Grotrian grands have beech rims, solid spruce soundboards, laminated beech pinblocks, Renner actions, and are single-strung. Grotrian prides itself on what it calls its “homogeneous soundboard,” in which each piece of wood is specially chosen for its contribution to the tone of the soundboard. The cast-iron plate is attached with screws along the outer edges of the rim, instead of on top of the rim, which the company says allows the soundboard to vibrate more freely. The vertical pianos have a unique star-shaped wooden back structure and a full-perimeter plate. Grotrian makes five sizes of grand and six sizes of vertical piano.

To commemorate the company’s 175th anniversary, Grotrian has issued the 46½" model Composé Exclusif. Limited to only 50 instruments, this elegant model includes such unusual features as 24-karat gold-plated hardware, inner cabinet veneer of red bird’s-eye maple, white keys of satin-finish acrylic glass, and a hygrometer embedded in the case.

Grotrian also makes a lower-cost line, called Friedrich Grotrian, with a beech back frame but no back posts, and a simpler cabinet. It’s available in a 43½" model in polished ebony with legs, and in 43½" and 45" models for institutional use, with satin finishes but without legs. The Friedrich Grotrian models are also completely made at the Grotrian factory in Braunschweig, Germany.

The treble of Grotrian pianos has extraordinary sustaining characteristics. It also has a pronounced sound of attack, subtle and delicate. The tenor is darker than many other brands. The bass can be powerful, but without stridency. Overall, Grotrian pianos have a unique, expressive sound and are a pleasure to play. Over the years, many well-known pianists have endorsed or expressed appreciation for Grotrian pianos.

Warranty: 5 years, parts and labor, transferable to future owners.

HAESSLER — See Blüthner.

HAILUN

Hailun America
P.O. Box 1130
Richland, Washington 99352
509-946-8078
877-946-8078
info@hailun-pianos.com
www.hailun-pianos.com

Pianos made by: Ningbo Hailun Musical Instruments Co. Ltd., Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China

Ningbo Hailun began making piano parts and components in 1986 under the Ningbo Piano Parts Factory name, and began assembling entire pianos in 1995. Its assembly facility converted to a full-scale piano manufacturing facility in 2000. Today, the Hailun factory has over 400,000 square feet of production capacity and 800 employees. A 200,000-square-foot expansion project is underway to accommodate distribution in the U.S. market. Additionally, a new cabinet factory is now complete and began production in 2008. In addition to making pianos under the Hailun name, the company also makes the Wendl & Lung brand (now changing to the Feurich brand — see Feurich). Hailun also makes pianos or components under contract for several other manufacturers and distributors. Hailun recently conducted an Initial Public Offering of stock on the Shenzen Stock Exchange.

Currently, the Hailun line consists of eight vertical sizes (mostly larger uprights) and six grand sizes. In 2010, the company introduced the 52" model HU7 (formerly called PE 33), with a duplex scale, agraffes, and a steel capo bar for, the company says, a “lush and powerful sound in the American tradition”; and a 51" model HU3 (formerly called K 5), “which reflects a brighter, more ‘European,’ sound philosophy.” Both have a middle pedal that operates a true sostenuto mechanism.

Hailun is in the process of introducing several new grand and vertical models it calls the Vienna Series. Available only through select Hailun dealers known as Hailun Vienna Merchants, these instruments are intended to address the need of customers for an exacting, quality instrument that “reflects the European tradition of piano building” at a more favorable price, and to “create a warm tonal experience in the tradition of the Viennese sound.” To that end, the pianos use soundboard wood sourced from the North Austrian Alps, and the grands are designed with a wide tail, vertically laminated maple bridges, and a slightly firmer touch and faster action speed. The vertical has a duplex scale, agraffes, a full-perimeter plate, and an enhanced soundboard design. Each purchaser of a Vienna Series piano may, within 18 months of purchase, request that a special highly qualified technician, known as a Vienna Concert Technician, spend a full day of concert-level regulation and voicing on the piano at the customer’s home.