best piano brands

A white piano in an empty room with a bench.

March 21 2019

Haessler Acrylic Pianos – A Well Kept Secret And A Family Affair

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When it comes to pianos, there is a world of fascinating stories, history and inventions that are hard to ignore. The Bluthner – Haessler story is just such a complex and inspiring tale.

This is a Haessler acrylic upright piano. The inner action of the instrument can be seen through the acrylic, making it one of the most interesting and fun uprights on the market.

Most people have no idea of the difficult series of intricate and unknown steps that led to the creation of this instrument, but it’s a story worth telling.

Haessler transparent acrylic upright piano

It all began in Leipzig, Germany.

Julius Bluthner

In the piano world, Bluthner is a famous, highly reputable name. The master German piano builder, Julius Bluthner, began his enterprise in 1853 and at one time sold more pianos than any other manufacturer in Europe. Family-owned and operated, the quality of Bluthner’s instruments ranked the company as a national treasure, with customers such as Queen Victoria, Tsar Nicholas II, the Danish King, the German Emperor, the Turkish Sultan and the king of Saxony Well known artists like Mahler, Brahms, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Schumann and Tchaikovsky were guests in the Bluthner home and proudly promoted the Bluthner name.

Julius had eight children and three of his four sons joined the business and were as passionate as their father in building the best pianos in the world.

Julius Bluthner

Robert Bluthner

Max, Bruno and Robert Bluthner continued the business with the successful family formula. When Robert’s daughter married Dr. Rudolph Haessler, a successful merchant and lawyer, he was soon embraced into the Bluthner piano world. Robert legally adopted his new son-in-law, to incorporate the Bluthner name with Haessler, merging the surnames for the sake of the business.

Rudolph Bluthner-Haessler

Robert died in 1932, and his son-in-law took over the Bluthner factory. It was the same year the German Admiralty commissioned a lightweight piano built for the famous Hindenburg dirigible. It was an international event, and a huge success for Bluthner, when the airship crossed the Atlantic with a concert performed on board, and Dr. Rudolph Bluthner Haessler in attendance.

Haessler Acrylic Pianos – A Well Kept Secret And A Family Affair

Rudolph Bluthner-Haessler was at the helm in 1943 when the factory was bombed in a World War II air raid and completely destroyed three generations of work in a matter of minutes. All was lost.

Leipzig 1948

It was through Bluthner-Haessler’s massive efforts and visionary perseverance that the factory was rebuilt. The Soviet occupation did not much help private enterprise, but rebuild he did, and in 1948, pianos began to ship once again. The Bluthner national treasure was also shipping pianos to Leningrad and Moscow conservatories, which might account for what cooperation he could get.

Ingbert Bluthner-Haessler

“Quality above everything” was the Bluthner philosophy, and when Rudolph died in 1966, his son, (and the great grandson of Julius Bluthner) Ingbert Bluthner-Haessler took over the company. He weathered the East German nationalization of the company in 1972, and with great difficulty maintained the directorship, keeping the enterprise in the family, until the wall came down in 1989. Thanks to Ingbert, the Bluthner brand survived intact and had regained its standing in the world and flourishes.

Letting no grass grow under their feet, a new concert hall, a new factory, and increased sales all point to a bright future.

Haessler – A New Line Of Pianos

Haessler Classic Grand Piano

In the 1990’s, Ingbert, with his two sons already trained and involved in the business, started a new line of pianos just as his great grandfather had done. The line carries the name of Haessler, and they incorporate all of the excellence and knowhow of the Bluthner instruments, with a few technical bells and whistles (like aliquot stringing) omitted to cut the pricing by 25%, making a more affordable Bluthner for the West’s ever increasing appetites for high-end pianos.

Lucid Bluthner – A New Line Of Transparent Pianos

At the other end of the spectrum, Bluthner began a full line of exquisite transparent high-end pianos made from 100% quality acrylic. By forming a partnership with Lucid Pianos, a Spanish company solely creating acrylic instruments, the new Lucid line of acrylic pianos now carry the Bluthner name, as well as the German technology made so famous since 1853 under the see-through lid.

It is the brilliant combinations of 160 years of expertise combined with vision for the future that make Bluthner and Haessler such important contenders in the industry.

Haessler Acrylic Pianos

So, rather than a simple happy ending, it’s the beginning of a new story of the affordable acrylic Haessler pianos – a pretty well kept secret, if you ask me.

Haessler transparent upright

A black and brown table with two drawers

May 8 2018

Petrof Pianos

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Five generations of the Petrof family owned and managed the piano factory founded in 1864 by Antonin Petrof in Hradec Králové, an historic town near Prague, in the present Czech Republic. Their fine reputation came from keeping up with technology and they did well at international exhibitions. The Czechs have longstanding respect for their vibrant musical-instrument industry, which also includes makers of brass, woodwind, and stringed instruments.

In 1947, when all businesses in the Czech Republic were nationalized by the state, the Petrof family was forced out of the business. Since the fall of the Soviet Union and the liberation of Eastern Europe, some factories have been spun off as private businesses, including Petrof, which is once again owned and controlled by the Petrof family. Currently Petrof manufactures 5,000 vertical pianos and 900 grands annually.

