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perhaps now that I have provided the context of my comment it makes more sense?

No, it doesn't. Let me say that I know what you are trying to say. I just think it's incorrect. It may be by privilege that you had the resources to buy a piano (or it may not--perhaps you earned the resources), but that you chose to convert those resources into a piano is not a privilege. It's simply a choice you made. Some guys buy motorcycles, or cars, or boats, or whatever. You chose to buy a piano. It's just a consumer choice. It may bring you joy. It may inspire you. But possessing it, in and of itself, is not a privilege.

From the age of three, I wanted a grand piano very badly. My parents had very limited means and I would ask my parents to go visit the piano store all the time. At the age of six, they scrapped together what they could to purchase a 1970 Baldwin Acrosonic Console for my brother and I. My father and mother told me that if I practiced conscientiously and someday won the Hartford Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, that they would get me a grand piano some day. I practiced and learned the Beethoven 2nd Piano Concerto, Grieg Am Piano Concerto, Liszt 1st Piano Concerto and many other large works on that Console for ten years and at the age of sixteen I did win that competition. With the help of my parents, the prize money and the sale of the Baldwin, we were able to purchase my 1980 Yamaha C3, which I have kept to this day. You may "take exception to the notion that it is a privilege to own a piano", but perhaps now that I have provided the context of my comment it makes more sense? We are all fortunate that we still have many outstanding acoustic instruments available to purchase from a number of world-class manufacturers; Mason & Hamlin being one of them. I am inspired to play and practice on such an instrument each an every day. To me this is a privilege!

Dear Victor, Sam, Carey, Steve, Philip, SF and other esteemed friends and members of PianoWorld, First of all, I'd like to say that the Mason & Hamlin piano company is currently 100% privately owned by Mr. Kirk Burgett. There are no other shareholders or investors.

Also, I wanted to take this opportunity to address and clarify a few items and comments in this thread and also include the official Mason & Hamlin company statement on our trademark.

As some of you know, China has a very different idea about Intellectual Property than the rest of the world. Their philosophy's and laws on trademarks, patents, identities and Intellectual Property and ownership in general, have caused a lot of grief for companies like Apple, as well as many famous piano companies.

The Mason & Hamlin company and trademark is historically known worldwide as a famous trademark associated with the US company founded in 1854 and the factory currently making Mason & Hamlin pianos in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

However, another person (flute maker) in China registered the Mason & Hamlin trademark a year or two before we featured authentic US made Mason & Hamlin pianos at the Music China trade show over 12 years ago.

We have exhaustively petitioned the Chinese government and law to get our trademark back. We have also exhaustively negotiated to buy our trademark back from the current mark holder. However, we thought that an eight figure price USD was a little much. Many of our colleagues have experienced the same thing and have managed to pay a much lower price ransom to get their trademark back. We currently sell authentic Mason & Hamlin pianos under the Henry Mason name in China.

In the meantime, there is hope that intellectual property rights in China will come around to the 21st century and world intellectual property law standards and honor and recognize true historic trademark ownership.

In 2017 Mason & Hamlin had many discussions with the Grotrian company e.g. Parsons and ideas about some type of partnership, how it might work with product mix etc. Those ideas were never finalized, there is no agreement or contract. There are no co-products or designs of any type produced between the two companies. That being said, and to no surprise Mason & Hamlin is bombarded on almost a daily rate by potential investors, and other companies in and out of the piano industry who would like to have some kind of stake in the company.

If you have any other questions or comments, you can always contact me directly I can be reached at 916 803-2659 or tom@masonhamlin.com. Also, follow MH, PD and WNG on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Read below for more info on the fake Mason & Hamlin Chinese company.


Mason & Hamlin authentic trademarks and designs made by Mason & Hamlin exclusively for Mason & Hamlin pianos.


