19th century Mason & Hamlin was founded in
Boston, Massachusetts, in 1854 by Henry Mason, son of
Lowell Mason, the American hymn composer and musical educator, and Emmons Hamlin, a mechanic and inventor who had worked for
melodeon makers Prince & Co. in
Buffalo, New York. They originally manufactured only melodeons, but in 1855 introduced the
organ-harmonium or flat-topped cabinet organ. This design placed the bellows vertically and underneath the reeds, and served as the model for the suction-operated American-style
reed organ. By the early 1870s, they were considered the largest and most important manufacturer of reed organs, employing about 500 people and producing as many as 200 instruments a week. In 1895, the piano department was reorganized by Richard W. Gertz, an independent piano designer from Germany who had created new scales for them earlier that year. Gertz was elected secretary of the company in 1903, and president in 1906, and had patented the company's
Tension Resonator, a device fastened to the perimeter of the wooden structure of pianos meant to prevent their sounding boards from flattening. This was first included in their grands in 1900, and eventually became a signature feature used into the 21st century.
20th century The Cable Company, a Chicago piano manufacturing company, purchased the majority interest in Mason & Hamlin in 1904, when the
Golden Age of the Piano was in full force. The most illustrious concert artists of the day aligned themselves with piano manufacturers;
Sergei Rachmaninoff In 1924, Cable sold its interest in Mason & Hamlin to the
American Piano Company. American positioned Mason & Hamlin as the "artist's brand" among the firm's premier lines, which also included
Chickering and Sons ("family use") and
Wm. Knabe & Co. ("Metropolitan Opera's favorite"). American's sales began to decline in 1928 and collapsed after the stock market crash in late 1929. Mason & Hamlin's trademark, inventory, and equipment were sold to American's competitor
Aeolian for $450,000 ($ today) while the factory buildings were sold off separately by the end of the following year. The company changed hands several times during the post-war era, becoming part of the Sohmer piano company in 1985. Over the decades, the designs of the pianos were altered to the extent that they had little in common with the "classic" Mason & Hamlin pianos of the pre-Depression era . In 1989, Seattle businessman Bernard "Bud" Greer purchased the Sohmer company, which also held the
George Steck, Knabe, and Mason & Hamlin names, technical specifications, and manufacturing equipment. He moved these to a piano factory in Haverhill, Massachusetts, which he had recently purchased from piano manufacturer
Santi Falcone—from whom he also purchased the Falcone manufacturing specifications and naming rights. He named the new enterprise the
Mason & Hamlin Companies. Greer's goal was to resurrect the Mason & Hamlin pianos of the pre-Depression era by returning to the original specifications—including Gertz's scale designs—and use of materials. A few changes were made, including the use of Renner action parts and slightly longer keys. From 1990 to 1994, about 600 pianos were manufactured, mostly Model A and BB grands, along with a few Model 50 uprights. Greer sold the company in 1995 to Premier Pianos, which continued production at a reduced pace until selling the company in 1996.
Today In 1996, Mason & Hamlin was acquired by Burgett, Inc., which also owns PianoDisc, a maker of reproducing piano systems of the same name. Kirk Burgett, after taking control of Mason & Hamlin, had engineers digitally reconstruct blueprints of the company's high-quality pianos in the early 1900s, acquired decades-old specialized tools, and trained the first employees for two years, in order to produce pianos with a high level of craftsmanship like the offerings from the late 19th century and early 20th century. Mason & Hamlin pianos are still manufactured in Haverhill and distributed throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. Mason & Hamlin is a member of
NAMM, the International Music Products Association and Piano Manufacturers Association International. == Models ==