Out of curiosity I poked around find out if there were any Swiss piano makers and didn't find anything.

Seems odd for a culture that did so well with other pre modern mechanical tech such as the clock and watch that they didn't even attempt a piano.

Wondering if anyone else knows anything about the subject.

Thanks.

Why, of course there are Swiss pianos!
Just not so many of them on this side of the Atlantic.
The biggest Swiss maker is probably Burger & Jacobi, who made some excellent instruments. I believe Russel Kassman sells them.

Maybe the hills were too steep to move them?

or this reason?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv1QDlWbS8g&feature=fvwrel

The only problem is, the cuckoo clock came from Schwarzwald in Germany. (Actually, it was first invented in Augsburg, but mass produced in Schwarzwald centuries later.)

BTW: I love playing the Third Man Theme on the piano.

Here's (someone else) playing a Liberace-inspired arrangement:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ws0rEhcxVc

OMG! Bob, considering the context , that's the funniest thing I've seen in a while!

Burger & Jacobi pianos are made in the Czech Republic not Swiss.

The history of Burger & Jacobi
http://www.pianoservice.ch/index.php?id=16

Johann Heinrich Christian Jacobi (1791-1879) from Walther (Thuringia [The Free State of Thuringia is a federal state of Germany, located in the central part of the country]) worked from 1842 as a piano maker in Thun.

His son Hermann Emil (1852-1928) was like his two older brothers in the father a lesson. Followed the wandering years in Basel, Paris and Zurich. He graduated in 1879 with his late father, the piano maker Christian Burger together (1842-1925). Founded in 1872, this had moved his piano factory in Burgdorf 1875 to Biel.

In 1882 the company moved as Pianofabrik Burger & Jacobi for Madretsch (today Commune Biel) over and flourished rapidly.
Hermann Emil was the driving force. He founded the Bieler Artisans' Association and the bernese employees and Commerce Chamber, presided over the association in Switzerland. Piano manufacturer and sat in the City Council of the City Council and Madretsch Biel.
His sons Hermann Heinrich Christian (1887-1956), 1933-46 Bernese cantonal parliament,
Edwin Hans Hugo (1890-1982), founder and first Pres 1928-44 the theater club and Bieler
Lukas Werner Guido (1892-1977), City Council and Biel Burgerrat 1934-54, participated equally in the company such as Christian Burgers son Ernst (1874-1934) and his grandson, Hans (1910-88).

In 3rd Generation of the family worked Jacobi Franz Hugo (b. 1918) with while Rudolf Hermann was (born 1917) Board of Directors and co-owner. The company, in its heyday around 800 instruments a year ago.
In the crisis of the 1930s, she avoided in the production of radio housings and from 1973 it housed the piano maker's workshop of Switzerland. Piano manufacturers association.

Burger & Jacobi employed 45 people in 1984. The company was acquired in 1985 by Jean-Claude Haefliger piano dealer. In 1988 the company moved from Biel to Bueren an der Aare in compact spaces. In January 1991, the last factory closed for pianos in Switzerland its doors forever.

My Piano Atlas lists 67 manufacturers. Best known might be -aside from Burger & Jacobi - Sabel and Schmidt-Flohr. Good quality.

Gregor