Q. Why are Mason & Hamlin pianos heavier than other brands?
A. Primarily because Mason & Hamlin utilizes 18 ply hard rock maple rims, the thickest in the piano industry.
 
Q. I've heard people say that Mason & Hamlin piano's sound grows bigger and better as they age, while other pianos tone and power seem to dissipate over time. Is this true?
A. In a word, Yes! Some of the reasons for this is Mason & Hamlin's patented 'crown retention system' which includes its unique 'tension-resonator'. Other contributing factors are its 18 ply hard rock maple rims along with massive sand-cut full parameter plates plus only the best Eastern white spruce soundboards which all add to not only preserving their tonal beauty and elegance, but also allows the tonal qualities of the wood itself to seemingly 'come alive' the more that the piano is played.
 
Q. Why is the 'action' and 'feel' of a Mason & Hamlin piano so gentle and yet so bold?
A. Assembled completely by hand, utilizing only the world's best Renner action Premium blue hammers in combination with Mason & Hamlin's patented 'action rail' which consists of a square brass tube that is CNC drilled and then glass beaded are primary factors that add to this magical action, feel and response of a Mason & Hamlin piano. The unique design and construction of Mason & Hamlin pianos give the player greater control, allowing for subtle nuances or maximum expression. The finest quality keys transmit the dynamics of a pianist's fingers to the tips of the premium blue hammers from the softest pianissimo to the boldest double fortissimo.
 
Reviews and testimonials
 

Downbeat Magazine:

"Mason and Hamlin's Model BB Semi Concert grand plays with the consistency and response of the finest concert grand pianos."

Composer Maurice Ravel said:

"While preserving all the qualities of the percussion instrument, the Mason & Hamlin pianoforte also serves magnificently the composer's concept by its extensive range in dynamics, as well as quality of tone. It is not short of being a small orchestra. In my opinion, the Mason & Hamlin is a real work of art."

 

The famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin extolled the virtues of his Mason & Hamlin pianos when he said:

"Among all pianos none compares with the mason & Hamlin in beauty and grace of tone, or in mellowness and softness and yet in bigness, or in anything that a sensitive and, as it were, human piano should have." At one time, maestro Menuhin had five Mason & Hamlin pianos in his West Coast home.

 

When famous landscape photographer Ansel Adams was asked why he prefers mason & Hamlin, he responded:

"because of it's graceful lines, not to mention it's impeccable volume and tone!" It turn out that Ansel Adams originally trained for a career as a concert pianist.

 

Brian Culbertson's chooses a Mason & Hamlin and his CD debuts at # 1 on the Billboard Charts! Eric Himy also prefers a Mason & Hamlin concert grand! eric is an award winning concert pianist performing on five continents and has played at the Lincoln Center, carnegie Hall and with the Baltimore Symphony. eric has earned a masters degree in music at Julliard and is a member of prestigious institutions that include the Manhattan School of Music and the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

Hollywood chooses Mason & Hamlin: A special piano was needed for Hollywood's feature film "Dying for Dolly" starring the talented entertainer/musician Usher, co-starring actor Chazz Palminteri, and the producers choose a Mason & Hamlin grand piano for the prominent and pivotal romantic wedding sequence.

 

Mason & Hamlin is picked by the Canadian television show 'How it's Made' for an extended segment. Watch for it on the Discovery Channel in the U.S. early next year. A similar show is also planned for the 'Discovery Science' channel.

 

North Carolina State, Morehead State and most recently Harvard University all choose Mason & Hamlin pianos for their graduate music programs in their prestigious institutions.

 

Did You know? Henry Mason was a member of one of America's oldest families-they were actually descendents of Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower. William was one of America's foremost classical pianists and composers. Their father was the famous composer and educator Lowell Mason, a visionary who was the first to bring music into the public schools of America. He was also known throughout the world as a composer and publisher of hymns, and is often called the "father of American church music".

 

Thanks!: A special thanks to Ninety Eight year old Selma Kulik Chernev of Sacramento, California for donating her original Mason & Hamlin piano she has enjoyed playing for the last eighty three years to the Albert Einstein residence Center. It has become the center's 'pride and joy' as it was hers! Thank You Selma!

 

Vintage Mason & Hamlin's discovered!: Do You own a piece of history? One Mason & Hamlin vintage piano has recently been found at the Smithsonian Institute National Museum and yet another one turns up in the nation's capital. A Mason & Hamlin Model A turns out to be the centerpiece of the ballroom at the Blair House, the official guest house of the President of the United States! Contact Us here at Piano City if you think you have got a vintage Mason & Hamlin piano too, and we will appraise it for free!