Petrof recently introduced a series of six new grand piano models, ranging from 5′ 2″ to 9′ 2″ in length. Most component parts are produced by Petrof or other Czech factories, including the hardware, plates, and cabinetry. Soundboards are of solid Bohemian spruce, grand rims are of laminated beech and birch, pinblocks are of compressed beech, plates are cast in wet sand, and hammers are from Renner or Abel. These pianos also boast several interesting features: The soundboard is custom-tapered and asymmetrically crowned for optimal resonance; the treble bridge is capped with genuine ebony for better transmission of treble tone; front and rear duplexes are tuned for tonal color; pianos are single-strung for tuning stability; an adjustable bolt has been added from the plate to the wooden cross block for additional tuning stability; and a decorative veneer has been added to the inner rim. The earlier series of Petrof grandswith model numbers containing roman numerals will coexist with the new models as long as supplies last.

Petrofs are known for their warm, rich, singing tone, full of color. The pianos are solidly built and workmanship is good. After careful preparation, the pianos can sound and feel quite beautiful and hold their own against other European brands. Wages in the Czech Republic have risen in recent years, and with it the price of Petrof pianos, but the company has placed a greater emphasis on quality control and enhanced features in the new models in order to meet the higher expectations that come with higher prices.

Actions in Petrof pianos are standard Detoa on the smaller verticals, Renner on the larger grand pianos and larger verticals, and either Renner parts on a Petrof action frame or Petrof Original Actions made by Detoa on mid-size instruments.

Petrof has also invented and patented a version of its new grand action that uses tiny opposing magnets to allow for the removal of the usual lead counterweights in the keys and, according to the company, significantly alter the action’s dynamic properties. The new action also furthers the European Union’s stated environmental goal of phasing out the use of lead in pianos. The action is adjusted in the factory for a standard touchweight and is serviced in exactly the same way as a standard action. The Magnetic Accelerated Action, as it is known, is a special-order option on the grands. Petrof also offers as an option the Magnetic Balanced Action, which allows the player to quickly and easily change the touchweight in the range of ±4–5 grams simply by turning a knob.

Warranty: 10 years, parts and labor, to original purchaser, from the manufacturer.

A piano is sitting on the ground with its lid open.

May 8 2018

Schulze Pollmann Pianos

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Two German piano builders who had both relocated to Italy, Albert Schulze and Paul Pollmann, met and merged in 1928. Pollmann managed the combined firms until 1942, and was followed by his son Hans, who had earlier in his career managed the Schimmel company. The Schulze Pollmann factory is currently located near San Marino, a tiny city-state entirely surrounded by Italy.

When you think of pianos built in Italy, you usually think of Fazioli, but this is the other excellent Ialian piano with all the secrets of Italian builders.

In North America, they offer the Masterpiece (grands) and Studio (verticals). The Masterpiece Seriespianos, available only by special order, are made entirely in Italy and San Marino, and contain Delignit pinblocks, Renner actions and hammers from Germany, and Ciresa solid red-spruce soundboards from the Val di Fiemme, in Italy. The company uses both sophisticated technology and handwork in its manufacturing. All soundboards have finger-jointed construction to optimize stability and prevent cracking. Many of the cabinets have beautiful designs and inlays. Schulze Pollmann grands are very nicely crafted and arrive at the dealer in good condition, needing only solid preparation to sound their best.

The Studio series is partially made in Asia and finished off, including deluxe cabinetwork, in San Marino. We have not included them in the high quality rating here, although the uprights are well built and have a warm, colorful sound with a good amount of sustain. The treble is not nearly as brittle sounding as in some other European uprights. Schulze Pollmann grands are likewise very nicely crafted and arrive at the dealer in good condition, needing only solid preparation to sound their best.

In 2005, Italian auto manufacturer Ferrari Motor Car selected Schulze Pollmann as a partner in the launch of its new Ferrari 612 Scaglietti series of automobiles. For the occasion, Schulze Pollmann crafted a limited-edition version of its 6′ 7″ model 197/G5 grand piano, still available, with a case that sports Ferrari’s racing red and a cast-iron plate in Ferrari gray carbon, the same color as the Scaglietti’s engine. The car and the piano have been exhibited together in cities around the world.

Warranty: 10 years, parts and labor.

May 8 2018

August Forster Pianos

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Friedrich August Försterfounded his factory in 1859 in Löbau, Germany. The family owned business became whole again after the privatization and reunification of East Germany, and is now managed by a fifth generation family member, Annekatrin Förster

Förster makes about 120 grand pianos each year in four sizes, and 150 verticals in three sizes, using a lot of hand labor. The pianos are very well built structurally, and the cabinets are elegant. The tone of their grand pianos has a unique bass: dark, deep, yet clear. The treble is often bright, and is considered a bit thin to some American tastes — it is a less complex sound that emphasizes clarity. This, however, can be somewhat modified after delivery.

