Where to Buy a Stretto Piano
American manufacturers of alternatively sized keyboards
Currently, David Steinbuhler in Pennsylvania (USA) is the only manufacturer with many years experience with 5.5 inch octave (approx 7/8) keyboards (DS5.5®) and 5.1 inch (DS5.1®) for acoustic upright and grand pianos. David, and his grandson Alex, also make 6.0 inch octave (DS6.0®; approx 15/16) keyboards. In the case of keyboards for retrofitting grand pianos, careful measurements of the particular piano are required. They can be supplied with a new alternative action to allow for easy interchangeability or mounted on the old action. During 2018 the former Steinbuhler & Company was converted to a non-profit Foundation, the DS Standard Foundation Inc. (http://dsstandardfoundation.org/) however keyboard manufacturing remains an ongoing activity of the Foundation.
New Hailun HU1P upright pianos with DS5.5 or DS6.0 keyboards made by David Steinbuhler of the DS Standard Foundation are available through a partnership with Hailun USA: https://www.hailun-pianos.com/my-size-keys/. See also: Retail stores and pop-ups
New upright pianos manufactured by the Walter company (USA) (www.walterpiano.com) can be ordered with a DS keyboard installed.
Cunningham Piano of Philadelphia (www.cunninghampiano.com) now offers new “Matchless Cunningham” pianos with narrower keys (made by the DS Standard Foundation) on request.
Steinway & Sons USA will provide a narrower keyboard in new Steinway grands, or as a retrofit into an existing Steinway piano, on request. Please contact Hannah Reimann for further information: http://www.hannahreimann.com/stretto
David Rubenstein, from Los Angeles (www.pianosrubenstein.com) is willing to make alternatively sized keyboards and welcomes enquiries. dr@pianosrubensteinstein.com
Jim Watson, from San Marcos, Texas (www.watsonpianoworks.com) is willing to make alternatively sized keyboards and welcomes enquiries. Watsonpianoworks@gmail.com
European manufacturers of alternatively sized keyboards
In Germany, Steingraeber & Sohne will make 6.0 and 5.5 inch octave keyboards for upright and grand pianos on request. https://www.steingraeber.de/en/innovationen/narrow-keyboards/
Also in Germany, Kluge (owned by Steinway) will make alternatively sized keyboards on request. https://www.kluge-klaviaturen.de/keyboards_components.html?fbclid=IwAR1sQn7IjUtak1McjDG_48E1SeLBv5eKoUnJ55uCfsq53HWn82Gt92vuLJI
The UK manufacturer Pinkham Pianos will make alternatively sized keyboards for their range of upright and grand pianos at no extra cost compared with a standard keyboard. Pianos with any size key can be made according to the customer’s hands. Black key shapes and key coverings can also be varied to suit individual customer needs. The company will also make keyboards for other makes of pianos. For further information, see:
www.pinkhampianos.com/pinkhampianos.nsf/Pianos/CustomMadeSmallerKeys and contact the manufacturer. Prices of the range of Pinkham pianos are available on the company website. Rental arrangements are sometimes available. clive.pinkham@pinkhampianos.com
While some of the major manufacturers of digital keyboards (such as Yamaha and Korg) sell ‘mini’ keyboards with fewer than 88 keys, they are mainly designed for small children. They have unweighted keys which are often considerably shorter than normal.
An American company has commenced production of the first narrow key (5.5 inch octave) 88 key digital keyboard. http://narrowkeys.com. You can see a prototype played here by Linda Gould: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ja8as9HpPA. To add your name to the waiting list for a keyboard or seek more information, please contact the company here: https://www.narrowkeys.com/shop
The European company, Kaduk Musical Technology, is using innovative approaches to action and keyboard design in its ‘Respons’ keyboard, still in the pre-production phase. It will be possible to have keys of any width, down to 3/4 of the conventional keyboard (6.5 inch octave). http://www.kaduk.nl
The DS Standard Foundation can retrofit Kawai MP11SE keyboards with DS keys (5.1, 5.5 or 6.0) on request. Contact David Steinbuhler on dskeyboards@tbscc.com