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Common and Top Piano Makes In The UK

Comprehensive guide to piano makes — ratings, history, and estimated availability.

Key to piano ratings: We have taken as our benchmark U1H Yamaha upright and G3E Yamaha grand pianos made from 1970 to 1980, since they are very common. These are given a rating of 65 = good. Ratings assume the pianos to be restored or reconditioned and in good condition.

0 – 40 = unacceptable • 40 – 50 = passable • 50 – 60 = fair • 60 – 70 = good • 70 – 80 = excellent • 80 – 90 = superb • 90 – 100 = dream piano

Estimates for the number of pianos in the UK vary wildly from 2 to 5 million (figures for 2013). We are using the conservative figure of 2 million.

Disclaimer: This site is constantly being revised. If you're in the piano trade and can add or correct any information please let us know.

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Make Est. Made by Made in G/U Est'd in UK Rating Description
Adam Gerhard 1828 Adam Wesel, Germany Grand+Upright 400 60-70 Generally well made pianos
Aeolian 1833 Aeolian Various Grand+Upright 1500 50-60 Varied. They made many player pianos
Ajello & Sons 1862 Ajello Manchester, UK Upright 1000 50-60 Mostly tall overstrung underdamped uprights with strong tone
Allison 1837 Allison London,UK Grand+Upright 15000; 15% grands 50-60 Varied low to medium quality; some baby grands quite good
Amyl C1920 British piano Co for Coop CWS London, UK Upright 1500 40-50 Honestly made but mostly basic straight strung over dampers
Archibald Ramsden 1895 Ramsden London, UK Grand 800 42-52 Usually straight strung over dampers, but quite well made
Army and Navy Unknown various factories England Upright 1500 40-50 Usually straight strung over dampers, but quite well made
Ascherberg 1865 Ascherberg Germany Grand 800 50-60 Low quality pianos, pre-war company
Atlas Est. 1955 Atlas Hammatsu, Japan Grand+Upright 200 Due to trade name copyright in the U.S.A, these were sold under the "Tadashi" name, but a few were still sold as Atlas pianos. \n \nTadashi, Toronto, Canada went out of business on 1987.
Baldwin 1862 Baldwin Cincinnati, USA Grand+Upright 300 55-68 Varied. Most of the ones imported to the UK were basic models
Barnes W.H. 1976 Barnes London, England Grand+Upright 2000 45-55 Nearly all uprights
Barratt and Robinson 1877 Barratt and Robinson London U.K Upright 15000 50-60 One of the last London factories. Satisfactory mid range uprights
Bechstein 1853 Bechstein Berlin, Germany Grand+Upright 50,000 60-85 WE RESTORE ALL BECHSTEIN PIANOS. Prolific high quality maker. See specialist Bechstein page
Bell 1864 Bell Ontario, Canada Upright 1200 50-60 Generally overstrung. Very varied, poor to medium quality
Bentley 1906 Bentley London, England Upright 20000 45-60 Very varied, poor to medium quality
Berry 1877 Berry London U.K Grand+Upright 3000 45-55 From very basic overdampers to medium quality overstrung
Blankenstein 1880 Blankenstein London & Berlin Upright 800 50-60 Varied, gernerally medium quality
Bluthner 1873 Bluthner Leipzig Germany Grand+Upright 20000 70-90 WE RESTORE ALL TYPES OF BLUTHNER PIANOS. Prolific make of high quality pianos. Please see our Bluthner page
Bord 1840 Antoine, Bord Paris, France Upright 4000 45-52 Mostly small straight strung overdampers c1890-1910
Bosendorfer 1828 Bosendorfer Vienna, Austria Grand+Upright 1500 50 - 95 WE RESTORE ALL BOSENDORFER PIANOS. Austrian pianos of high quality. pre 1900 grands have Viennese actions
Boston 1991 Kawai/Steinway Hamamatsu, Japan by Kawai Grand+Upright 2000 50-65 A little mellower in tone than medium priced Kawai. Touch is good.
Boyd c.1900 Boyd London, UK Grand+Upright 15000 35-55 From very basic overdampers to fairly good overstrungs
Branston Unknown Branston London, UK Upright 200 50 Mostly basic pianos
Brasted 1823 Brasted England Upright 4000 50-65 Honest well made British pianos
Brinsmead, John 1836 Brinsmead. From 1967 Kemble London, UK. Grand+Upright 20000 50-70 Very varied prolific English maker
Brinsmead, Stanley 1894 Brinsmead London, UK Upright 500 40-50 Traditional and Modern uprights.
Broadwood 1728 Broadwood London, UK Grand+Upright 80000 40-85 Huge variety of quality; most well made and some superb
Broadwood White 1894 Stanley Brinsmead London, UK Upright 500 40-50 Straight-strung overdamper half iron frame pianos.
