We all know that traditionally, acoustic pianos have been a complex instrument to manufacture, and it is still today. It may have gone through various iterations over centuries but the modern piano still requires a good amount of skills to make. If you have seen, how pianos work, you can appreciate the amount of effort that goes into the making of this fine music instrument.
So how many brands of pianos are you aware of?
There are many who have heard about the Steinway brand, but there are many more powerful and expensive piano brands. Let’s take a look at some of the best piano brands.
Bosendorfer Pianos
Location – Europe (Austria)
Bosendorfer is a renowned piano brand that has been building handcrafted pianos since 1828 (its one of the oldest manufacturers of pianos). Based in Vienna, Austria, Bosendorfer is popular among those who want to build opulent piano collections; you will find one in grand concert halls.
Bosendorfer Imperial Grand Piano – The World’s Most Expensive Piano
A question asked by one of the viewers after watching this video of the Bosendorfer Imperial Grand Piano…
Question: How is this piano compared to casio ma 150? I was looking for a piano to buy, I’m confused between Casio ma150 and the one shown in this video.
Answers: The answers ranged from lol to ‘I think you should get the Casio keyboard if you ask this question.’
Did you know that the Bösendorfer Imperial Grand has 97 keys? (the usual pianos are all 88-keys long). Its believed that this piano was originally built as a custom built piano for Ferruccio Busoni, who wanted to transcribe an organ piece and few notes went below the lowest C on the regular 88-key keyboard. This Bösendorfer Imperial Grand piano later was added to the common product catalogue and went on to become one of the world’s most loved concert grands.
Fazioli
Fazioli is named after Paolo Fazioli, a talented musician and furniture maker. Working alongside top-class technicians, Fazioli creates some of the biggest and most powerful pianos in the world today. Fazioli’s are among the most expensive pianos in the world, because of the quality of construction and the quality of the workmanship!
Watch: Fazioli Pianos
Most of these brands have been making pianos for over a century, so the audience have been more or less conditioned to believe that certain brands and sounds are the best. When you try something different, it may feel different (just lie driving someone else’s car).
However, the Fazioli has great depth to the sound, and elegance that cannot be matched by any other brand in the world. But then, you have to give yourself sufficient time on the keys to be able to see it.
I have a Fazioli at home, practice about an hour a day. My dad who is an active piano player himself and bought the Fazioli in 1992. It is a F228 number 332 produced and it is a fantastic piano! Each time I play on a Steinway it is a big disappointment, because the clarity and the mass of the sound in Fazioli is way greater.
Charles R. Walter
Named after Charles Walter, he introduced his first piano in 1975. Charles R. Walter pianos are known for their high quality pianos made of luxury woods that ooze out rustic wooden charm and countryside feel.
Steinway & Sons
Steinway (founded in 1853) is one of the most well-known piano brands. The Steinway and Sons brand includes high-end pianos. Steinway also has two budget brands – Essex, a piano fashioned for the entry-level market and Boston for the mid-level market.
More Piano Brands
If you have been playing digital keyboards and pianos then you will come up with names like Yamaha, Casio, Roland, Korg and Kurzweil. May be some of you may throw in a few more names like Kawai, Williams, and Suzuki. A few others may have heard of names like Steinway, because they are one of the more expensive pianos around, though definitely not the most expensive.
But if you have owned an acoustic piano and have been actively playing the piano for a few years now, you will appreciate the fact that there are lots of more piano brands out there that make quality pianos; some of them are more focused in particular regions of the world.
Again, some of them are more into upright pianos, whereas others make uprights as well as grand pianos. So here are a few names of piano manufacturers:
Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Mason & Risch, Sohmer, Baldwin, Knabe, Bush & Lane, McPhail, Haines Bros., Foster, Ivers & Pond, Henry F. Miller, Hallet & Davis, Kranich & Bach, Decker, Gibbons & Stone, Young Chang, Kurtzman, Weber, Schomacker, Blasius, Esteys, Fischer, Heintzman, Bennet, Schimmel, Stieff, George Steck. Knabe, Chickering, Kemble, Seiler, gulbransen, Kimball, Bechstein, Bluthner, Bosendorfer…
Do you have a piano that doesn’t fall in this list? I’m sure this is not the exhaustive list and you surely would have something that is a good brand. If you have been trying to get it refurbished or intend to sell it off, it may be wise to consult a good piano technician and seek his/her opinion to get the best deal for your acoustic piano.
