Piano Factory Group

Description

The Sohmer piano company traces its origin back to 1860, though the first Sohmer piano was actually built in 1872, when German immigrant Hugo Sohmer founded the firm of Sohmer & Company, in New York. The Sohmer piano company was owned and managed by the Sohmer family in New York City for 110 years. In the early 1980’s the founder's grandsons, Harry and Robert Sohmer sold the company to Pratt, Read and Company, America's leading manufacturer of piano keys and actions and the company moved to Ivoryton, Connecticut. The Sohmer brothers moved, too, and for a while continued to play a part in managing the company. During its many years in New York, the Sohmer piano was known as a fine handcrafted instrument. Sohmer had a close informal association with the other major New York piano maker, Steinway, and many of Sohmer's manufacturing methods were similar to Steinway's. Sohmer was generally considered to be one of the finest pianos made in the United States and at one time Sohmer pianos were even sold in Steinway Hall side by side with Steinway. The modern baby grand, as we know it today was invented by Hugo Sohmer in 1884 and patented by him that same year. The model 50 Sohmer was the first five-foot grand in 1884 and the model 50T grand of today is the logical development of this pioneer effort. 122 years of continuous improvement of their tone model is typical of the Sohmer pursuit of perfection and Sohmer states, without reservation or exception that it is their confirmed belief that no other small grand approximates the Sohmer in tone and response. Its perfect symmetry of form and the extraordinary quality of its tone result from its scientific scale and integrally cast C'Apo D'Astro bar, another patented feature of Sohmer construction. Other models in the Sohmer piano line include a model 63, 77, 90, and 95, or 5’4”, 5’8”,6’2”, and 6’8” respectively. All Sohmer grands still have maple rims, still have the famous Pratt-Reed action, still have solid brass hardware, still have sand-cast solid cast iron plate, still have the quality and specifications that made Sohmer one of America's finest pianos. There is one major change in the new Sohmer pianos, which has been universally applauded. Sohmer replaced the old Adirondack spruce soundboard used in New York, with a German made Strunz solid spruce soundboard, which is considered to be one of the finest soundboards available with close graining that exceeds the spec of the older generation soundboards. The phenomenal success of the Sohmer Console-Vertical Model 34 has in no way diminished the fact that Sohmer & Company has always been and always will be a Grand Piano House. Never since its inspection over 75 years ago, has the Sohmer 34 console been an abbreviated upright piano but rather an extension of Sohmer’s grand piano building. Sohmer & Company early discarded all thoughts and precepts of upright construction concentrating rather on the principles of the grand piano scale and string distribution. As a result the Sohmer 34 Console Vertical has long been known as "The Musicians' Console.

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