Strings are individually single-strung. Soundboards are made of solid mountain-grown spruce, rims and pinblocks of beech, and bridges of hardrock maple. The actions are made by Renner with Renner hammers. The Renner actions are very responsive and arrive in exacting regulation. A sostenuto pedal is standard on all grand piano models.

The instruments are comfortably at home with classical or jazz. The 6′ 4″ model is often said to have an especially good scale. The concert-quality 7′ 2″ and 9′ 1″ models are well balanced tonally, and over the years have been endorsed by many famous artists.

The new 53″ model 134K anniversary upright, intended for pianists who don’t have space for a grand, has such grand-piano–like features as a full sostenuto; a large, adjustable music desk; and black keys of real ebony.

August Forster 134K Upright Piano

The quality of materials and workmanship of the Förster grands is largely true of the verticals as well. The cabinet of the vertical is of exceptional width, with extra-thick side panels of solid-core stock. Counter bridges are used on the outside of the soundboard to increase its mass. The verticals have a full set of agraffes, and all the hardware and handmade wood parts are of elegant quality. The actions are built by Renner. The verticals possess the same warm, rich, deep bass tone as the grands. August Forster uprights are some of the best upright pianos on the market.

Warranty: 5 years, parts and labor, to original purchaser.

A black piano with yellow interior and wheels.

May 8 2018

C Bechstein Pianos

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A young German piano maker, Carl Bechstein, whose visions of pianos surpassed the traditional piano-making shops in Berlin founded his own company in 1853, about the same time that the Steinway pianocompany was starting. With his extraordinary talents, he exploded the world of piano technology of his day,. Through fine workmanship and the endorsement of famous pianists, Bechstein soon became one of the leading piano makers in Europe, producing over 5,000 pianos annually by 1900.

The two World Wars and the Depression virtually destroyed the company, but it was successfully rebuilt. In 1963 it was acquired by Baldwin, and in 1986 Baldwin sold it to Karl Schulze, a leading West German piano retailer and master piano technician, who undertook a complete technical and financial reorganization of the company. In the early 1990s, Bechstein acquired the names and factories of Euterpe, W. Hoffmann, and Zimmermann. Pianos with these names are currently being sold in Europe, but only W. Hoffmann is sold in North America. In 2006 Bechstein purchased a controlling interest in the Czech piano maker Bohemia, and integrated it into a new entity called C. Bechstein Europe Ltd.

All Bechstein-branded pianos are manufactured in Seifhennersdorf, Germany, and W. Hoffmann pianos are made in the Czech Republic. Bechstein recently announced a technical-cooperation agreement with the Chinese piano maker Hailun, and it is widely believed in the industry that major components for some Bechstein and/or W. Hoffmann models are made outside Europe. With few exceptions, Bechstein prefers not to divulge where the components for its instruments are made, a policy that frustrates some industry observers who seek transparency. However, the company says that, whatever the origin, all parts are inspected and made to conform to its rigid standards; indeed it appears that all models, including the less expensive ones, continue to receive praise for their high quality.

Bechstein-branded pianos use Abel or Renner hammers, solid European spruce soundboards, beech or beech and mahogany for grand rims and some structural parts, and maple pinblocks. Three pedals are standard on all pianos, the grands with sostenuto and the verticals with practice pedal (sostenuto optional). Over the past decade, all Bechstein grands have been redesigned with a capo bar (eliminating the agraffes in the treble), higher tension scale, and front and rear duplex scales for better tonal projection and tonal color. Also, unlike older Bechsteins, which had an open pinblock design, in the redesigned grands the plate covers the pinblock area. For better tuning control, the higher-level pianos are without tuning-pin bushings.

Bechstein pianos are available in two quality levels, the lower- priced “B” series that say only “Bechstein” on the fallboard, while the higher- priced line says “C. Bechstein instead. The regular verticals and partially redesigned versions of the old grand models now comprise a lower-priced “B” series, and were previously named the Academy series.

The 51½” Concert 8 (one of an all-time favorite vertical), several smaller verticals, and the fully redesigned grands (models D, C, B, M/P, and L), are the higher-priced line. The company says that both lines are made in Germany, though for cost-effectiveness some parts and components may originate in the Czech Republic.

The differences between the B series and C. Bechstein lines appear to be primarily in tonal philosophy and cabinetry. C. Bechstein grands are designed with a higher tension scale for better projection, and with various components that the company believed would result in the greatest usable palette of tonal color: tapered soundboard, vertically laminated bridges, hornbeam hammer shanks, solid keybed, thicker rim, and hammers with walnut moldings and AAA felt. The grand soundboard is installed after the inner and outer rims are joined. The ribs are tapered after being glued to the soundboard, and the heavy-duty rim posts are dovetailed and embedded in the rim. We included the C Bechstein pianos to our list of best piano brands.

The less-expensive, traditional, B-series grands have an untapered soundboard, solid beech bridge with beech cap, maple hammer shanks, expansion-type keybed, and hammers with mahogany moldings and AA felt. The same quality wood and strings are used in both. The rim parts are joined, and the soundboard and ribs installed, in a more efficient, less time-consuming manner than with the C. Bechstein models. C. Bechstein keys still use leather key bushings, whereas the B-series keys use the more conventional cloth bushings. Bone keytops are an option on the C. Bechstein pianos, and genuine ebony sharps are used on both series.

