The company was left in the stable hands of sons William and Ernest upon the death of William Knabe in 1864. The piano was used by Key until his death in 1843 and currently resides in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN.
The detail of these lavish, hand-carved pianos extended around all four sides of the rosewood case and down its massive legs, while the keys were surfaced with expensive mother-of-pearl. Knabe & Gaehle became a part of American history when in 1838,Francis Scott Key, composer of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” commissioned the company to custom-build a square grand piano for his home. Knabe & Gaehle built high-quality grands, uprights, and squares at a small factory in Baltimore and managed to compete with other larger, more established American manufacturers. Knabe partnered with Henry Gaehle to form the piano company Knabe & Gaehle, the genesis of Knabe’s storied history. In 1835, William formed his own business of buying, selling and repairing used pianos from inside his home. After immigrating to the United States and settling in Baltimore, Maryland, Knabe began working under Henry Hartye, a well-known piano maker. Knabe learned the art of cabinet and piano making through apprenticeships, dedication and hard work. The Founding FatherKnabe’s rich history began more than 200 years ago when Wilhelm (William) Knabe was born in Kreuzburg, Germany in 1803. Information - Concerts, News,FAQs, Archives. Organs - Electronic (B3 etc.), Pipe, Theatre.
Who's Who - Professional Pianists on Piano World Member Recordings - Non Classical Pianist CornerĮVENTS! Piano Concerts, Recitals, Competitions.įun Stuff! - Parties, Tours, Projects & More.įorum Members Parties, Tours, Cruises, & M. MY NEW PIANO or KEYBOARD! - Share Your Story! I find it disturbing that consumers, such as you, may fall into this trap and trust or give any weight to such activity, which should teach more about the dealer paddling these pianos and website, his integrity and business conduct, than about the pianos rated there.ĭigital Pianos - Electronic Pianos - Synths &a.
Such “ratings†given by dealers on web sites or “buying guidesâ€, may change depending on the lines the dealer is carrying or pushing at the time, and I would advise any consumer to put no trust in them. I would guess, by observing the positioning of the pianos in these “ratingsâ€(extremely gross misplacement of pianos in the low end), that this particular dealer is focused on the low end of the market, and these, along with the Baldwins are probably his core business…
In the case of the ridiculous ratings on “ it is quite clear that that site owner is representing (or has represented in the recent past once these “ratings†were compliledâ€), pianos by the Bechstein group (including the Hoffmann), Sauter, Schultze Pollmann, Baldwin, Charles Walters, Hallett Davis, and J. This is largely what makes such “ratings†no better than a scam, in my opinion. Such websites/buying guides try to appear as “objectiveâ€, giving no indication that they are actually brought up by a specific dealer, and their purpose is to promote his pianos. Usually, the charlatan owning the web page behind the bogus “ratings, is using the Larry Fine’s rating, to make his own look credible, and “inserting†into them the lines he wants to promote, but of course, completely misplaced.Īlso, the competition to the dealer’s line, is clearly rated lower than the pianos he is trying to push… The purpose of the "buying guide" is practically the same, when the common conclusion one is supposed to reach, after reading these, is that the purchase of the author's inventory is the "wise and right" decision…a “bargain†of a sort. In these bogus ratings, the authors are attempting to present an "objective opinion" while positioning the brands they paddle, far above where the industry consensus would agree with, and far above their true competition.
Sadly, it seems that in recent years it became fashionable, for dealers who may have low integrity and ethics, to prey on unsuspecting consumers by trying to present bogus "ratings" or "Piano Buying Guides" which are found on the web or distributed for free (or a penny). The only reputable and reliable source to be used as a guideline for such evaluations is “the piano bookâ€, and the yearly 2007 – 2008 supplement, by Larry Fine, and even his ratings are criticized. It is apparently hard enough to rate pianos when the attempt is done objectively, by professionals and reflecting the various opinions and consensus in the industry. Regardless of how Samic products compare in the market, the last thing you'd like to do is put ANY trust in the sort of "ratings" you'd find on the web for such pianos.