Roberts Pianos blog

Introduction:

In the following blog I will look at why the piano industry is moving to Asia and give a brief overview of the bottom, middle and top range Asian pianos available up to the present time.
The main countries of piano manufacture in Asia are: China, Korea and Japan. Yamaha were the first to make pianos in Asia (subsequently, their logo consists of three super imposed tuning forks). Yamaha is one among an increasing number of Asian manufacturers. There are different ranges of pianos being made in Asia and the quality can vary greatly. Here is a brief description of these ranges:

Mid-Top range Asian pianos
Japanese pianos are made to very similar standards of craftsmanship as their European counterparts. They make pianos of exceptionally high quality have come from namely Yamaha (such as the CFIII handcrafted, or the more accessible U series uprights) and Kawai (e.g. KG3 series) alike.

Amongst the top quality handcrafted models, Yamaha also provide mid-top range uprights such as the U series (see our webpage) which is a favourite of many private teachers, schools and conservatoires. The top handcrafted models of Yamaha are comparable to European makes such as Steinway and Bosendorfer with the same focus on quality.

Good enough - clean, fairly cheap but nothing special:

Many piano manufacturers are following the transnational shift in manufacturing towards Asia (mainly China). The end result is a piano at a fraction of the cost (even after shipping) of one made in Europe. Pearl River, where Steinway manufacture the Essex piano, is the largest factory in the world claiming to have the capacity of making over 100,000 [1] pianos a year.

Unfortunately, quantity does not necessarily mean quality or value, however it poses bigger questions on longevity. China does not have a heritage of craftsmanship. This is due mainly to the cost effective mentality of low paid employment and the lack of knowledge acquired over generations. We can easily forget Europe has been a centre for piano manufacture for over 300 years[2].

There are doubts whether the mainland Asian manufactures could ever make the craftsman instruments of Europe.

Unfortunately, some bigger manufacturers with names of heritage (e.g. Yamaha), are making their pianos in China under the influence of their brand but without the distinct European vetted quality of up and coming makes such as Feurich.

Collaborative projects:

Feurich is one of a series of new collaborative manufactured of pianos. They are European designed and all the hard labour is done in China. The piano then comes back to Europe for final preparation, arguably the essential part of construction. The result is an inexpensive middle range piano made to high standard. I could have added this piano to the inexpensive pianos section but I believe they deserve merit for their standard of quality which is comparable with Japanese models such as the C3 series and a quality based concept with enthusiastic technician based companies like Feurich who are not cutting corners but furthering and developing new ideas and pushng into new ground.

Other manufacturers have been known to have parts or entire sections (e.g. some Ibach’s have the entire action made in China and the rest of the piano made in Germany)

We are selective of which pianos, if any, from mainland Asia that we purchase and preffer collaboration pianos of Feurich to big name branded, just made in China or Korean pianos; namely Yamaha and Kemble. Another name to note is Kemble; once made in Milton Keynes are now manufactured in China.

For more information on the first known piano to date see: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cris/hd_cris.htm

In conclusion, we recommend that you understand where the piano has been manufactured. We take a tentative approach to pianos made in Asia, with the exception of most pianos made in Japan. We waited a long time before selecting a Chinese model to deal in, as we did with Feurich.
It is questionable whether Asia can ever make instruments of the same quality as early 20^th century European makers but it appears economics is pushing manufacturers towards the Far East.

As many first time clients feel confidence in the name Yamaha it may be worthwhile reading my comparison of Steinway and Yamaha’s tier system before buying one.

Conclusion

·The pool of experience in Europe has almost disappeared

·Kemble, Yamaha, Steinway and others have vested interest there