Industry Musical instruments Founder Alfred E. Knight | Founded 1936 in England Products Pianos | |
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Alfred Knight, Ltd. was founded by Alfred E. Knight in 1935 in England.
Contents
Knight was a highly respected British manufacturer, and were the only make of piano in Steinway Hall alongside Steinway's own pianos. With the exception of a few baby grand pianos, nearly all Knight pianos are modern upright pianos from 100 to 110 cm in height with veneers of 65% mahogany, 20% teak, 10% walnut, 5% other.
Knight designs
Knight continuously innovated with their designs which is why many of Alfred E Knight's designs are still used today at The British Piano Manufacturing Company factory.
Keys
The keys were made from solid bass wood, selected for strength and lightness.
Frame
The frames in Knight pianos where built on the girder principle which has twice the strength of frames fitted to the average piano. Knight designers dispensed the bar brace in the treble section which claimed to have eliminated the "bad notes" which normally occur on each side of the treble break bar. The frame was anchored to a four post quarter sawn beech back, with the soundboard secured between the back and the iron frame. The exceptionally sturdy method used by Knight in the construction of their pianos ensures superior stability of tone and strength.
Case work & veneers
The veneers used by Knight were sourced from many parts of the world including West Africa, South America, the United States, France and Burma. The matching and cutting of these exotic veneers by skilled craftsmen in Knight's factory resulted in the most attractive casework. Gradually over the years Knight perfected the cabinet and without doubt their method of using high quality selected veneers on shaped and banded core stock produced great stability. Modern synthetic glues were used throughout and represent an enormous improvement on the old animal glues, which are subject to deterioration in today's centrally heated homes, schools and public places.
Soundboard
Light European mountain grown spruce was used to fashion the soundboard in all Knight pianos. The close grained wood used by master luthiers has more resonant characteristics than any other timber and is a major factor in the sensitive response of the Knight. The finished soundboard was air seasoned, kiln dried, then coated with a special moisture proof varnish, which also enhanced the tonal properties. Knight used a double carved main bridge that was laminated and capped with quarter sawn beech. This method of construction eliminates dissipation of the vibrations which take the line of least resistance and follow the laminations.
Knight K10
The bass strings in the K10 are designed to cross the treble strings at a greater angle, so the strings are longer than most other pianos of this height. This extra length allows the Knight K10 to match the tone and volume of bigger upright pianos such as the Yamaha U1, which is why they are a firm favorite of piano teachers, tuners and music institutions.
Knight K10 (slimline) dimensions:
Width 140 cm
Depth 56 cm
Height 112 cm