The company uses its own Silver Line action in the Bechstein series and, in the C. Bechstein series, its Gold Line action, which is made to slightly stricter tolerances. As part of its global strategy, the company uses multiple suppliers for nearly all parts; parts for the Gold Line action come from Renner in Germany, while Silver Line parts are sourced from several countries, including China. Both actions appear to be well made, and both are of the Renner design, with the smooth, responsive touch characteristic of that design. Of course, the parts from Renner are more time-tested than the others.

The C. Bechstein cabinetry is much sleeker and more sophisticated than the plain B series, though both cabinets are finished to the same standard. The C. Bechstein plates receive the royal hand-rubbed finish; the other plates are just spray-finished in the conventional manner.

When the two lines are compared side by side, there are differences in their finished quality and performance level. Although the B-series pianos are, generally speaking, very good instruments with a slightly warmer default tone quality, the C. Bechstein models clearly outperform this less expensive line, and are free of the small tonal inconsistencies and minor flaws we have observed in the B series. It’s possible that the comparative shortcomings of the B-series instruments could be remedied by further technical work, but it’s apparent that they are not prepped at the factory to the same standard as the C. Bechstein pianos.

Bechstein grands are impeccably made in Europe and are “orchestrally” voiced, a concept that the company says is related to the change of timbre at different velocities of touch.

Some customers might prematurely assume that the piano is voiced too bright for the American musical taste. (However, many experts have had high praise for the wide dynamic range, tonal color, and responsive action of the redesigned 7′ 8″ model C grand.) The company maintains that since voicing is a matter of overall piano design, their pianos are voiced at the factory to their tonal standard and should not be significantly altered. Some customers may still prefer the slightly warmer sound of the B-series grands, which are also about half the price of the C. Bechstein models.

Bechstein engineers oversee production of the Bechstein-designed W. Hoffmann line of pianos in the company’s Czech facility. This is a mid-priced line intended to compete with other mid-priced pianos from Eastern Europe and Japan. Currently it consists of five grand and four vertical models in two series. The Tradition-series instruments are entirely made in the Czech Republic. The Vision-series pianos are assembled in the Czech Republic, but their strung backs (the instruments’ structural and acoustical parts) are imported from China.

Warranty: 5 years, parts and labor, to original purchaser.

A black piano with a brown lid and legs.

May 8 2018

Bosendorfer Pianos

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In 1828 in Vienna, Austria, Ignaz Bösendorfer founded his piano company and rose to fame when Franz Liszt endorsed his concert grand. Liszt had destroyed every other piano set before him and was unable to destroy this one no matter how hard he played it.

Ignaz died in 1858 and under his son, Ludwig’s direction, the firm greatly prospered and the pianos became even more famous throughout Europe and the world. Ludwig, having no direct descendants, sold the firm to a friend, Carl Hutterstrasser, in 1909. Carl’s sons, Wolfgang and Alexander, became partners in 1931. Bösendorfer was sold to Kimball International, a U.S. manufacturer of low- and medium-priced pianos, in 1966. In 2002 Kimball, having left the piano business, sold Bösendorfer to Austria’s third largest financial institution. This bank encountered financial troubles of their own and sold the piano company to Yamaha in 2008 who promised to make no changes to Bösendorfer’s location or methods of production, and keep its sales network totally separate from Yamaha’s. Bösendorfer manufactures fewer than 500 pianos a year, with close to half of them sold in the U.S.

Bösendorfer makes a 52″ upright and eight models of grand piano, from 5′ 1″ to the 9′ 6″ Imperial Concert Grand, one of the world’s largest pianos. The 5′ 1″ grand, new in 2012 and unusually small for a Bösendorfer piano, has the same keyboard as the 5′ 8″ grand, ensuring a good touch despite the instrument’s small size. The company also makes the Conservatory Series (CS) which are slightly less expensive versions of four grand models. They are like the regular grands except that the case receives a satin finish instead of a high polish, and some cabinet details are simpler. Previously, the CS models also had a satin-finished plate, and were loop-strung instead of single-strung, but in 2009, regarding these features, the specifications of the regular models were restored. All Bösendorfer grand pianos have three pedals, the middle pedal being a sostenuto.

One of the most distinctive features of the grands is that a couple of models have more than 88 keys. The 7′ 4″ model has 92 keys and the 9′ 6″ model has 97 keys. The lowest strings vibrate so slowly that it’s actually possible to hear the individual beats of the vibration. Piano technicians say that it is next to impossible to tune these strings by ear, although electronic tuning aids can help accomplish this. Of course, these notes are rarely used, but their presence, and the presence of the extra-long bridge and larger soundboard to accommodate them, add extra power, resonance, and clarity to the lower regular notes of the piano. In order not to interfere with the normal keyboard configuration for spatial orientation while playing, the keys for these extra notes are covered with a black ivorine material.