The Mason & Hamlin piano company is aware that its historic trademark logo, intellectual property, designs, artwork and marketing materials, are fraudulently being copied and used without our cooperation or permission to manufacture and sell inferior quality pianos bearing our name, specifically in China. Additionally, iterations of our historic trademark logo and company founder names are being used to market and promote these piano sales without our permission or cooperation.

These pianos are being produced in an attempt to pirate our trademarked name and illegally benefit from the high regard, historic legacy, and good reputation that Mason & Hamlin has earned in its 160+ year history. At this time, Mason & Hamlin is working to clear these non-genuine instruments from the marketplace.

No partnerships exist between Mason & Hamlin and any other piano manufacturer in producing new Mason & Hamlin pianos. Authentic new Mason & Hamlin pianos are solely manufactured in our factory in Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA. Pianos that bear our trademark or iterations that are not manufactured in our factory are not genuine Mason & Hamlin pianos.

All new Mason & Hamlin pianos manufactured in our factory in Haverhill, MA, USA carry the following features:

- Crown Retention System, featuring tension resonator
- Wessell, Nickel & Gross composite or Renner wood actions
- Modern company logo on fallboard
- Rims made of 18 ply hard rock maple
- Original Mason & Hamlin scale design
- "Made In USA" designation on fallboard
- Official string scale design for each model
- Brass hardware on case
- Distinctive case arm molding
- Tapered legs (grand piano) with brass ferrules and barrel or dual wheel casters
- Represented by an official dealer partner of Mason & Hamlin

As a customer, if you are seeking to own a genuine Mason & Hamlin piano, make sure to look for the features that are distinctive to new Mason & Hamlin pianos. If you are suspicious about the authenticity of a particular Mason & Hamlin piano, ask your salesperson about the instrument. An authorized Mason & Hamlin dealer will be readily able to vouch for the genuine nature of the Mason & Hamlin pianos they represent.

We ask that our dealers, distributors, and customers help us in our mission to curtail the unauthorized activity of copying and pirating Mason & Hamlin designs, by reporting any information that you observe to the Mason & Hamlin piano company.

Mason & Hamlin Piano Company

The scene is desperate, with the growth slowing down and the sales figure expected to take a nose dive in the near future. There were female models, many European, many in skimpy dresses, garnering attention of potential buyers. There was even one dressed in an 18th century outfit, peddling ornately decorated instruments.

The reality is that the vast majority of these makers will be history soon. The big ones like Pearl River, Hailun and others will probably be around but most others will not weather the downturn.

Mason&Hamlin wasn’t the only current brand getting ripped off. There was a big booth under the name of Steinbourg that was peddling Stuart&Sons as a German piano

The REAL Mason & Hamlin has a booth at Shanghai under the name "Henry Mason." It is old news that the Mason & Hamlin folks have been fighting for years to get the rights to their name in China. At the Shanghai show, brands like Mason & Risch, Bush & Gerts, and even Ravenscroft (uprights) are to be found and have no connection to the genuine product! It is the nature of the business in China, and in the past 10 years of attending the show, I have seen many of these come and go. The use of female models is not new, and if you've ever attended NAMM in LA, the Chinese models are modest by comparison with those used in the MI section of NAMM.

But I'm curious, just what about the Yangtze River concert grand, or Kayserburg concert grand that were on display did you find to be "not concert quality?"

Is the anticipated downturn in piano production/sales due to economic conditions in China - or to a declining demand for pianos by the Chinese?

It's just a number thing. With 50 million people taking piano lessons, and 5 million pianos being made every year, the demand growth is slowing down. Soon, the demand itself will go down, and when that happens, mediocre makers will disappear. It's fair to say that the piano market in China resembles that of the 1920s in the US, and the 1980s in Japan. There were hundreds of piano makes in US back then, and there were hundreds in Japan at the peak of its market. The vast majority of the makers will disappear soon as the market shrinks.

Mason and Hamlin plates have been made in China for some time now, if I recall correctly.