Information about Specific Piano Brands

Please note:  The following material was written by Martha Beth Lewis, Ph.D.

People ask me all the time about this piano or that one.  Here is what I think of certain pianos.  (If it’s not listed here, there’s a 98% chance I have never heard of it, let alone played it.)  Ok, here goes!

Aeolian:  This company owned many brands, among them:  Knabe, Mason-Hamlin, Chickering, George Steck, and H.F. Miller. (In fact, at one time they controlled over 40 brands!). All of these brands were made in the Aeolian factory.

Baldwin:  Good piano.  Many concert grands are Baldwins.  In general, you can’t go wrong with a Baldwin. Excellent quality up to 1970. Quality problems on some actions beginning after about 1970. Concerts grands of 7’0″ and 9’0″ had Renner actions and so were better quality. (A piano action is the moving parts inside.) Baldwin had various owners until it filed for bankrupcy. Gibson Guitar bought the assets in 2001 and is trying to focus on building a piano that lives up to the Baldwin tradition. Gibson’s Baldwins do seem to have better quality, but there is not much production by which to judge this, although production seems to be increasing lately. Other brands owned under the Baldwin “umbrella”: Wurlitzer, Cable, Chickering, Ellington, Howard, Kranick & Bach, Hamilton.

Bechstein:  This is a high-end instrument.  If I were buying a new piano for myself, I’d look at this one, as long as it were not a modern one.  German.  Bechstein recently bought by Samick.

Bluthner:  Good piano.  Can be expensive.  German.

Bosendorfer:  Another high-end instrument.  I’d look at this one, also. Bought jointly by Kimball (which now makes hotel and office furniture) and an Austrian bank (with Austrian government backing).  Last Austrian/Viennese piano company left, out of the hundreds in business in Vienna in the 1800s. Austrian.

Boston:  Very good piano.  This piano is made by Kawai.  It was designed by and is marketed by Steinway, but not made by them – – this is not clear in their advertising! I’d look at this one, too. A Boston is better than a standard Kawai because it is built in Kawai’s “better” factory. Uprights (44″-52″) and grands. American. 

Cable: Cable was one of the brands owned by Baldwin. Cable may be in current production, but if the company exists, the pianos would be made in China or Indonesia. Be careful about quality.

Chickering:  Excellent prior to 1960 and even better before 1932, but age of the instrument will be an issue in regards to condition. Quality declined after 1960. Rochester factory closed 1982 and Memphis factory in 1985. Names sold to various manufacturers. American. Chickering had no product between 1982-1985. The piano was made in the US by Wurlitzer from 1986-88. Baldwin purchased Wurlitzer in 1994 and produced Chickerings between 1994 and 2001. Baldwin went bankrupt in 2001, and Gibson Guitars purchased the company and all its associated brands. Chickerings are no longer being made.

Charles Walters: High quality. Hand made, excellent actions, beautiful cabinets. Primarily uprights, but now make a 6’5″ grand. I’d look at this piano seriously. American (built in Wisconsin).

Ellington: Part of the “Baldwin group” (now owned by Gibson). China. Be careful.

Estonia: Good piano.  Grands only.  Estonia.  (Note:  There are many piano company names emerging from the dust caused by the fall of the Soviet Union. For now (2006), avoid these.  The Belaruse, for example, is a horrible piano.  But it’s cheap!  Forget it. It’s the worst piano on the market.) Do not confuse these post-Soviet pianos with the Estonia, however! The Estonia is a very good piano because the Soviets left the factory alone, probably because Estonia was so far from Moscow and made few enough instruments that it was not worth the Soviet government’s effort to take over the factory. 

Falcone: Can be a good instrument. Sold trademark to Knabe (1983), but the company never did anything with it.

Faziolo:  Good piano.  Also on the high end.  Italian.

Grotrian:  Good piano, generally speaking.  Also on the high end.  German.

Howard: Once owned the Baldwin; owned by Gibson. Quality varies.

Ibach: German Piano. Very high end

Kawai:  I like this piano a lot.  Very good piano. Make sure you know which factory manufactured the one that interests you. You want the “good factory.” Japanese.

