Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Forum Sohmer upright v. Hallet Davis & Co. Boston upright?

Hello, I am in the market to purchase a used upright. I am trying to decide between a 1972 maple-wood Sohmer upright for $500 and a 1980s polished ebony Hallet Davis & Co. Boston upright for $900. Each includes the matching bench. Presuming both are in comparable good condition, which would you choose? Any advise would be appreciated. Thank you!

How tall are they?

Hi Christine - Welcome to Piano World!

At the time that either was built, they were issued as similar, affordable, basic entry lever pianos. The Sohmer would have actually been built by the Sohmer Piano Co. in the US and were respectable instruments. If the HD&C, is really from the Boston factory of Aeolian, it would be from the first half of the 1980s. Production ceased in 1985.

Obviously, the investment in either is very low and it may not be worth having independent inspections @ ~$100 each. Do you play? If not, ask for help from a pianist.

The important things are whether either piano holds a tuning and that all the notes are functional and the instrument is playable. Then you are left with with how it looks, how it sounds, and how it feels. Neither piano is of "investment" quality.

That is a choice only you can make.

A lot depends on condition, but the older Sohmer uprights were unusually fine instruments of their type. I have never heard this said about a Hallet Davis piano. You should be able to tell by playing them both.