Many times pianos pass thru so called piano restoration people working out of their garages. Most of these rebuilders do only shoddy cosmetic work on the piano and it is very common for them to spray the cast iron plate to make it look new and by doing so also spray over the serial number and do not bother to restamp it. If that is the case you may never be able to date your piano. Some piano manufacturers place their serial numbers in more than one place on the piano.
As a rule of thumb, if you are researching a grand piano, it will have a 5- or 6-digit serial number. The Chickering grand pianos with 4-digit serial numbers are only infrequently encountered. The same is true of upright pianos; precious few have anything less than a five-digit serial number.
I am not familiar enough with Yamaha to know if that is the case. Be careful not to get gypped. Chickering has a topnotch reputation. I used to know someone who owned a Chickering.
A piano tuner once gave her such an earful about the superiority of the name that she felt guilty for owning and playing such a fine instrument. I learned about the company when I was teaching a beginner in the child's own home. Without even having heard the name before, I was overwhelmed- and this was only from hearing the child play one note at a time. In my book, a Chickering spinet or upright sounds almost as good as a grand piano manufactured by any other company. See if you can find a customer who is as brand loyal as I am. Tell us some more. Upload in Progress.
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The Chickering piano company was established in 1823 by Jonas Chickering and James Stewart. It was the first piano company in the United States. The factory was located on Tremont St. In Boston, MA. Chickering took painstaking care down to the smallest detail which assured the Chickering piano the place of honor in the first ranks at the World’s Fair in London in 1851.
The Chickering factory burned in 1852 but a new better facility was built. Also, in 1852 Jonas brought his 3 sons into the company and the name became Chickering & Sons. Many piano companies have had family owners who were craftsmen that brought tradition and expert innvention throughout their history. Jonas Chickering died in 1853 and the 3 sons Frank, Thomas & George continued with the business. Chickering had over 100 employee’s in different departments.
Each person would have a specific task in which to specialize, enabling uniformity in the manufacturing process. Chickering was also the first exporter of American made pianos. In 1908 Chickering joined the American Piano Company due to the financial crises of the 1890’s but still continued to maintain the high quality of piano manufacturing it was known for. Chickering Piano Factory Chickering Advertisement Here are some photos of a nice that we restored this year.