The Virtuoso X Series Model BB is acclaimed for its robust sound, precise touch, and consistent action. Standing at 7 ft, the Model BB is designed for auditoriums, conservatories, concert halls, spacious homes, and professional studios. Known for its legendary concert grand characteristics, the Model BB has a powerful, resonant bass; a rich, warm tenor; and a treble with a singing tone that is bell-like in its clarity. The Model BB redefines what a grand piano should be, and its tonal possibilities are truly limitless.
VX Series Model BB Specifications
- Length: 6ft 11.5in (212.09cm)
- Width: 59.14in (150.22cm)
- Height: 75in (190.5cm, lid open)
- Rim: 19-Ply Flat-Sawn Hard Rock Maple
- Rim Thickness
- Inner: 2.25in (5.72cm)
- Outer: 1.125in (2.86cm)
- Total: 3.375in (8.57cm)
- Soundboard: Eastern White Spruce with Edge Tapering
- Soundboard Size: 2,538.4in2 (16,376.74cm2)
- Plate: Cast Iron, Full Perimeter Design
AVAILABLE FINISHES
Rosewood
Mahogany
Macassar Ebony
Bubinga
17-23 PLY RIMS
Mason & Hamlin pianos have the largest and strongest rims in the world. At first glance, this may appear excessive, but when Richard Gertz designed the Mason & Hamlin piano in 1895, he understood that the rim is foundational to the entire piano—a strong, dense rim will reflect the energy produced by the soundboard, thereby enhancing a piano’s power and sustain, while a thinner, weaker rim will absorb this energy and detract from the piano’s potential power and sustain.
FLAT-SAWN HARD ROCK MAPLE
Material choice is equally important when constructing a piano’s rim. Richard Gertz specifically chose Flat-Sawn Hard Rock Maple—one of the strongest and most expensive cuts of Hard Rock Maple—for the Mason & Hamlin rim. This material is no stranger to fine instruments—Stradivarius used Hard Rock Maple in the back and sides of his violins for its strong, robust qualities.
WESSELL, NICKEL & GROSS COMPOSITE ACTIONS
Each Mason & Hamlin piano is built with our exclusive Wessell, Nickel, & Gross Composite Actions. Made to last, our state-of-the-art actions have three times the lifespan of wooden actions and achieve a consistent touch, feel, and volume across the entire piano.
HARD BUSHINGS
Every Wessell Nickel & Gross action uses hard bushings, which, unlike felt bushings, do not change in size with humidity, and are completely impervious to moisture. This departure from felt ensures that your piano will have a consistent touch and feel year-round, substantially reducing the cost and headache of maintenance and regulation.
EPOXY CARBON FIBER SHANKS
Wood strength even in a single set of wooden shanks can vary greatly in performance, producing notes that are louder than others. Our epoxy carbon fiber shanks completely eliminate this issue of sound variation. They are precisely manufactured and controlled, ensuring consistent volume across the entire piano.
EPOXY CARBON FIBER SHANKS
Wood strength even in a single set of wooden shanks can vary greatly in performance, producing notes that are louder than others. Our epoxy carbon fiber shanks completely eliminate this issue of sound variation. They are precisely manufactured and controlled, ensuring consistent volume across the entire piano.
TENSION RESONATOR
One of the most distinctive and iconic features of a Mason & Hamlin is the Tension Resonator. This ingenious device was created in 1900 by Richard Gertz and ensures that every measurement and dimension of the piano remains unchanged—maintaining the crown of the soundboard through the passing of time. The inclusion of a Tension Resonator preserves the piano’s vibrancy, voice, and tone for generations to come, transforming it from an exceptional instrument into a treasured heirloom.
WESSELL,NICKEL & GROSS ACTION PARTS
From its inception, Mason & Hamlin has had a rich history of innovation and an emphasis on longevity in its pianos. Nowhere is this more apparent than the inclusion of the Tension Resonator and Wessell, Nickel & Gross action parts. Beyond including Wessell, Nickel & Gross' revolutionary composite actions in every piano, Mason & Hamlin also uses their anodized aluminum balance rail pins, key pins, and capstans, ensuring that each piano will perform to their highest potential while requiring the minimum of maintenance.
BRIDGE
Mason & Hamlin builds its bridges using continuous laminations of quarter-sawn Hard Rock Maple, which ensures that splitting or cracking does not occur near the bridge pins. This is the most efficient, uncompromising method to transfer sound energy from the strings to the soundboard, ensuring a full, robust sound that is inspirational to the pianist. Once the bridge is pressed and constructed, it is expertly hand-notched by one of Mason & Hamlin’s most highly skilled craftsmen and ready for stringing.
Pinblock
For over 100 years, Mason & Hamlin pinblocks have been carefully crafted with the highest-grade quarter-sawn Hard Rock Maple—creating an excellent foundation for the tuning pins. We begin our process by pressing seven laminations together and carefully drying the block to an exact 6% humidity, which is then sprayed with a clear coat of polyurethane finish to lock out unwanted moisture. This produces an exceptional pinblock that keeps its tuning pins snug, yet allows the tuner to turn them smoothly.
The Story Behind the VX Series
The Mason & Hamlin Virtuoso X Series represents the pinnacle of over 165 years of craftsmanship, innovation, and technology. The experience gained through continuous refinement and innovation has allowed us to create a piano designed for the highest degree of performance, and is the result of developing new state-of-the-art features and substantially building upon others. The core of these updated features merges the impressive legacy of the Crown Retention System with our new Action Retention System, resulting in a piano that preserves both its tone and dynamic range, as well as the touch and feel of its action over the course of an entire century.
CEO and President
- 35 Duncan St.
- Haverhill, MA 01832
