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ESTEY PIANO COMPANY
Estey grands, period grands, reproducing grands, pianos and player pianos are manufactured by The Estey Piano Company, an old established and distinguished house of high standing throughout the trade. These instruments are well and favorably known in practically every corner of the earth, Estey being one of the best-known musical names in the world. The pianos represent the highest grade of construction throughout, and have been endorsed by numerous prominent musicians for their wonderful tone quality.
Manufacturers of the famous Estey line of pianos. The factory and executive offices were located at Bluffton, In. The Estey business was established in 1869 and has ever since occupied a position of prominence in the pianoforte industry. The concern manufactures a complete line of pianos, including 4 ft.-6 in. grands, spinets and consoles. Estey pianos received an award at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, at the International Exposition, Torino, Italy, in 1911, at the Pan-American Exposition in San Francisco in 1915, and latterly they were awarded the gold medal at the Sesqui-Centennial~ Exposition in Philadelphia for unusual beauty of case design and the high quality of the instruments.
Estey pianos were available in styles from period to traditional to modern, and in woods and finishes including African mahogany, American walnut, limed oak. Salem maple, blond mahogany and cherry.
The Estey Piano Corporation made notable improvements in piano building that have developed into the outstanding feature of Estey pianos. The Violin Bridge Construction (Patent Pending) is said to improve the tone quality, tone volume and sustaining tone in a most amazing manner. This discovery is very simple and is accomplished by reducing the mass of the treble bridge by means of running a furrow or cove along each 5i(lO of the bridge, thereby adding flexibility and reducing the weight of the bridge. The Direct Blow Action (Pat. No. 2096478) is used in all Estey consoles and spinets. This development permits of correct touch, maximum power and excellent responsiveness, and furthermore eliminates action worries and troubles. All Estey pianos have 7-ply hard maple planks.
The manufacture of Estey products was under the supervision of men who had been prominently identified with the piano industry of this country for many years, men who are authorities on quality pianoforte building.
1900 – 27800 1910 – 40000 1930 – 90090 1950 – 144000
1905 – 35000 1915 – 45000 1935 – 122000 1955 – 157000
1907 – 37000 1920 – 57000 1940 – 129300 1960 – 172000
1908 – 38000 1925 – 77000 1947 – 138000 1965 – 191000Estey Pianos with Settergren numbers:
1928 – 8000 1934 – 17500 1939 – 22400 1943 – 24800
1930 – 11000 1937 – 20700 1941 – 24000 1948 – 25800
1932 – 14000 1938 – 21600 1942 – 24600 1949 – 27000Estey Piano Co. was founded 1869, factory built in New York City. In 1917 Estey was purchased by George W. Gittens and in 1927 by B .K. Settergren and moved to Bluffton, IN. In 1963 the Lullman family sold the company to MCM Corp., reverted 1966. Mrs. Lullman reorganized & sold to Avionic’s Inv. Corp. in 1967. The company used the following names used the following names on its instruments: Alexander, Anderson Bros., Chase & Baker, Lancaster, Malcolm Love, Metropolitan, N.W. Nelson, Schumann, Settergren, Vough, Wegman, Drachmann, Meldorf, Bellman, Soward, Purcell, and Wanamaker.
Reference: Estey Organ Piano History, Blue Book of Pianos