Information on Falcone pianos

[tosca1]

I have been searching on the internet for information about Falcone pianos which I believe are very high quality instruments  built in the USA in small numbers although  production stopped in 1995.
I have found some photos of a Falcone grand and its appearance would  suggest very high quality of manufacture.  The sound of these pianos is claimed to be very beautiful.
Thank you,
Robert.

[rachfan]

Hi Robert,

Falcone pianos were made in Haverhill, MA in what is today the Mason & Hamlin factory.  The founder was Santi Falcone, a piano technician, whose dream was to create a top caliber piano made of the finest handcrafted materials.  There were only three models made, a 6'1", a 7'4", and a 9' concert grand.  I played a few Facone pianos and was quite impressed.  The 6'1" was not so remarkable in my opinion.  The 7'4" was a different story.  It had an even action and a gorgeous tone.  The only thing that disappointed me was the uppermost two octaves--too thin a sound there in my opinion.

Some people criticized the Falcone as a Steinway clone, others extrolled it as the peak of perfection.  I think it was somewhere in between.  The tone was definitely not Steinway's.  It had a special character all its own that's hard to describe.  Someone told me once that in addition to a pattented device to enhance the treble, the strings were flattened at the ends which supposedly contributed to the piano's unusual voice.  That latter assertion though might have been just a wife's tale though.

At the time, I was comparing Falcone to Baldwin and Steinway.  (Mason & Hamlin was dormant then.)  The Falcone definitely held its own, and had I bought one, the 7'4" anyway, I'm sure I would have been very pleased with it.  But not having the wallet or room for that model, that left the 6'1".  I believed the Baldwin 6'3" to be the better buy for the price, as Falcone's were very expensive.    

I hope that you run across a Falcone someday and can try it out.  I know you'll find it most interesting, especially that 7'4".  

[tosca1]

Thank you very much RachFan and I wonder if there are any owners of the 7'4" grand or any Falcone model among the members of this forum.  Santi Falcone sounds like an Italian name and it is interesting that another Italian,  Mr Fazioli, was making his high quality pianos in Italy, the birthplace of the piano,  at the same time.   I value your opinions and thank you again for this information.
Robert.

[rachfan]

Hi Robert, you're entirely welcome.  By way of trivia, Fazioli was originally from Rome, while Falcone was from Sicily.

David