Something new and a wooden bicycle

[ETomlinCF3@aol.com]

Your info seems reliable at face value.  I have a company profile from Yamaha
and a book by David Crombe on the origins of many piano companies including
Yamaha and both sorces say that Yamaha made their first piano in 1900.  It was
then that they started production and not in 02.  In 1902 they built their
first grands.  I believe your source to be wrong.  In 1907 they started making
their own actions and it evolved into the actions we know and love today.

Thanks,

Ed Tomlinson

<<  It was this year that he changed the name of
 his company to Nippon Gakki Co.  He built a larger plant, sold stock and
 developed tooling for going into piano production.  He came to America and
 went through the Chickering and Mason & Hamlin factories among others. 
 Upon his return to Japan he met this fellow named Koichi Kawai, who had
 successfully built a wooden bicycle.  The ingenuity of Kawai impressed
 Yamaha and he hired him to be in charge of building Yamaha's' pianos.  In
 1902 they built 2, in 1903 built 23, and in 1908 they built their first
 grand piano.  One of his pianos was sent  here to St. Louis to exhibit it
 at the Worlds Fair in 1904.  Alas, I have never seen anywhere a picture of
 this piano published, but he did receive an honorary prize for it.   >>