary Haley
>WARNING: If you think you're happy with your current piano, do not
>visit the Fandrich Piano Company's factory in Hoquiam, Washington. I
>did just that while on a family vacation last month, and came away
>with a case of piano lust so severe that I wanted to trade in my 1917
>Steinway "M". The amazing thing is that my new-found object of desire
>is an upright piano. But this is no ordinary upright: this one was
>designed to compete with or surpass top-quality grands.
I just wanted to echo what Mark is saying here. I never before really
payed attention to the quality of a sound of a piano, but when I
played the Fandrich, I fell in love with it instantly. I am now the
proud owner of the first one sold in Colorado. (And I gladly traded
in my Baldwin Hamilton to help defray the cost).
I've had professional pianists/friends/family play my new Fandrich and
they all agreed it was an outstanding piano. They especially liked
the "user-friendliness" of the keyboard and the long-lasting sustain.
Even people who wouldn't normally notice a difference seem to recognize
that the Fandrich indeed is in a class of its own.
Mary
furio ercolessi
|> In article <alexandeC...@netcom.com> alex...@netcom.com (Mark Alexander) writes:
|> >WARNING: If you think you're happy with your current piano, do not
|>
|> [...] when I
|> played the Fandrich, I fell in love with it instantly. I am now the
|> proud owner of the first one sold in Colorado.
Does anybody know of any Fandrich piano in Europe?
Is it so different from "normal" pianos to require a trained
technician for tuning etc, or any competent piano technician
could keep it in good shape?
furio ercolessi
Mark Alexander
Don't know about this. Call or write to Fandrich.
>Is it so different from "normal" pianos to require a trained
>technician for tuning etc, or any competent piano technician
>could keep it in good shape?
The piano is designed to be easy to tune, due to innovations in the
pin block and the high-quality "blued" pins. The action has a couple
of additional adjustments, but no more than on a grand. One of these
adjustments (I think it's the hammer return spring tension) requires
extra work, but it should almost never be required in normal use.
So yes, any good technician should be able to keep it in shape.