Things are always going to be shifting and one day Made in China may mean good to phenomenally high quality. I'm old enough to remember Made in Japan and Made in Korea were considered as substandard products. That's right, Made in Japan used to mean low-quality goods. It's not that way now. Made in Japan often means high to the highest quality (Shigeru Kawai and Yamaha CF are world-class "hand-crafted" pianos). Now it depends on the brand. With cars like (some) Volvos and Polestars being made in China, we're seeing phenomenal quality, sometimes better than European versions. And, I think Pearl River and Hailun have the capabilities to now start producing very high quality pianos and going up market and that's especially with the collaborations from Germany and Austria. Steinway uses Pearl River to make their Essex line, the same Essex that sits in Steinway showrooms. And it'll change in Indonesia as well. Maybe "Made in" will change from Indonesia to say Cambodia and Vietnam but also may start going to places in India and countries in Africa like Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana. It's just people have this fixed notion of so and so country means cheap but that changes over time. And China is changing and changing fast. The cheaper labor keeps moving and it'll be out of China in a few years and on to other Asian countries or India and a few of the more industrialized rising countries of Africa. And the collaborations are getting very complex, the sort of global parts supply chain that's hitting the piano and any product's market in this day and age. Consumers need to stay abreast and quickly must adapt to Made in X country this year is not the same as made in the same X country 5 years from now. Things move that fast.
The availability of quality instrument-grade woods will be the issue in the next decades; both the furniture and the soundboards.. Veneers and plywood only can get a manufacturer so far. And the demands of performance.
Good video. I'm surprised you're not mentioning Malaysia as an important Asian source. I recently purchased a Roland FP-10, so have learned about their big facility in Malaysia.
This was very interesting I’m a long time customer of Alamo Music Center and always learning more all the time. My baby grand I purchased preowned is a Carl Ebel produced as a stencil by Samick I’m guessing Korea is where it’s made but could be wrong.
Brands go to Asia / China for cheaper labour to provide an instrument at a lower cost, and thus reach more people and sell more. As you said, that's economics. But it wouldn't make economic sense for a brand to undermine its own 'more expensive' product (piano or otherwise) by producing an instrument/product of the same quality of their more expensive models, at a cheaper price. The cheaper models must come with a comparable compromise reflecting the cheaper price, or they will simply kill their own high end (and more lucrative) products.
Baldwin: Just so sad to hear... Mind you I always liked them due to LIBERACE, but I myself after hearing them ended up with the HOWERD grand. Thank You for this video. Please keep entertaining musos like myself and teaching all.
I just bought KAWAI C29 here in Indonesia.. and its made in Indonesia... build quality is good.. and I agree that brand like Yamaha or Kawai or else build in INDONESIA or China usually will follow standard quality of their origin manufacturers.. no way for the brand owner to lower the quality of their products...
Your vdeos are great. However - your figure of "over 10,000 piano manufacturers in this country" is not correct. That might refer to different band names (stencil brands) that were manufactured by about 1,000 different piano companies (according to Pierce Piano Atlas). Piano sales in the U.S. peaked in 1923 when there were nearly 350,000 pianos sold nationwide. The Great Depression and the advent of radio killed off the high piano sales - and many piano companies!
Perfected in Germany? Surely the Italians at Fazioli, Americans at Steinway, and Japanese at Yamaha & Kawai would all disagree! Perhaps 'improved' in Germany :)
I don't think it is a good idea to dismiss something because of where it is built. Some Chinese pianos are of very good quality and are collaborations with European builders. Some of these pianos aren't necessarily Chinese built but Chinese assembled. And some of the managers in China may be German or European. It's not as simple as China or German or European or Japanese made. And that's what these guys are saying. There's a lot to consider rather than just where it's built.