Brock, Bernard 1890 Brock London, UK Upright 400 45-48 Traditional upright pianos
Brodmann 1812 Bosendorfer Vienna, Austria Grand+Upright 200 60-75 Mostly fair quality grand pianos
Browne, Justin 1870 Browne Euston Road, London Upright 500 40-50 Well made but most pre 1890 overdampers
Challen 1804 Challen London, UK Grand+Upright 90000 50-68 WE RESTORE SELECTED CHALLEN PIANOS. Can be quite reasonable but vary. They make the UKs most common baby grands
Chappell 1811 Chappell, later Kemble London, UK Grand+Upright 80000 50-70 WE RESTORE SELECTED CHAPPELL PIANOS. Varied but generally good. Old ones can be quite basic
Churchill Unknown Bristol, England Upright 1000 Unknown Mostly basic straight strung overdamper pianos in a traditional case
Collard and Collard 1760 Collard London, UK Grand+Upright 35000 40-70 Extremely varied prolific British maker spanning over 200 years
Cramer 1824 Kemble London, UK Grand+Upright 10000 45-68 Plenty of variety. Many baby grands and post 1900 uprights
Crane Unknown Crane & Son Liverpool, UK Grand+Upright 3000 35-50 Mostly basic uprights
Dale Forty Unknown Dale Forty UK & China Grand+Upright 7000 30-50 Pre -1950 Dale Forty pianos are basic British pianos
Danemann 1892 Danemann. 1982 + by Broadwood London, UK Grand+Upright 20000 44-68 Prolific and varied maker. Please click on name for more details
Duck Son and Pinker 1848 Bristol Piano Bath, England Grand+Upright 8000 35-50 Mostly basic straight strung overdamper uprights
Eavestaff 1823 Brasted London, England Grand+Upright 17000 35-68 Mini Pianos generally basic. Baby grands fair. Other uprights medium
Eberhardt 1800 Eberhardt Berlin, Germany Upright 800 40-45 Older Eberhardt Pianos are mostly half-plate iron frame pianos.
Elysian Unknown Robert Morley & Co Ltd London, UK Grand+Upright 1000 45-60 Name used mainly by Morleys of London and also by Chappell. Varied
Erard 1777 Paris; 1792 London Erard UK & France Grand+Upright 1500 40-68 Very varied
Estonia 1893 Estonia Piano Factory Tallinn, Republic of Estonia Grand+Upright 200 50-60 The Estonia grand piano produces a reasonable tone.
Eungblut, Rogers c1930 Eungblut / Kemble London, UK Upright 200 50-60 The name Rogers Eungblut was used by Kemble in about 1930
Fazer 1960 Fazer, then Hellas Helsinki, Finland Upright 5000 55-68 Modern pianos. Fazer are generally good with rich bass and firm touch
Fazioli 1980 The Fazioli Factory Sacile, Italy Grand 100 85-95 Fazioli was established in 1981
Feurich 1851 Feurich (+ Wendl & Lung) Germany, then China & Austria Grand+Upright 2000 65-85 Old and modern ones well made
Forster, August 1851 Forster Lobau, Germany Grand+Upright 4000 55-75 Vary varied in quality passed through Iron curtain phase
Fuchs & Mohr 1921 Eisenberger Pianofortefabrik Eisenberg, Germany Upright 4000 40-55 Nearly all Fuchs and Mohr pianos in the UK are small modern pianos with mahogany cases.
Giles c1950 Giles Pianos Ltd / Zender London, UK Grand+Upright 1000 50 Small uprights Giles was a name used by Zender
Godfrey 1885 Godfrey London, UK Upright 7000 35-48 Mostly basic uprights: straight-strung and over-damped
Gors & Kallmann 1877 Albert Meyn Berlin, Germany Grand+Upright 12000 50-70 Older uprights overdampers but good tone. Baby grands generally good; modern Chinese ones not yet rated.
Grotrian Steinweg 1858 Grotrian Steinweg Braunschweig, Germany Grand+Upright 6000 60-90 Prolific make of high quality pianos. Uprights 1900 to 1930 outstanding
Haake, Karl 1903 Haake Hannover, Germany Grand+Upright 1000 50-60 Unique, warm and interesting tone; mostly 1880 to 1910
Hellas 1901 Hellas Piano co Helsinki, Finland Upright 500 50-60 Hellas are similar to Fazer but action generally not as good
Hickie & Hickie 1894 various factories London, UK Upright 15000 35-48 Mostly basic straight strung overdampers 1890 1910. later overstrung
Hoffmann 1893 Now made in the Czech Republic by Bechstein. Czech Republic + Various locations Grand+Upright 800 50-75 Name used on both basic British and high quality German pianos
Hofmann & Czerny 1903 Hofmann Vienna, Austria Grand+Upright 150 60-80 Very high quality baby grand pianos with rich tone and well weighted touch
Hopkinson 1835 Hopkinson; after about 1990 by Bentley London, England Grand+Upright 10000 45-70 Very common British make. Older ones overdampers
Ibach 1794 Ibach Germany Grand+Upright 15000 50-80 Older ones overdampers but good. Grands generally fine quality
Kaps 1858 Ernst Kaps Dresden, Germany Grand+Upright 2000 55-75 Uprights mainly one height (130cm), about 1898 to 1930. Grands mainly pre 1900.
