New York L 1926 Lite

Built in 1926 in New York, this piano has been kept in pristine condition. The ivories, hammers, strings and soundboard are all original. This piano lived through the great depression, World War II and the filming of the movie "Cats." It produces a resonant, growly tone that only age (and a bit of dust) can accomplish.

This piano has a sound that captivates me like no other. It strikes a perfect balance between eccentric charm and exquisite craftsmanship. Every part of it is authentic and original from 1926, the year it was made. It is a remarkable tribute to the skill and dedication of the builders who created this marvel of engineering. A machine with so many wooden moving parts that can endure and perform for so long is nothing short of astonishing.

Size Matters

Most pianos that we hear in our favorite albums weren't recorded in a concert hall on a 10 foot grand piano. They were recorded in on smaller pianos in smaller rooms. As much as we love the sound of massive pianos, it's not always the right sound for a recording. Sometimes you need something more intimate. Something with a bit more character.

New York L 1926 is not your typical 9 foot concert grand piano. The Model L is just under 6 feet long, giving it that shorter piano sound without being so short that the strings sound like rubber bands. Put that in a smaller room and you get an incredibly intimate, real sound. It feels like you are in the room with the piano.

Building Character

This piano has real character. It's the perfect balance between charm, quirk and quality. Some of the notes buzz a little when you pound them. The strings are showing their age. But boy does this thing sing. It has a resonant sound that just has to be heard. And the growl you get out of these old strings when you play loud gives it amazing dynamic contrast.

Simplicity

The lite version has just a single (but pretty awesome) mic perspective. We used a pair of omnidirectional mics in the most resonant spots on the soundboard to give a clear, vibrant sound.

Keep your Hard Drive

We put a ton of work into keeping this thing lean so you can have an incredible sounding piano without taking up 50GB of hard drive space. We cut every corner we could to get this down to as small a footprint as possible without sacrificing audio quality. The result is just 45MB of hard disk space. This means you can install this on any computer no matter how small or portable. And while such a small footprint might sound too good to be true, take a listen to the expressiveness and realism you get out of this thing and you will fall in love instantly.