Japanese Firms to Make Pianos for Steinway

There are still a few American products in a class all their own. Listen, for instance, to the special timbre of Steinway pianos, favored by concert pianists worldwide.

Just don’t listen too closely. The next time you hear a Steinway, it could be one mass-produced in Japan.

Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. has just announced that it will soon begin designing and manufacturing upright and grand pianos for Waltham, Mass.-based Steinway Musical Properties Inc., the venerable company started in 1853 that now makes the instruments in New York City and Hamburg, Germany. The pianos will be sold worldwide, not just in Japan.

It may not be quite the change it appears to be. Kawai officials said that although the pianos will be sold through Steinway’s sales network, it is still unclear whether the pianos will carry the famous Steinway & Sons brand name. And the pianos will be built according to Steinway’s general specifications.

What triggered the deal--in the works for almost three years--was slow growth in the high-end piano market and a newly emerging market for less expensive grand pianos aimed at beginners, said Hiroyuki Itoh, spokesman for Kawai.

“Steinway has very high brand loyalty, but the company only sells very high-priced, high-quality products,” Itoh said. “We produce high-quality products, but we use mass production methods so we can make them cheaper.”

The deal will enable Steinway to offer a broader range of products. Officials at rival Yamaha, for example, said the market for low-end grand pianos has grown as the technology has been developed for making them small enough to fit in a moderate-sized room without losing the special touch of the grand.

Kawai likes the prestige that comes from the Steinway connection. However, company officials say, the key reason for the deal is to boost demand for its piano factories. Although specifics have not been completed, Kawai expects to supply Steinway with several thousand grand and upright pianos a year.

Steinway’s strategy could backfire.

“Steinway’s image is that of a piano normal people can’t buy,” said Masahiro Morikawa, manager of Sumiya, a music store in Shizuoka prefecture where Kawai will build the pianos. “If they sell cheaper pianos, it could cheapen the name.”

Kawai sold about $245 million worth of pianos last year, with a price range from $3,000 to $59,000. Steinways in Japan range from $26,000 to $100,000.