Antique Upright Pianos of Exceptional Quality

The Aeolian Company was a combination of several big piano companies that took advantage of the marketing for the different pianos being built throughout the area including what are now known as antique upright pianos. Harry B. Tremaine became president of Weber Piano Company in 1903. He organized the Aeolian, Weber Piano and Pianola Company. He had studied the business elements of the piano industry, learning well the potentialities of mechanical appliances for musical instruments and how to develop them.

Likewise the Kohler and Campbell pianos are evidence of thorough workmanship in all details of the piano and they produced an excellent antique upright piano at reasonable prices for the time period. Charles Kohler established the Auto-Pneumatic Action Company in 1900. The devise he used was one in which the wippen of the piano action is attached directly to the player mechanism, which eliminates the harshness of contact and imparts elasticity without interfering with the function of the piano action. The Auto-Pneumatic Action Company was perhaps the largest producer of player mechanisms. John C. Campbell of New Jersey was a mechanical genius. He studied the scientific piano construction but he died of a young age. Charles Kohler was his partner. He was the organizer and business man of the Kohler and Campbell piano making company.

Many of the early antique upright piano makers came to the trade from organ makers. Schumann was connected with the pedal pianos. The keyboard for pedaling was under the keyboard, twenty nine notes, and special soundboard all built into the case.

This is from Schumann who wrote some of his best music for this instrument.

History is made for the west by Schumann and other piano companies, famous for the manufacture of high-grade instruments.