Kastner 1920 Barratt and Robinson London, UK Upright 700 45-55 Mostly small modern uprights 1960-1970. A few older ones 1890-1930
Kawai 1930 Kawai Hamamatsu, Japan Grand+Upright 10000 55-85 Japanese pianos (later ones made elsewhere too) of generally good quality
Kemble 1911 Kemble Milton Keynes, England Grand+Upright 120000 55-78 Varied in quality but best are very good
Kimball 1857 The Kimball Piano co USA Grand+Upright 1200 30-45 Those in the UK 1960-70 small uprights
Kirkman 1730 Kirkman, Collard London, UK Grand+Upright 500 30-55 Mostly very old British pianos. Many grands
Knight 1936 Knight London, UK Grand+Upright 30000 58-80 Respected British maker. Best between about 1960 and 1980
Lindner 1960 Lindner Shannon, Ireland Upright 1000 35-50 Irish pianos with revolutionary plastic action for which no spares are readily available
Lipp, Richard 1831 Lipp; modern ones by Bentley Piano co Stuttgart, Germany Grand+Upright 6000 55-90 WE RESTORE ALL LIPP PIANOS. They are made with great integrity. Rich warm tone. Baby and boudoir grands generally excellent
Marshall and Rose 1907 Whelpdate, Maxwell & Codd London, UK Grand+Upright 400 50-65 British pianos of medium quality
Mason & Hamlin 1854 Mason & Hamlin Massachusetts, USA Grand+Upright 100 55-80 Well made modern pianos; design of older grands show remarkable similarity to Steinway
Mickleburgh 1903 Mickleburgh Bristol, England Upright 2500 Unknown Shop name; mainly low to medium quality uprights 1900-1930
Minstrelle 1877 Barratt and Robinson England Upright 300 40-50 Small pianos made by Barratt and Robinson
Monington and Weston 1858 Monington and Weston London, UK Grand+Upright 18000 50-65 Many low quality baby grands made with “simplex” actions. Uprights can be very good
Moore and Moore 1838 Moore & Moore, then Kemble Stoke Newington, UK Grand+Upright 1500 50-58 Pre 1933 mostly tallish traditional cases
Morley, Robert 1881 Morley Lewisham, London Grand+Upright 15000 50-70 Fair quality British pianos
Murdoch 1862 Spencer & Murdoch London, UK Grand+Upright 2000 35-55 Common basic British pianos
Neindorf 1900 Neindorf, Gebr Luckenwald, Germany Grand+Upright 2000 50-55 Mostly traditional upright and baby grand pianos
Neumeyer 1905 Neumeyer Berlin, Germany/Modern ones made in China Grand+Upright 5000 50-65 Mid-range German pianos. Best ones have rich warm tone
Niemeyer 1890 Dongbei Piano Co Korea & Germany Grand+Upright 400 45-55 Low to mid range German pianos
Nordiska 1985 from about 1988: DongBei Piano Group Co originally Vetland, Sweden Upright 800 50-60 Mostly modern Sweedish uprights in the UK 1960-1970; from about 1988: Chinese
Osbert W. H. Barnes London, UK Upright 200 55 - 60 Traditional uprights with reasonable tone; some overdampers
Papps 1900 Papps Portsmouth, England Grand+Upright 2000 35-50 Mostly basic uprights. Portsmouth firm; pianos around 1900 - 1930 with specially designed metal wrest plank for environments with varying humidity; some modern uprights too.
Pearl River 1955 Guangzhou Piano Factory Guangzhou, China Grand+Upright 2000 45-70 Huge variety; older ones (1990s) varied.
