Mason & Hamlin Piano

Mason & Hamlin have expanded their line to include 2 other tiers of pianos. These are the Artist and Classic lines. The Virtuoso X series is the premier line made in the USA while both the Artist and Classic series are made in China as a more affordable option. The Artist differentiates from the Classic… Read More

Large Professional Upright Size

The large professional level of piano measures 50″ and taller (above 125cm). These are the ‘grandiose’ versions of professional upright pianos. True, an actual grand piano has a different action than any upright piano but when it comes to string length, large upright pianos have strings equivalent to medium sized grand (See the string length… Read More

Professional Upright Size

The professional level of piano is 47″-49″ tall. In metric, this piano size often denotes the model. For example, a model 121 is 121 centimeters tall or 48″ tall. What makes a professional sized piano? There are good reasons for playing a professional piano (see our Article on Why Upgrade to a Professional Level Piano)… Read More

Studio Upright Piano Size

The studio piano size ranges from 45″ to 47″ tall (115cm-117cm). It has it’s roots as the “school choir” piano – ruggedly built for institutional use, tall enough to deliver substantial bass and yet short enough to be seen over (thus the choir piano where the conductor would often accompany from the piano). Today, this… Read More

Wyman WV108 Upright Piano

Wyman WV108 Upright Piano Piano Name: Wyman Website: Wyman Model: WV108 Made in: China Parent Company: Wyman Piano Company Company Location: USA Height: 42.5″ History: Established by two former Baldwin executives Tim Laskey and George Benson in 2002. Although a relatively new company, all pianos are manufactured by Beijing Hsinghai Piano Group in China who… Read More

Pearl River UP115 Upright Piano

Piano Name: Pearl River Website: Pearl River Model: UP115 Made in: China Parent Company: Guangzhou Pearl River Piano Group Ltd. Company Location: China Height: 45″ History: Established in 1954, Guangzhou, China, Pearl River is the largest piano builder in the world surpassing 100,000 pianos annually. They have over 1.3 million square feet of manufacturing space… Read More

Knabe WV43 Upright Piano

Knabe WV43 Upright Piano Piano Name: Knabe Website: Knabe Model: WV-43 Made in: Indonesia Parent Company: Samick Music Corp. Company Location: Korea Height: 42″ History: William Knabe established his company in Baltimore, USA in the year 1839 and remained in the family until 1906. As a well established name, the Knabe company became part of… Read More

Player Pianos in the 21st Century

A Voice from the Past
“Step right up… See the amazing piano that plays by itself!” I can just hear the man at a trade show in the 1920’s. “Just push the pedals and this paper roll will play songs like Swanee and The Entertainer and Bicycle Built for Two.”

This invention in the late 1800’s was quite remarkable. It functions similarly to a harmonica in reverse. Rather than blowing through holes in a harmonica, the player piano sucks air through a perforated tracker bar. The paper roll has a punch-out hole position for every note on the piano. Through the use of bellows and gears, the paper roll would mechanically slide over the tracker bar and when a hole would appear in the paper, air would get sent through a tube and pneumatically play the corresponding note.… Read More