Yamaha Pianos – The World’s No. 1 Choice
The sound of Yamaha pianos can be heard almost everywhere you go. From the world’s top stages, performance and recording venues, iconic studio albums, colleges and universities, and performing artists, to the most intimate living room or teaching studio, Yamaha pianos make up much of our life’s soundtrack. So why do so many people choose to play Yamaha pianos?A (very) Brief History
Yamaha was founded in 1887 by Torakusu Yamaha who built Japan’s first ever upright piano in 1900. Two years later, Yamaha began building grand pianos. By 1970, Yamaha had manufactured over one million pianos and gained world-wide acclaim for their craftsmanship, reliability and revolutionary manufacturing processes. Yamaha has continually driven industry-wide innovation as they reinvest 6% of their annual revenue back into research and development. Yamaha’s R&D efforts have led them to pioneer some of the world’s greatest advancements in instrument manufacturing and technology. A few of Yamaha’s ground-breaking achievements include:
1887: Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd. (later Yamaha Corporation) founded- 1900: Begins building upright pianos
- 1902: Grand piano production begins
- 1904: Yamaha Piano receives Honorary Grand Prize at the St. Louis World’s Fair
- 1949: Yamaha’s first concert grand piano, model FC
- 1954: Yamaha Music School established (6,000,000 students around the world to date)
- 1955: Yamaha Motors Co., Ltd. established
- 1960: Establishes Yamaha International Corporation (now Yamaha Corporation of America)
- 1965: Begins production of wind instruments
- 1967: Concert grand piano model CF introduced
- 1971: Semiconductor manufacturing begins
- 1982: Debut of a reproducing piano, the “Piano Player”
- 1983: Third generation Yamaha concert grand piano, model CFIII released
Clavinova digital pianos become first of their kind to be introduced - 1987: Disklavier first introduced – Yamaha’s digital reproducing piano technology
- 1991: CFIIIS concert grand piano enters production
Yamaha celebrates the manufacture of their 5,000,000th piano - 2008: Acquires Bösendorfer Klavierfabrik GmbH – the world’s oldest, continuously manufactured piano – based in Wiener Neustadt (Vienna), Austria
- 2009: Yamaha introduces the world to their revolutionary AvantGrand hybrid pianos
- 2010: After 19 years of R&D, Yamaha introduces the new CFX concert grand piano to the world
- 2016: TIME Magazine names Clavinova as one of the “50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time”
- 2022: Yamaha’s new CFX22 concert grand piano begins production, after 12 years of R&D
- 2023: Yamaha Clavinova digital pianos celebrate 40 years!
Over the past 135+ years, Yamaha has become one of the most trusted names in music, manufacturing 25% of the world’s musical instruments. Throughout their storied history, they have become the only musical instrument manufacturer to develop a full line of acoustic, digital, hybrid, and reproducing pianos. So why do so many people choose to play Yamaha pianos? Yamaha has proven themselves time and again as being the innovators who never settle, but rather always strive to provide musicians with the absolute best solution for their needs.
The heart and DNA of Yamaha’s innovation, quality, and design are what set their Clavinova digital pianos and AvantGrand hybrid pianos apart from all other options.
Discover Yamaha Clavinova and AvantGrand Pianos
Yamaha’s Clavinova line of digital pianos feature a faithful recreation of an acoustic piano feel paired with the finest technology and instrument sounds available.
Yamaha’s hybrid piano blends the best sounds from their Clavinova digital pianos with a real Yamaha acoustic piano action, providing the most authentic sound and feel possible.