Extra Keys

The rim of the Bösendorfer grand is built quite differently from those of all other grands. Instead of veneers bent around a form, the inner rim is made in solid sections of spruce and beech that are joined together. The outer rim has a solid core of quartersawn spruce that is grooved by Bösendorfer craftsmen so that it can be bent around the inner rim; after bending, the grooved sections are filled with spruce inserts. Because spruce is better at transmitting than reflecting sound, the extensive use of it has the effect of making the rim an acoustical extension of the soundboard, causing the entire body of the piano to resonate. This, along with the scale design, may be why Bösendorfers tend to have a more delicate treble, and a bass that features the fundamental tone more than the higher harmonics.

Although the cliché that “Bösendorfers are better for Mozart than Rachmaninoff” may be an exaggeration (as evidenced by the number of performing artists who successfully use the piano in concert for a wide variety of music), the piano’s mellow sound is certainly ideally suited for the classical repertoire, in addition to whatever else it can do. In recent years Bösendorfer has refined its designs to increase tonal projection. The relatively newer 6′ 1″, 7′, and 9′ 2″ models have been designed specifically to appeal to pianists looking for a more familiar sound. In all models, however, the distinctive Bösendorfer difference is still readily apparent.

In the past few years, Bösendorfer has introduced a number of interesting instruments in new cabinet styles. These include a Porsche-designed modern piano in aluminum and polished ebony (it can be special-ordered in any standard Porsche finish color). These are a couple of models of the Porsche piano.

Perhaps not to be outdone by Porsche, in 2009 Bösendorfer produced a model commissioned and designed by Audi on the occasion of that automaker’s 100th anniversary.

Bösendorfer makes a unique electronic player-piano system called CEUS. The Bösendorfer model 200 is optionally available with a Yamaha Disklavier E3 installed.

Perhaps the world’s most expensive piano inch for inch, Bösendorfer grands make an eloquent case for their prices. They are distinctive in both appearance and sound, and are considered to be among the best pianos in the world.

Warranty: 10 years, parts and labor, transferable to future owners within the warranty period.

A piano that is being played by someone.

May 3 2018

Steingraeber & Sohne Pianos

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Steingraeber & Söhne is one of the world’s best piano brands that nobody has heard of (except, of course, by the people who know). The company was founded in 1852 by Eduard Steingraeber, the son and nephew of organ and square piano builders in Neustadt, Germany. An innovative designer, Eduard’s full-size cast-iron piano frame was exhibited at the Paris world exhibition in 1867. From 1872 on, Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner and other professionals bought his pianos and in 1873, he opened their first concert hall in Bayreuth.

Steingraeber is one of the smaller piano manufacturers in the world, producing fewer than 80 grands and 60 verticals per year for the top end of the market. It is owned and operated by sixth-generation family member Udo Schmidt-Steingraeber, who still makes pianos using the traditional methods of his forebears at the company’s present factory, which it has occupied since 1872.

Steingraeber has a rich working history with furniture designers since 1904, when it collaborated with Bruno Paul on his Art Nouveau furniture for the St. Louis World’s Fair. In 2009, the company built a piano designed by Jørn Utzon, (architect of the Sydney Opera House,) for the Bagsvaerd Church in Denmark.

After the reunification of Germany, in 1991 the Steingraeber engineering department began technical development consulting services on pianos to assist former East Germans and has done prototypes of new piano models for other European piano manufacturers. These designs are different from Steingraeber’s own current models. In 2012, Steingraeber entered into a cooperative agreement with Pearl River, in China, to help that company design and manufacture a new line of premium pianos.

Steingraeber makes three sizes of vertical piano: 48″, 51″, and 54″ with the option of the unique “twist and change” panels: two-sided top and bottom panels, one polished ebony side, the other in a two-toned combination of a wood veneer and ebony. The panels can be reversed for the customer’s room décor, or for a change of mood.

The company also makes five sizes of grand piano: 5′ 7″, 6′ 3″, 7′, 7′ 7″, and 8′ 11″. The 5′ 7″ model A-170 grand has an unusually wide tail which allows for a larger soundboard and longer bass strings for a bigger sound than is customary for its size. The 7’ model C-212, known as the Chamber Concert Grand, was designed to match the tone quality of the Steingraeber Liszt grand of 1873, but with a louder bass register. The 8′ 11″ model E-272 concert grand was introduced in 2002 for Steingraeber’s 150th anniversary. It features the unusual drilled capo bar for more sustain in the treble, unusually shaped rim bracing, and a smaller soundboard resonating area in the treble to better match string length. In 2007, Steingraeber introduced the 7′ 7″ D-232 concert grand piano to provide another smaller instrument. The 6′ 3″ model B-192, is new in 2012 and echoes the enhancements of the D-232 and C-212 in a size more appropriate for homes and smaller concert halls.

The 8′ 11″ model E-272 concert grand

Steingraeber pianos have a far reaching tonal palette derived from a mixture of clarity and warmth. The distinctive sound of their instruments is renowned.

Steingraeber is also known for its many innovative technical improvements to the piano, one of which is a new action for uprights, available in all three vertical-piano models. This SFM action, as it is named, has no usual jack spring, but instead has magnets to return the jack under the hammer for much faster repetition.

