Otto Heuss Klaviaturen Bau GmbH - Lich

Grand-piano and piano keyboards

For grand-piano and piano keyboards we offer the following services:

Single-part production incl. keyboard frame custom-made
Single-part production incl. keyboard frame according a sample keyboard
Manufacturing of new keys by using the existing keyboard frame
Series production for the piano industry

If you prefer we also would be pleased to receive your design drawings created with AutoCAD (.dwg and .dxf format). You can send your data by e-mail to: info@oh-klaviaturen.com. We then will provide you with our own design drawings by e-mail as well.

Keyboard keys

The keys of our keyboards are made of closely ringed alpine spruce (Bavarian spruce). All our organ keys are manufactured without joints as a general rule. For frames we preferably use oak and beech. Thanks to our CNC processing stations we can guarantee highest dimensional accuracy and precision with respect to key guidance and division.

Standard key cover materials for piano and grand-piano keyboards

We use cast plate material to benefit from its even look, a clear advantage this material has over extruded cover materials (e.g. ready-made covers with cast-on fronts). We grind and polish this material down to the required thickness ranging between about 1.9 and 2.4 mm.

Acrylic-glass is the plate material most commonly used throughout the traditional European piano industry. In addition to the well-known pure white, other hues are available as options as well, which, however, tend to be more translucent the darker they are. Off-white is a viable option, and creme might be considered as well.
For the surface finish you can choose between ‘smooth/glossy’ and ‘slightly textured’.

LARENIM® (mineralic material) is a polymer-bound mineralic material. With its two-thirds of mineral content it may of course never be an artificial ivory substitute, however, the feeling of play and the look created by this material are a remarkable improvement over the like created by acrylic-glass. The hue may be characterised as off-white, and the surface finish may be set in a range from satin finish to silk gloss. Thanks to its slight texture, mineralic material gets even closer to its secretly admired model ivory.

Bone-coverings– with front and back covers very accurately and thus barely visibly jointed in line or as solid plates - is also preferred by many of our customers. Owing to its properties that are very similar to ivory it is getting increasingly popular for use in high-quality grand-pianos and pianos. The thickness of the covers is approximately 2.0 mm.

For special models and/or customized assemblies we are able to offer standard key covers in practically any timber available (cf. organ key covers).

Sharps are available in ebony and plastic material according to the standards of the industry, leaving ample room for an individual design of your instrument to make it truly exclusive and unique.

Replacement keyboards for grand-pianos

For the manufacture of a replacement keyboard we need to be provided by you with a drawing showing the cross-sectional views of the keys and the frame, the division (capstan line) in numerical form, if possible, or, alternatively the scale stick, as well as the offset angle of the first bass key, measured from the outer edge on the left side of the key to the vertical and referring to the centre of the capstan hole. To indicate your request respect to equipment please use our Keyboard Form (see menu item “Order“). The provision Of backstops and the lining of the keys with lead are not part of our scope of supply and services.

In most of the cases the old keyboard frames are well-worth keeping. In such a case we would like to ask you to ship to us the entire keyboard with all keys in place, however, with the mounted mechanical assembly removed.
We will take the dimensions and division from the keyboard sent to us and will manufacture new keys according to this data, therby taking into account any deviations and special requirements that you might request. In case of the old keys having ivory coverings we kindly request you to move the coverings carefully prior to the shipment of the keyboard and to inform us about the required projection of the coverings (measured from the front).

The prices of replacement keyboards are individually calculated on the basis of the data provided in the order form completed by you. For customers resident int the EU: please indicate your VAT identification No.