Mason & Hamlin

Hand-Made in the USA Since 1854

Mason & Hamlin is one of America’s oldest and most respected piano manufacturers. Of the hundreds of American piano companies that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mason & Hamlin is one of only a handful that survive today.

Mason & Hamlin is headquartered in Haverhill, Massachusetts, not far from its original location in Boston, the birthplace of American piano design and manufacturing. Six floors of its busy factory are dedicated to handcrafting Mason & Hamlin pianos. Within its walls, a workforce of 70 highly skilled craftsmen complete every phase of production from rim-pressing to prepping the finished product.

Attention to detail takes time, and Mason & Hamlin invests a great deal of it in every piano it makes. Before a Mason & Hamlin leaves the factory, it’s inspected no fewer than 12 times. Choosing quality over quantity, Mason & Hamlin limits its annual production to 50 uprights and 300 grand pianos.

Mason & Hamlin Craftsmanship

Crown Retention System

The Crown Retention System is unique to Mason & Hamlin and lends stability to the piano. The system consists of the tension resonator (designed and patented for Mason & Hamlin by Richard W. Gertz in 1900), heavy case ribs, thick, hard rock maple rims, and eastern white spruce soundboards. As commonly observed on Mason & Hamlin pianos built in the late 19th and early 20th century, the Crown Retention System has preserved the crown of the soundboard, and the original power and tone, throughout the life of the piano.

Rims

Mason & Hamlin grand rims are built from 18-ply hard rock maple; they are the thickest rims in the industry. These thick rims coupled with the massive wet sand cast full-perimeter plates are the rock-solid foundation of the crown retention system.

Action

Mason & Hamlin pianos feature actions that are designed and assembled by Mason & Hamlin using the highest quality action parts and Renner Premium Blue hammers. These action parts and hammers are regarded as the world’s best and produce the distinctive sound for which Mason & Hamlin pianos are famous.

“The tone of Mason & Hamlin pianos is typically American… lush, singing, and powerful, not unlike the Steinway in basic character, but with an even more powerful bass and a clearer treble”

Larry Fine – “The Piano Book” Fall 2009

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