Another innovation, introduced in 2013, is the optional sordino pedal, to create a distant, ethereal sound popular in the 19^thCentury and expands expressive possibilities.

In 2014, Steingraeber created the world’s lightest grand piano lid, 50% lighter than normal lids, made of modern aircraft material with a honeycomb interior with better sound projection. Steingraeber also offers the option of ecological or biological finishes on most models, by using organic materials on the case such as natural paints and glues, and white keytops made from cattle bone.

In addition to its regular line of pianos, Steingraeber offers a piano for physically handicapped players who are unable to pedal. A wireless (Bluetooth) pedal actuator is operated by biting on a special denture.

Warranty: 5 years, parts and labor, transferable to future owners within the warranty period.

May 2 2018

Shigeru Kawai Pianos

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Koichi Kawai, the father of Shigeru Kawai, was known as Koichi the Inventor, an innovative genius who was revered as the first person in Japan to design and build a complete piano action. In later life, Koichi would receive the coveted “Blue Ribbon Medal” from the Emperor of Japan for his accomplishments.

Shigeru Kawai succeeded his father as company president after the passing of his father in 1955. Shigeru vowed to uphold his father’s high standards, and energetically supported the love of music and pushed for technological advancements. In 1980, he was responsible for creating a renowned piano factory, the most modern of its kind, called Ryuyo Grand Piano Factory. A place now known as the Shigeru Kawai Research & Development Laboratory, a quiet retreat away from the factory was used to create the defining symbol of his legacy, the Shigeru Kawai Grand Piano.

Shigeru Kawai was born on July 28, 1922 in the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan. He entered the piano business in 1946 and spent his early years learning the piano building process as a regular worker. He put in long hours in the manufacturing area, sometimes sleeping overnight in the factory, dedicated to the craft. In later life he said, “Creating pianos was the greatest job I ever had!”

After three years of training in all areas of the piano building process, Shigeru began the next important phase of his apprenticeship—studying the art of piano design from his father,

Who used the “methods of origin” by which pianos are built entirely by hand, striving to build the finest ones in the world.”

At his father’s passing in 1955, Shigeru was only 33 years old, but proved to be a visionary. He launched the Kawai Concert Series to introduce western music to the Japanese people and built scores of Kawai Music Schools across Japan, founding a teachers’ institute to train staff for those schools. Concurrently, he established the Kawai Technical Institute to provide the technicians needed to care for pianos at home and abroad. By the 1970s, he had taken Kawai pianos to over 80 countries around the globe.

His major contribution, the Shigeru Kawai Research and Development Laboratory at Ryuyo stands as a tribute to the founder’s vision of continual excellence and is staffed by Master Piano Artisans dedicated to the never-ending advancement of the piano art form.

After over 50 years of labor, Shigeru desired to leave a personal legacy to the piano world. In the year 2000, he introduced the unique line of instruments that bore his name, Shigeru Kawai Grand Pianos. While the use of one’s first and last name used in this way is extremely rare in Japan he wanted them to be enduring symbols of his passion for the piano and his lifelong commitment to building the finest pianos in the world.

The Shigeru Kawai line of grands represents Kawai’s ultimate effort to produce a world-class piano. The limited-edition (fewer than 300 per year) Shigeru Kawai grands are made at the separate facility where Kawai’s EX concert grand pianos are built and puts them in the class of the best piano brands of the world.

Kawai Concert Grand Piano

Although based on the Kawai RX designs, the Shigeru Kawai models are “hand made” in the extreme. Very high-grade soundboard spruce is air-dried for multiple years, then planed by hand by a worker who knocks on the wood and listens for the optimum tonal response. Ribs are also hand-planed for correct stiffness. String bearing is set in the traditional manner by planing the bridges by hand instead of having pre-cut bridges pinned by machine. Bass strings are wound by hand instead of by machine. Hammers are hand-pressed without heat for a wider voicing range, and the hammer weights are carefully controlled for even touch. Hammer shanks are thinned along the bottom so that their stiffness is matched to the hammer mass. These procedures represent a level of detail relatively few manufacturers indulge in.

In 2012, Kawai updated the Shigeru Kawai grands, changing the cabinet styling and some of the pianos’ construction features. The inside of the rim is now finished with bird’s-eye maple veneer, and the round legs have been changed to straight legs with brass trim. The rim itself is now made of alternating layers of rock maple and mahogany, which Kawai says provides more power without losing warmth in the tone. The structure at the front of the piano has been made stronger, and the beams underneath are now made from spruce instead of the laminated mahogany Kawai uses in its other models. The keys have been lengthened for a better touch, especially on the smaller models.

Each buyer of a Shigeru Kawai piano receives a visit within the first year by a Kawai master technician from the factory in Japan. These are the same factory technicians who do the final installation of actions in pianos, as well as the final voicing and regulation. According to those who have watched them work, these Japanese master technicians are amazingly skilled.

It was Shigeru Kawai’s desire to pay lasting tribute to all who have entered into his personal legacy. In fulfillment of this dream, the name of every Shigeru piano owner since inception is respectfully enshrined in the Shigeru Kawai “Wall of Honor” in Hamamatsu, Japan.