Knabe:  Knabe product is medium quality and price now. Bought by American Piano (1908), then Aeolian (1932). Aeolian’s Baltimore factory closed about 1932, and production moved to Aeolian’s plant in New York. It was sold when Aeolian went into backruptcy (1982). Falcone bought the tradmark in 1983, but there was no production and no Knabe factory of any kind. Company then sold to Bernard Greer (1989), and factory and no production. Then it was bought by MSR/Burgett (1996). (MSR – – Music Systems Research – – is the maker of PianoDisc, a computer product that can transform an acoustic piano into a player piano.) There was no Knabe production between 1982 and 1996. Starting in 1996, Knabe then produced by Young Chang (Korea). It was sold (~2000) to Samick (Korea). The current Knabe product is medium in quality and price. Korean. Also see comments under Chickering. Kimball:  Ok to not-very-ok.  American.  Kimble is now making office and hotel furniture.  They also are partial owners of Bosendorfer.

Kohler and Campbell:  Ok.  Company makes pianos under its own name, but also makes house brands (as for Schaffer and Sons).  American/etc./ask.

Kranich & Bach: Not-so-ok to poor (the current production). This company, established in 1864, was bought by Aeolian in 1932. Quality is good thru the 1950s (America) but has declined precipitously since. Production contiuned in Aeolian’s plant in Memphis until Aeolian’s bankruptcy (1982). Wurlitzer bought the company (1985) and sold it to Baldwin (1995). When Baldwin went bankrupt, it was part of the package bought by Gibson. China. Mason and Hamlin:  Ok to good.  See comments under Chickering. Mason was sold to Falcone in 1983 (America), then to Bernard Greer in 1989 (America), then to Premier possibly in 1993 (America), and went bankrupt in 1995. Purchased by 1996 Music Systems Research (maker of PianoDisc; Sacramento, CA). Factory presently in Haverhill, MA. Current Mason & Hamlin pianos are excellent quality and are sold by Colton Piano Company (chain in Northern CA ). American.

Petrof:  Good piano.  Czech.

Pleyel:  Good piano.  Rare. This piano is an antique, so you really need a technician to evaluate it for you. French.

Samick: Often a stencil brand.  Ask.  Ok to medium quality. Can’t last more than 5 yrs in my opinion.  Korean.

Schimmel:  Very good piano. German.

Steinway:  This is many people’s dream piano.  German/American.  Bought by CBS, who put no money into the business and squeezed out as much money as possible from its reputation.  Then bought by Selmer (the brass instrument company). We don’t know much about quality of the Steinway instrument under the Selmer regime. If you want an “authentic Steinway,” you’ll have to buy an older model. Ask your tech for details. Steinway makes uprights (45″ and 52″), as well as grands.

Sohmer:  Pianos made by the original factory are good.  Bought by Pratt-Read (makers of piano actions – – that’s the moving parts inside) and then sold to a player piano company.  There is no longer a Sohmer factory.  Currently (2006), there is a lawsuit brought against a Chinese firm that is using a name that has Sohmer in it (Sohmer and Company). American.

Story and Clark:  Stencil brand.  Some pianos come from Asia; ask.  Ok.  American.

Yamaha:  Holds value well, even uprights.  Bright treble.  Japanese.

Young-Chang.  German technicians help set up this company.  Good piano.  Korean. Sold to Samick, the quality went down, and Young-Chang is now in bankruptcy.

Young-Chang. Started in 1956 by the Kim brothers (Jai-sup, Young, and Chang) to assemble Yahamas for the South Korean market. Spun off in 1975. Sold to Samick, but the sale was not approved by Korean goverment and fell through. Young-Chang is now in bankruptcy. 

Weinberg:  Light touch. Bright Treble after a few years (about 5yrs) Korean

Wilhelm Tell:  Ensemble in Shanghai.  Parts from Switzerland.  

Wurlitzer:  Ok to not-so-ok piano.  Now made by Baldwin. Baldwin bought Wurlitzer in 1985. Wurlitzer, in turn, had bought Chickering (1983), Kranich & Bach (1985), and Cable (1985). Wurlitzers are now made in China (though there may be a few made in the US by Baldwin [Gibson]).

( Article taken from:  http://www.serve.com/marbeth/piano_brands.html )

Copyright 2011, Martha Beth Lewis, Ph.D.  Used with permission.   marthabeth.com  Please contact her for permission to reproduce this material for your students or your site.  This material is   her property and may not be used without permission.  Thank you for honoring copyright.