All the names mentioned here are big companies, and have existed for several decades now. You can see that most of these piano makers of upright and grand pianos are based in US, Germany, Japan and a few in other European countries.
Here are some of the big piano names (grouped by country):
Baldwin
Location – American
Chickering Pianos
Bechstein
Location – Europe (Germany)
www.bechstein.de
Bluthner Piano Centre
Location – Europe (Germany)
www.bluthnerpiano.com
Broadwood & Sons
Location – Europe (UK)
www.uk-piano.org/broadwood
Chavanne Pianos
Location – Europe (France)
www.chavanne.com
Ed. Seiler Pianos
Location – Europe (Germany)
www.seiler-pianos.de
Gors & Kallmann Pianos
Location – Europe (UK)
www.gorsandkallmann.com
Ibach Sohn
Location – Europe (Germany)
www.ibach.de
Kemble & Co Ltd
Location – Europe (UK)
www.uk-piano.org/kemble
Mason & Hamlin Pianos
Location – American
Period Piano Company
Location – Europe (UK)
www.periodpiano.com
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| Piano Brands Manufacturers – Makers of Leading Acoustic Upright and Grand Pianos | |
Schimmel Pianos
Location – Europe (Germany)
Schulze Pollmann
Location – Europe (Italy)
www.schulzepollmann.com
Steingraeber & Söhne
Location – Europe (Germany)
www.steingraeber.de
Steinmayer
Location – Europe (UK)
www.steinmayer.com
Steinway Pianos – Steinway & Sons
Location – American
Weber Pianos
Location – Europe (UK)
Yamaha Pianos
Location – Asia (Japan)
Young Chang Pianos
Location – American
www.youngchang.com
Why a Chickering Piano Still Holds Value?
Find Chickering Grand & Square Pianos for Sale, & more information on their Prices…
Founded in the early nineteenth century, these acoustic pianos were known for their quality and design. There are many pianos still around that exemplify the excellence of piano making that was achieved by the Chickering house way back.
The brand has now been taken over by Baldwin.
The measure of its popularity can be gauged from the fact that even the great Romantic pianist and composer preferred to play on a Chickering grand piano. You can still find one on display at the Liszt Museum in Budapest.
You will still come across some of these pianos; however the usual evaluating factors still apply to these pianos.
It is important that these are well cared for. As far the tuning is concerned, any piano that has not been played for a long time would most certainly go out of tune.
Having said that, these are still quality pianos and if you can get hold of one at a decent price, by all means you can consider it.
Remember, this piano brand had received several awards for their quality, one of them being the prestigious Imperial Cross of the Legion of Honor conferred by Emperor Napoleon, for their great service to music.
The Earlier Days
Chickering square pianos were quite popular prior to the 1870s. The iron frame for the square piano was patented, and that was later adapted to a Checkering grand piano.
Advantages of the iron frame:
The use of full iron plate meant heavier strings and hammer could be used, which meant one could get fuller and louder tones from these pianos, and no wonder people started liking the Chickering grand pianos.
Another important plus from a maintenance perspective was that the iron plate did not bend under tension that easily and as a result the tuning stability was more, since the iron plate did not shrink and expand with changes in humidity.
This was quite innovative and years later all the big piano-makers started following suit.
Piano Models on Sale
Here are the Upright and grand vintage Chickering studio pianos that you can still expect to find on sale.
Chickering Grand Pianos
1859 Empire Style Square Grand
1861 Chickering Square Grand
1866 Chickering Rococo Square Grand
1867 Chickering Concert Grand
Kimball Piano
Kimball Pianos: the legacy lives on…
They don’t produce pianos anymore but there are many who own one even today! The earlier pianos were produced under the name Kemble Pianos & Organs. Currently Kimball International manufactures furniture for homes and offices.
Kimball used to be one of the top piano brands and produced pianos that ranged dramatically in style. In addition to organs, uprights, and spinets, Kimball also produced grand pianos. They also produced sheet music, piano rolls, and piano learning books.