The company is strongly involved in protection of the planet. In 1997, the Ryuyo Grand Piano Factory became the first in the industry to receive ISO14001, the world’s most prestigious certification for excellence in environmental management. Work groups continuously  monitor and improve emissions and waste control, green procurement, and a host of other energy conservation and environmental protection measures. The Kawai Forest Project has already planted over 350,000 seedlings with a goal to have over 500,000 new trees planted by the end of the decade, to replace the trees used for piano building.

Because the Shigeru Kawai pianos have been on the market only since 2000 and in very limited quantities, many piano technicians have yet to service one. Those who have, however, tend to rank them among the world’s finest instruments, and Shigeru Kawai pianos are often chosen by pianists participating in international piano competitions.

Warranty: Kawai and Shigeru Kawai — 10 years, parts and labor, transferable to future owners within the warranty period.

May 1 2018

Hailun Grand and Upright Pianos

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Since 2000, Hailun factory has been doing full-scale piano manufacturing in a facility employing 800 on 400,000 square feet. Another 200,000 square foot was opened for distribution to the US market. A cabinet factory began production in 2008. Hailun took the company public on the Shenzen Stock Exchange.

Currently, the Hailun line consists of four larger verticals and five grand pianos. In 2010, the company introduced the 52″ model HU7-P, with a duplex scale, agraffes, and a steel capo bar for an American sound. This model also has a middle pedal that operates a true sostenuto mechanism.

Be aware that model designations (on the cast-iron plates of some Hailun pianos) may differ because the models may have different names in the Chinese and U.S. markets. In each such case, the scale designs are the same, but, according to Hailun, the U.S. models contain the higher-quality parts and materials advertised in U.S. marketing materials and on the Hailun America website.

Hailun also makes pianos or components under contract for several other manufacturers and distributors. Hailun America is in the process of introducing several new grand and upright piano models under the Emerson brand name (formerly the Hailun Vienna Series). Located in Boston, the Emerson company grew into one of the largest and most reputable piano manufacturers of its time, selling its pianos throughout the world. The distributor of today’s Emerson piano says that it seeks to continue the tradition of bringing together the new and old worlds, combining European, American, and Asian resources to address the need for an exacting, quality instrument that “reflects the Western tradition of piano building” at a more favorable price, and to “create a warm tonal experience in the tradition of the Viennese sound.”

Emerson pianos are designed by an international team of piano designers close to the Hailun factory, and are manufactured by Hailun. The wood for its soundboards is sourced from the North Austrian Alps. The grands are designed with a wide tail, vertically laminated maple bridges, a slightly firmer touch, and faster action speed. The vertical has a patented TriGon duplex scale, agraffes, a full-perimeter plate, and an enhanced soundboard design. Each purchaser of an Emerson may, within 18 months of purchase, request that a special highly qualified technician, known as a Vienna Concert Technician, spend a full day of concert-level regulation and voicing on the piano at the customer’s home.

In 2011, Hailun introduced a slow-close piano lid in all its grand piano models. Graphically named the Hailun Limb Protection System (HLPS), this is a version of the Safety-Ease retrofit system, built into the piano at the factory. HLPS allows even a child to easily lift the otherwise heavy lid of a grand piano without danger, and prevents a falling lid from crashing down onto arms and hands. A version of HLPS, called HLPS Plus, and available only in the Vienna models, allows the user to adjust a grand piano lid to any position without the need for a lid propstick. Apart from the safety benefit, HLPS Plus allows the user to modulate sound projection by adjusting the lid position.

Hailun is a little different from most of the other Chinese companies selling pianos in the U.S.: Its founder and owner, Chen Hailun, is an entrepreneur in the Western style, and deeply involved in every aspect of the business. Originally a maker of molds for industrial use, Chen got into the piano business when piano manufacturers started to use his services to make piano parts. In 1998 he bought out the government’s position in his company to better control quality and hiring decisions.

While modern manufacturing methods are fully utilized, the factory also uses a large amount of skilled manual labor. Chen seeks out the best workers by paying considerably higher wages than other piano makers in China, he says, and provides an in-depth training program for his workers, conducted by piano builders and technicians from the U.S. and Europe. He also assists in the training of future piano technicians through an association with a local university. His greatest aspiration, Chen says, is to make the best piano in Asia.

Over the years, much of Chen’s technical efforts have gone into maximizing the precision and stability of the pianos and parts his company makes. This is evidenced by the substantial investment in computer-controlled machinery used for precision cutting; the design of keys, keybeds, and other parts to resist warping; and the fact that grand piano actions are actually interchangeable between instruments of the same model (this requires an unusually high level of precision). The pianos themselves exhibit good quality control and intelligence in design. In terms of materials, the company uses maple in grand piano rims, a feature indicative of higher quality and arguably necessary for the best sound. In 2011, the company began sourcing its own supply of the highest-quality Austrian spruce, and plans to make its own soundboards with this spruce for select piano models. To help it reach the highest quality standards, Hailun has also hired an impressive group of experts from Japan, Europe, and the U.S. In 2009, to oversee and assist with quality control, Hailun hired the prior owner of one of the oldest and most reputable European piano companies, closed in 2008 after more than 200 years in business.

