Referring to grands -- Knabe and Wm. Knabe -- Are they the same company and quality?

Ed LoPresti

Yes and no. For recent and new Knabes, both are by Samick, but the Wm. is higher quality. Check out the Piano Buyer (ad on the left, free to read) for all your piano brand profiles.

Before 1930, they were a high quality make. From 1930 to 1980, they were taken over by Aeolian, low quality. The name now is used by Samick.

There were also Knabes sold by PianoDisc and made by Young Chang briefly in the 1990's

I think these might just say "Knabe" on them.

Is it asking too much to make the subject of this thread more specific? It forces everyone to click whether or not they can contribute.

Thank you gnuboi, and John, and Nick. Just to clarify, the particular Wm-- model I am considering was produced in 1922, so it sounds like I am OK there.

And Dave, sorry for any inconvenience. I have remedied the title of the thread.

Ed

That was about the end of the period when Knabe was the flagship label of the American Piano Company. Right after, they bought Mason & Hamlin and that demoted Knabe.

The quality of any piano that old, or even a lot newer, will depend on how well it has been maintained since it was new. There is a lot of difference between a rusted hulk of a Model A Ford in a barn and one that has been carefully restored. It is no different for pianos.

Sorry, Gentlemen, one further question:

When I look on the Piano Buyer site, as suggested by gnuboi, I am working my way through the acoustic section to "Page 221", finding only 2 models under Wm. Knabe, a 5'3" grand, and a 5'8" grand, with different finishes. Exactly how do I determine if these are the "real" Knabe, or the Aeolian, the Samick, or the Young Chang, or something else?

Thanks,
Ed

Ed,

You're looking at Wm. Knabe's current offerings. These are new pianos made by Samick. The listing continues on page 222.

Charles

Ed,

Here's what I just found on the 'net:

1930-1982 -- Aeolian era. After Aeolian's bankruptcy, Sohmer & Co. got the brand, but no Knabe pianos were made again until Young Chang bought the name in 1996. Young Chang Knabes were made 1996-2000, more or less. Then Samick bought the name. Samick still owns the Knabe name and Knabe is their premier line.

Charles

Isn't it Wm. Knabe their premier line?

'Morning, Tom.

I see you've had your morning coffee and Frosted Flakes. And yes, you're right; Samick makes Wm. Knabe & Co. pianos.

I just did a little web surfing. It looks like Young Chang made the Knabe pianos, no Wm. I haven't looked enough to see what other models of Knabe and Wm. Knabe pianos YC made. I don't think I have the energy to right now.

And my cat is still older than you.

Charles

Actually, I had an egg, toast and some cereal for breakfast. And it is now 2:05 pm.

'Night, Charles.

BTW, I don't like coffee that much. But I think that's a good thing, as a still seem quite awake.

The Knabe line has been expanded to include more affordable tiers to make it a full line. Samick's acquisition of Seiler has now made them their top of the line product. So, in a sense, Knabe has been promoted (as a mainstream brand) and demoted (from top-of-line status)...again.

I'm not sure about the current naming convention, but the Artist series Knabes remain quite nice. However, the focus is now on Seiler lines which, even in their Indonesian built models, feature noteworthy commitments to the German product like a full Renner action - same as the Artist series Knabes used to have.

disclosure: we're strongly considering Seiler for our store. My comments are more for clarification and because I find it interesting to see another variation on "history" repeating.