Used Kimball Baby Grand Piano for Sale – Cheap Prices…
I have a query regarding Kimball Baby Grand Piano Prices. I have a Kimball 5883 baby grand piano that is around 25 years old (bought in 1982) and is in excellent condition, not moved even once. Since it is not in use, I’m planning to sell it but want to know what is a good price to sell it for. I got it checked with a local dealer and they are ready to buy it for $6k from me. Though it is a not a bad amount, I expected more since it is an acoustic piano and quite old but well maintained. Some research from my side has revealed that these same Kimball 5883 baby grand piano are up for sale in the $10-12k price range. Now that is obviously what I would like for my piano as well. But is it fair on my part to expect the same price, or that sort of mark-up is normal? I obviously want the best price for my Kimball 5883 Baby Grand Piano. Appreciate any kind of feedback. – Kim (US)
Kohler & Campbell Pianos
Kohler KD piano series that includes some top quality digital grand, baby grand & upright pianos. These offer you the latest in digital technology, in terms of features.
Basically, you get stunning looking pianos that combine the feel of an acoustic piano, blended with the features of a full ensemble keyboard.
All of them incorporate advanced digital sound & player piano technology. That means, you can even use it as a home stereo music system, wherein the piano will playback your favorite songs and also press the right keys on its own. It would be like an invisible player playing the piano. Cool feature!
To make the piano look as authentic as possible, the cabinet is usually made by an acoustic piano manufacturer for a true grand piano size and feel.
User Comments:
Digital screen garbled
by: Ben
Hi Chestermerecf,
It could be the reason, but it can also happen otherwise. You can also check with any musical instrument shop to see if they can get it repaired. The circuitry for the display part on most music instruments / recording gear are similar so they should be able to advise.
You should also check with Kohler support to find out what they think about the problem, and if they can direct you to some authorized repair centers near to your location.
power surge kills piano
by: Anonymous
Our church in the Calgary area owns a Kohler KD-140, It suddenly stopped working and the digital screen is all garbled. We suspect that this was caused by a power surge in the area, possibly a thunder storm.
Is there anyone in the Calgary area who would be qualified to repair such an injury to a digital piano?
Please let me know? Respond to my email [email protected]
No sound from one key
by: Natalie Petro (Charlotte, NC)
The Bass G Key will not produce sound on my Kohler Digital Piano.
Any suggestions? We also need to find a repair shop in our area.
Kohler Digital Piano – Key makes clicking sound when coming back up
by: Anonymous
I have a Kohler digital piano with one key that makes a clicking sound when coming back up.
What’s this a sign of?
Is there a fix for this?
Kohler KD 140 Digital Grand Piano – Error reading when I turn it on
by: Chrisn (Centreville, VA)
My Kohler KD 140 Digital Grand Piano does not work anymore.
When I go to turn it on it tells me that it has an error reading of 0001. I don’t know what that means.
Any suggestions for my Kohler KD 140 Digital Grand Piano?
Want to learn all the functions of this piano
by: Jose
I have a Kohler KD 160 digital grand piano and am having trouble understanding all the features of this wonderful piano. I did take help from a couple of instructors. Though we understand how to use lot of things, there are still many functions that we don’t know how to use.
Just to let you know I’m disabled and play for hours a day just to fill in time. Hence I am keen to learn how to use all the features and functions of this great piano.
All help would be appreciated.
Jose
Unable to self-play the background music
by: Al (alpharetta)
Hi,
I love the looks and sound of my piano but am pulling out what little hair i have left trying to get midi files from my laptop to play on it.
I am using a USB cable from the laptop to the midi in/out on the piano with mipiano software – I did manage once to get notes and songs to play but one had a tweeting noise and the other a loud low booming. I reloaded (and tried a different laptop) and now cannot generate any sound on the piano.
i just want to use the piano and software as a music generator to self-play background music, no fancy editing just “play all” from my files.
Is there any hope or “for dummies” info?
Thanks, al
Summary
The purpose of this article is not just to educate you on the various brands of pianos that exist in the market but also to let you know that if you are looking for a used piano, then you may consider one of these piano brands. You still need to go through the regular due diligence process. In case you own one of these pianos and it has not been in the greatest of shape, rebuilding the piano can transform it into a much better piano. And if you can play the piano really well, you will be amazed to hear how good your newly rebuilt piano could sound.
Useful Links (External)
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
Baldwin has stopped making pianos in the US since 2008. All their pianos are now made in China. And Steinway is not the best, its more of a mid-tier brand.
Most piano companies now have manufacturing units in China, to reduce the cost and to cater to clients in Asia.
I like Stuart and Sons, Steingraeber and Sohne for their clean and clear tone.
Fazioli and Bosendorfer are the best and sublime to play. I am not a big fan of Steinway or Yamaha.