Hailun USA has initiated several support programs designed to increase the speed at which service requests are handled, and to measure customer satisfaction. It has also introduced the Hailun Dream Assurance Program, in which the company guarantees, subject to certain limitations, that the sound of any purchased Hailun piano will be to the customer’s liking or, within 90 days of purchase, the company will exchange the piano for another of the same model. Under the company’s Gold Service Program, Hailun dealers are obligated to provide each customer with one free service call between 60 and 180 days after purchase of a piano.

Warranty: 15 years, parts and labor, to the original owner, transferable to the second owner within the warranty period.

Florida SouthWestern State College Purchases 6 Hailun Pianos

May 1 2018

Schimmel Pianos

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Wilhelm Schimmel began making pianos in Leipzig in 1885, and while interrupted by two World Wars and the Depression, the company rebuilt with a strong reputation for quality. Today, Schimmel makes 2,500 verticals and 500 grands per year and is one of Europe’s most prolific piano makers.

Among European piano makers, Schimmel was a pioneer in the use of computer-aided design and manufacturing. The company has used its Computer Assisted Piano Engineering (CAPE) software to research, design, and implement virtually every aspect of making a piano, from keyboard layout and action geometry to soundboard acoustics and scale design. Schimmel maintains that the combination of CNC machinery and handwork leads to better results than handcraftsmanship alone. Schimmel also believes that precision is aided by controlling as much of the production process as possible. For that reason, Schimmel produces its own piano-cabinet components and its own keyboards, which it also supplies to other German piano makers.

For a number of years, Schimmel has organized its model lineup into two principal categories: Schimmel Konzert (K-models names) and Schimmel Classic (C-model names). The purpose of the Konzert series is to expand the Schimmel line upward to a higher level of quality than previously attained. The Classic series consists of the rest of the verticals, the 6′ model 182 grand, and the 6′ 10″ model 208 grand. This series represents time-tested models that are solid, traditional, high-quality instruments, but without all the latest refinements.

The Konzert series uprights — 48″ model K122, 49″ model K125, and 52″ model K132 — are based on a more sophisticated philosophy of construction than the Classics. These models incorporate triplex scaling and other advanced design features. Schimmel’s philosophy for these uprights was to design them to be as much like the grands as possible. The treble scales, in fact, are exactly the same as in the Konzert grands. All uprights have adjustable gliders (to adjust to unevenness in the floor) and come with a matching adjustable bench.

Schimmel Designer Upright Piano

In all Konzert grand models, the case sides are angled slightly to obtain a larger soundboard, and all have tunable front and rear duplex (“triplex”) scales for greater tonal color, real ebony sharps, and mineral white keytops to mimic the feel of ivory, among other advanced features. The largest grands have reinforced keys for optimal energy transmission.

In 2013, Schimmel announced a major change to its model lineup: An updated, more upscale Konzert series of grand pianos. Notable changes include the use of the model 280’s concert-grand action in all Konzert grand sizes, requiring a redesign of each model; selection of improved soundboard and bridge materials; and more time spent voicing the instruments at the factory. Schimmel will continue to produce the previous Konzert grand models entirely in Germany, under the Classic name. Other lines just released to dealers include Schimmel International (built in Germany, with parts sourced internationally) and Wilhelm Schimmel (to be assembled in the company’s factory in Kalisz, Poland). These last two lines represent new production concepts and will serve as replacements for the older Classic instruments and the Vogel brand.

Schimmel grand pianos have historically had a tone that was very bright and clear, but a bit thin and lacking in color in the treble. The grands were redesigned, in part, to add color to the tone, and the result is definitely more interesting than before. Sustain is also very good. The pianos are being delivered to U.S. dealers voiced less bright than previously, as this is what the American ear tends to prefer. As for the verticals, the smaller models tend to have a very big bass for their size, with a tone that emphasizes the fundamental, giving the bass a warmer character.

Schimmel acquired the PianoEurope factory in 2002 in Poland, a piano restoration and manufacturing facility. Schimmel at first used this factory to manufacture its Vogel brand, a moderately priced line named after the company’s president. This line has now been replaced by the Wilhelm Schimmel brand. The skill level of the employees is said to be high, but lower wages and costs result in a piano 30 percent less costly than the Schimmel. Wilhelm Schimmel grand pianos feature full Renner actions, with other parts mainly made by Schimmel. The Wilhelm Schimmel pianos, though designed by Schimmel, don’t have all the refinements and advanced features of the latest Schimmel models. Nevertheless, under the Vogel name, which can still be found in dealer inventories, they have received praise from many quarters.

Until 2012, Schimmel imported an entry-level series of pianos from China under the name May Berlin. The pianos were made by an unspecified supplier. The company says it sent soundboard wood and hammer felt for grand pianos to the supplier’s factory. When completed, the pianos were inspected in the factory by a top Schimmel technician.

Warranty: Schimmel, Vogel, Wilhelm Schimmel, May Berlin — 10 years, parts and labor, to original purchaser.

Schimmel Macassar Model

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