BRODMANN

including Taylor London

Piano Marketing Group, LLC
752 East 21st Street
Ferdinand, Indiana 47532
812-630-0978
christian.hoeferl@brodmann.at
www.brodmann-pianos.com
www.taylor-pianos.com

Company Headquarters: J. B. Piano GmbH, Kudlichgasse 24, A-1100 Vienna, Austria. Phone: +43-1-890-3203

Pianos made by: various makers (see text)

Joseph Brodmann was a well-known piano maker in Vienna in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Ignaz Bösendorfer apprenticed in Brodmann’s workshop and eventually took it over, producing the first Bösendorfer pianos there. Today’s Brodmann is a new company, headquartered in Vienna, and founded in 2004 by two former Bösendorfer executives, pursuing a direction they say was planned as a possible second line for Bösendorfer a number of years ago, but never acted upon.

Brodmann says its mission is to produce a piano with high-end performance characteristics at an affordable price by using European components in key areas, strict quality control, and manufacturing in countries with favorable labor rates.

There are three lines of Brodmann piano. The Professional Edition (PE) pianos, made in China, are designed in Vienna and use European components such as Strunz soundboards, Abel hammers, Röslau strings, and Langer-designed actions (Renner in the model 228, a Chinese action in the verticals). For quality control, Brodmann has its own employees from Europe in the factory. The scale design of the 6' 2" model PE 187 is said to be similar to that of a Steinway model A and is often singled out for praise.

The Conservatory Edition (CE), for the more price-conscious buyer, is also made in China, and comprises all Chinese parts (except for Japanese hammer felt), and receives Brodmann quality control.

The Artist Series (AS), introduced in 2011 and available only in the larger grand sizes, is partially made in China and then shipped to Germany, where the strings and action are installed and all musical finishing work is performed. The rim is made of maple; the soundboard, ribs, and pinblock are from Bolduc in Canada; and the piano uses a Renner action, Kluge keyboard, and Abel or Renner hammers.

The Brodmann company also makes an entry-level piano line called Taylor London, made in China with Asian parts, and subject to Brodmann’s quality control.

Warranty: 10 years, parts and labor, transferable to future owners within the warranty period.

BURGER & JACOBI

Ciampi USA
1520 Appian Way
Montebello, California 90640
323-236-2446
g.ciampi@ciampi.it
www.burgerjacobi.com/en

Pianos made by: Burger & Jacobi, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

In 1872, Christian Burger began making pianos in his workshop in Burgdorf, Switzerland, later moving to larger quarters in Biel. He was joined in 1879 by his son-in-law, Herman Jacobi. For more than a century, aided by good workmanship, thousands of satisfied customers, and the endorsement of Johannes Brahms, Burger, Jacobi, and four generations of their descendants continued making pianos in Switzerland. In 1990, the company was purchased by the Ciampi Group, of Rome, Italy, a leading European distributor of musical instruments, whose founder had once worked at Burger & Jacobi. Ciampi moved production to the Petrof factory in the Czech Republic, where their pianos continued to be produced until recently, with distribution primarily limited to Europe. In 2010, Ciampi purchased its own factory in the same town as Petrof’s, and is now expanding distribution to North America.

For North American distribution, Burger & Jacobi is starting with three vertical and three grand models, with prices and features aimed at the middle to upper level of the piano market. The company says that the pianos are entirely made in the Czech Republic, and that all components are European in origin. Czech-made Detoa actions are used in all models except the concert grand, which has a Renner action. All models contain a solid spruce soundboard, Röslau strings, and Abel or Renner hammers. The 50" upright has a true sostenuto pedal.

Warranty: 5 years, parts and labor.