Petrof 1864 The Petrof Factory Hradec Kralove, Czechoslovakia Grand+Upright 1500 60-70 Wide range of quality in uprights. Some early baby grands are outstanding
Pfeiffer 1862 Pfeiffer Stuttgart, Germany Upright 100 55-70 Fair quality upright pianos
Pleyel 1807 Pleyel Prais, France Grand+Upright 2000 45-68 Much varied in quality from this French maker
Reid Sohn 1859 Samick Factory Korea Grand+Upright 8000 45-60 Large Korean factory
Reisbach 1920 Rogers London, UK Grand+Upright 800 50-65 Fair quality British pianos made by Rogers with influence from Grotrian Steinweg
Rippen 1937 Rippen Frankeneng, Holland Grand+Upright 900 50-65 Generally well made pianos
Ritmüller 1795 Pearl River Gottingen, Germany Grand+Upright 2000 55-70 Old ones mostly tall traditional
Ritter S. 1828 Germany 1995+ China Hangzhou Weidun Industrial Co. Ltd China Grand+Upright 1000 50-60 Basic modern pianos of varied quality
Rogers, George 1843 Rogers London, UK Grand+Upright 16000 55-70 Good factory with long history. Older ones may not be worth reconditioning
Ronisch 1846 Pfeiffer / Bluthner Dresden, Germany Grand+Upright 1000 45-75 Older ones very well made. Modern ones more varied
Russel (and Russell) 1842 Russell and Russell London, UK Upright 1000 45-58 Honestly made cheaper uprights mainly from early 1900s
Russell, George 1842 R&R London, UK Upright 2000 50-55 Mostly basic straight-strung overdamped pianos, well made with a good tone
Sames Unknown F.Mills & Co. Scotland Grand+Upright 1200 50-55 Mostly Overstrung upright pianos
Samick 1989 Samick Korea/ Indonesia Grand+Upright 10000 45-60 Large Korean factory
Sauter 1819 C. Sauter & Co. Spainchingen, Germany Grand+Upright 10000 58-78 Well made German uprights and grands
Schiedmayer \t 1809 J.and P.Scheidmayer Neckarstrasse, Germany Grand+Upright 10000 58-78 WE RESTORE SELECTED SCHIEDMAYER PIANOS. Well made German uprights and grands
Schimmel 1885 W. Schimmell Neuschonefeld, Germany Grand+Upright 4000 55-68 Mid-range German uprights and grands
Seiler 1849 Eduard Seiler Liegnitz, Germany Grand+Upright 8000 58-78 Well made German uprights and grands
Spencer 1883 John Spencer & Co London, UK Upright 10000 45-62 Common British maker from about 1900 to 1940. Modern ones from different factories
Squire and Longson 1910 Kemble London, UK Grand+Upright 10000 50-60 Mid range British pianos
Steck 1857 Aeolian Weber & Pianola Co Cassel, Germany Grand+Upright 8000 55-70 Uprights have warm tone; baby grands vary in quality
Steinberg 1908 various + Steinberg & Co various locations Grand+Upright 2000 60-75 Huge variety; some older English and German pianos, some modern German and Chinese.
Steingrber & Shne 1852 Eduard Steingraeber Bayreuth, Germany Grand+Upright 250 70-90 Mostly grands, see own page
Steinway 1853 Steinway & Sons Various Grand+Upright 55,000 60-95 WE RESTORE ALL STEINWAY PIANOS. Best known top piano maker. Mostly German Steinways found in the UK
Strohmenger & Sons 1835 Chappell London, UK Grand+Upright 5000 50-65 Good quality British pianos
Stuart & Sons c1990 Stuart Piano Co Australia Grand 5 75-90 Hand made top quality grands
Waddington 1838 Waddington London, UK Upright 300 45-55 Basic British piano, can have a reasonable tone. Grands basic
Waldemar 1900 Waldemar Berlin, Germany Upright 600 45-55 Mostly traditional walnut upright overstrung overdampers with warm tone
Waldstein c1895 (old) 1956 (modern) Pearl River China Grand+Upright 11000 45-58 Modern Chinese Waldsteins are nothing to do with the older pianos; they only share the name.
Weber 1860 Various London, England & Far East Grand+Upright 6000 46-68 Older ones well made. Modern ones made in the Far East
Welmar 1925 Welmar London, UK Grand+Upright 25000 55-75 WE RESTORE ALL WELMAR PIANOS. Good quality British pianos. Older uprights varied. Baby grands copy of Bluthner.
Wendl and Lung 1920 Wendl & Lung China Grand+Upright 800 60-75 Mostly modern pianos 2003 to 2011
Windover 1877 Smith Manchester & London, UK Grand+Upright 1000 45-60 Mostly mahogany overstrung underdamper pianos made 1900 1930.
Witton and Witton 1838 Witton and Witton London Grand+Upright 800 45-60 Modern ones not rated Uprights fair; grands can cause problems
Yamaha 1887 Yamaha Japan Grand+Upright 50000 48-90 Most prolific maker in the world. Huge range in quality
Young Chang 1956 Young Chang Seoul Korea Grand+Upright 8000 45-60 Large Korean factory
Zender 1892 Various factories London, UK Grand+Upright 20000 48-60 Always very small pianos; Over 70,000 made in the UK, mostly 60s to 80s
Zimmermann 1884 Zimmermann Germany Grand+Upright 2000 47-70 Mostly modern baby grands and uprights of low to medium quality
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