Inside a Custom Build: A One-of-a-Kind Acrylic Grand for Brigham Larson Pianos.

These photos came in from the Hailun factory floor — a custom acrylic grand piano in mid-build, commissioned by Brigham Larson Pianos for a client named Nick Luekenga.

It started with a simple question.

How It Began

On November 10, 2025, Nick messaged Brigham Larson Pianos with three words: "Do you guys build custom pianos?"

Knowing Brigham, it wasn't a question he was going to say no to. He called Nick, they talked through the idea, and Nick sent over an inspiration photo — a screenshot from @luxepianos on Instagram, showing a clear acrylic upright with the full internal architecture exposed. Strings, plate, action — all visible.

Nick confirmed that was the aesthetic he was after: clear acrylic body, but with one twist. Brass trim instead of nickel.

Brigham brought the vision back to the team. They pulled a reference photo of a clear piano with nickel trim that had been built previously — proof the concept could work — and Nick gave the green light.

Choosing the Instrument

Next came the model discussion. The options on the table: a generic build, or one of three Hailun uprights — the 121, the HU-5P, or the HU-7P.

Brigham's recommendation was Hailun. They're his favorite line, and in his view, the best value for the level of engineering you're getting. Nick agreed — and chose the HU-5P.

That decision matters. A custom transparent build isn't a cosmetic exercise — the cast plate, scale design, action, and cabinet all have to stay coherent even when the cabinet is doing something it was never originally designed to do. The HU-5P gives the build a strong musical foundation to work from.

Why Brigham Larson

For dealers who really know Hailun, Brigham Larson Pianos is the name that comes up first. They're Utah's exclusive Hailun dealer, and they've spent years studying the instruments, training their technicians on them, and showcasing them in their showroom. They even keep a Hailun grand reserved in their free Recital Hall for piano teachers and students to use.

That depth of knowledge is what makes a project like this possible. A custom build isn't just a design exercise — it's a collaboration between a maker and a dealer who understands exactly what the instrument needs to do once it leaves the factory.

What You're Looking At

The factory progress photos show the build in early assembly.

The first images show the acrylic case beginning to take shape around the piano's internals — clear panels replacing the traditional wood rim, exposing the plate, the soundboard, and the string architecture as part of the design itself. The structural work that wood usually hides is now doing its job in plain sight: brass fasteners, acrylic supports, the full geometry of the instrument visible from every angle.

Most pianos ask you to admire what's outside. This one asks you to look at what's underneath.

Why Hailun for a Build Like This

A custom transparent grand isn't a finish option you tick on an order form. The engineering underneath has to hold — even when the cabinet is doing something unusual.

That's where Hailun's design lineage matters. Our grands are scaled by French piano designer Stephen Paulello and engineered by American piano designer George F. Emerson, who brought more than three decades of US piano design experience to the Hailun line. Voicing was shaped by Ema Shigeru, who spent over 35 years at Kawai before joining the team. The cabinet and structural philosophy trace back to Peter Veletzky, the Viennese piano builder who helped define Hailun's manufacturing approach from the beginning.

That foundation is what makes it possible to say yes to a project like this without compromising the instrument. The acrylic is the variable. The musical engineering underneath isn't.

What Comes Next

The build isn't finished yet — and it just got more interesting.

Nick is also adding a QRS self-playing system to the piano. Which means Brigham now has another creative problem to solve: how do you hide all the wiring and equipment for the QRS so that it isn't visible through the clear acrylic? That's the kind of challenge that doesn't come with a template answer.

Once the cabinet work is complete, the piano moves through stringing, action installation, regulation, and voicing — the same process every Hailun grand goes through, just inside a case that happens to let you watch.

When it's finished, it heads to Nick. And somewhere along the way, it'll likely turn a few heads.

If you'd like to see the Hailun grand and upright lineup — or talk to a team that knows these instruments inside and out — Brigham Larson Pianos is the place to start.