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I'm looking for an upright and recently tried a Haessler 124. It felt like a great combination of firmness and responsiveness in the action, as well as color and warmth in the tone. Not quite at the level of the Bluthner Model A I tried alongside it, but also far less expensive. Does anyone have experience with/knowledge about Haessler pianos? I gather that they're made in the same factory as Bluthner (and, if I'm correct, don't use Bluthner's single stringing), but otherwise, I know very little about them. Seems harder to learn about Bluthner/Haessler than about Bechstein/Hoffmann or Steinway/Boston. Thanks!

I think they’re lesser-known just because of the relatively small size of the dealer network in the US. I’ve played a handful and think they’re high quality pianos, and remember particularly liking a 6-footer from the brand. Have never serviced one, and I don’t know anyone who owns one.

Allegedly, they are made with Bluthner care and craftsmanship, but without some of the doo-dads that can make a small (often meaningful) difference for a high cost. Somewhat analogous to the Bechstein Academy line, but not taking any short-cuts on the actual parts.

It is not impossible that the penalty of trading down in complexity may be less significant to uprights, but that is a WAG on my part. Anyway, if you like this one, perhaps they have found a sweet spot on the cost/quality/design tradeoff.

Thanks, both. Would be grateful if anyone else has insights to share. Seems like a great brand but would appreciate any further information.

The reason for the Haessler piano is quite simple. After the de-nationalization of the Blüthner factory the world markets started to open up to the firm which was behind the Iron Curtain until 1990. Demand grew for fine European pianos, at the same time as demand grew for instruments with a more modern voice. A Blüthner piano has a particular voice, and it isn't "modern".

The Haessler piano fills the company's need for a modern sounding instrument in the high-end market (I'd call a retail price of almost 30k for an upright high-end even though I know there is higher end!), and they've achieved this by streamlining some of the manufacturing processes. The pianos are all loop strung, the frame isn't finished to quite as high a standard, the soundboard system is more conventional, but it's all still done to the Blüthner quality standard. The actions are Renner and they're built to the highest standards of quality as you'd expect in that price range. Terminaldegree is right, there is a rather nice 186cm grand from Haessler, and some of the large uprights are beautiful. A lot of the case parts like the music rack, pedals, front pillars of the uprights, fallboards etc are exactly the same as you find on Blüthner pianos.

Haessler is actually the surname of the family now, it's double barreled "Blüthner-Haessler" and so technically if they wanted they could change the name of all the pianos to "Haessler", and it's a product they believe in. Some of the PH Grands, although they were branded Blüthner were actually built on Haessler plates, although they've changed that now and they're built on Blüthner plates, but that doesn't matter, since both pianos are built by the same people in the same factory with a lot of the same materials. In that respect, a Haessler piano *is* a Blüthner piano but it's just branded differently. That sets it apart from Hoffman, which is made in a different factory, and Boston, which is made by a different company. Not that there's anything wrong with Hoffman or Boston pianos, but they're not high-end instruments even if they are very good.

If you like the piano and you're happy with the price, but your concern is the quality in the long term, you've nothing to worry about. I hope that clears everything up for you!