Things are always going to be shifting and one day Made in China may mean good to phenomenally high quality. I'm old enough to remember Made in Japan and Made in Korea were considered as substandard products. That's right, Made in Japan used to mean low-quality goods. It's not that way now. Made in Japan often means high to the highest quality (Shigeru Kawai and Yamaha CF are world-class "hand-crafted" pianos). Now it depends on the brand. With cars like (some) Volvos and Polestars being made in China, we're seeing phenomenal quality, sometimes better than European versions. And, I think Pearl River and Hailun have the capabilities to now start producing very high quality pianos and going up market and that's especially with the collaborations from Germany and Austria. Steinway uses Pearl River to make their Essex line, the same Essex that sits in Steinway showrooms.
And it'll change in Indonesia as well. Maybe "Made in" will change from Indonesia to say Cambodia and Vietnam but also may start going to places in India and countries in Africa like Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana. It's just people have this fixed notion of so and so country means cheap but that changes over time. And China is changing and changing fast. The cheaper labor keeps moving and it'll be out of China in a few years and on to other Asian countries or India and a few of the more industrialized rising countries of Africa. And the collaborations are getting very complex, the sort of global parts supply chain that's hitting the piano and any product's market in this day and age. Consumers need to stay abreast and quickly must adapt to Made in X country this year is not the same as made in the same X country 5 years from now. Things move that fast.
The availability of quality instrument-grade woods will be the issue in the next decades; both the furniture and the soundboards.. Veneers and plywood only can get a manufacturer so far. And the demands of performance.
Good video. I'm surprised you're not mentioning Malaysia as an important Asian source. I recently purchased a Roland FP-10, so have learned about their big facility in Malaysia.
This was very interesting I’m a long time customer of Alamo Music Center and always learning more all the time. My baby grand I purchased preowned is a Carl Ebel produced as a stencil by Samick I’m guessing Korea is where it’s made but could be wrong.
ABSOLUTELY.
Brands go to Asia / China for cheaper labour to provide an instrument at a lower cost, and thus reach more people and sell more. As you said, that's economics. But it wouldn't make economic sense for a brand to undermine its own 'more expensive' product (piano or otherwise) by producing an instrument/product of the same quality of their more expensive models, at a cheaper price. The cheaper models must come with a comparable compromise reflecting the cheaper price, or they will simply kill their own high end (and more lucrative) products.
Baldwin: Just so sad to hear... Mind you I always liked them due to LIBERACE, but I myself after hearing them ended up with the HOWERD grand. Thank You for this video. Please keep entertaining musos like myself and teaching all.
dont forget about the great canadian pianos
I would like a digital piano which is not Japanese. I am a fan of the Fender Rhodes. The only make I know is Kurzweil.
Fender Rhodes is my favorite, love me a suitcase!!
I just bought KAWAI C29 here in Indonesia.. and its made in Indonesia... build quality is good.. and I agree that brand like Yamaha or Kawai or else build in INDONESIA or China usually will follow standard quality of their origin manufacturers.. no way for the brand owner to lower the quality of their products...
Your vdeos are great. However - your figure of "over 10,000 piano manufacturers in this country" is not correct. That might refer to different band names (stencil brands) that were manufactured by about 1,000 different piano companies (according to Pierce Piano Atlas). Piano sales in the U.S. peaked in 1923 when there were nearly 350,000 pianos sold nationwide. The Great Depression and the advent of radio killed off the high piano sales - and many piano companies!
Perfected in Germany? Surely the Italians at Fazioli, Americans at Steinway, and Japanese at Yamaha & Kawai would all disagree! Perhaps 'improved' in Germany :)
Chinese made no thanks. Quality is not just the build, but the history, the prestige, the honour, reputation and esteem.
I don't think it is a good idea to dismiss something because of where it is built. Some Chinese pianos are of very good quality and are collaborations with European builders. Some of these pianos aren't necessarily Chinese built but Chinese assembled. And some of the managers in China may be German or European. It's not as simple as China or German or European or Japanese made. And that's what these guys are saying. There's a lot to consider rather than just where it's built.
Go buy a furniture then
ya, they made heintzman pianos in the 90s any ruined a great piano. will never buy a asian piano. canadian or american for me