CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF YAMAHA PIANOS
–One Man’s Ingenuity Laid Foundation for a Global Standard of Excellence–

Click here to take an animated tour of "A Look at the First 100 Years." (Flash plug-in required)

BUENA PARK, Calif.–We’ve all done it: tinkered with something complicated to see how it works. In a small town called Hamamatsu in Japan in 1887, in the mind of a young man named Torakusu Yamaha, that tinkering instinct struck a note that reverberates to this day. His fascination with a school reed organ he’d been asked to repair started him off on a self-taught education in musical engineering, and in 1900, the first Japanese piano–an upright bearing the nameplate "Yamaha"–was born.

In the year 2000, Yamaha is proud to celebrate its centennial as the maker of the world’s finest pianos. Ten decades after Torakusu Yamaha’s pioneering effort, the company he founded is known the world over for the quality of its grand, upright and digital pianos, and for the commitment to innovation that his name has come to symbolize.

"What a proud time this is for everyone associated with Yamaha," comments Terry Lewis, Senior Vice President, Yamaha Corporation of America. "Our company has reached this milestone not by looking back, but by looking forward. As a tribute to our founder, that’s what we’ll continue to do."

The very first Yamaha piano, built in 1900 by Torakusu Yamaha himself.

Yamaha pianos, prized for their rich, full voice and responsive action, are the instrument of choice for the world’s greatest artists, most rigorous competitions and most prestigious performance venues. At the same time, they are prized in homes and schools–anywhere people who love to play music gather.

In addition to acoustic grand pianos and acoustic upright pianos, Yamaha has led the industry in blending traditional piano craftsmanship with modern digital technology. Yamaha MIDIPianos use the standard MIDI musical interface protocol to connect the piano to other keyboards, external modules and computers for unparalleled versatility in composing and arranging. Yamaha Disklavier pianos, led by the stunning new Disklavier Pro 2000, use intricate arrays of sensors and solenoids to record performances onto floppy disk and play back every nuance without any interference in the operation of the action or strings. Yamaha Clavinova digital pianos are the most realistic, versatile digital instruments on the market.

As part of its hundred-year observance, Yamaha has created a special-edition C3 Conservatory grand piano, the "Centennial Piano," with a nostalgic Victorian Revival cabinet and a special Centennial Symbol mark. The Centennial Piano combines a timeless look with the modern engineering that makes every new Yamaha piano an instrument of beauty.

The first year of the new century also marks the Silver Anniversary of the Yamaha Music Manufacturing, Inc. piano assembly plant in Thomaston, Ga. Here, up-to-the-minute technology and traditional craftsmanship come together to perform the intricate operations that go into creating every Yamaha piano made in the U.S.A.

Yamaha's latest creation, the stunning Disklavier Pro 2000.

The work done at Thomaston is a credit to the Yamaha tradition. At each phase of construction, the person who performed each skilled task places his or her initials on the piece. It takes three years of learning for someone to become a final tuner; the same degree of precision goes into the computer programs that control routers within a tolerance of 1/10,000 of an inch. The skilled Yamaha artisans at the Thomaston facility are cross-trained in each other’s jobs, guaranteeing a continuity of quality and performance.

"From Japan’s first piano to the world benchmark of excellence, it’s been quite a century," notes Ray Reuter, Piano Marketing Manager, Piano Division, Yamaha Corporation of America. "I can’t help but think that Torakusu Yamaha would be proud if he saw a Yamaha piano today, or took a tour of our Thomaston plant. We certainly are. And we’re going to keep working, improving, and living up to his example, so that each and every Yamaha owner will be proud too."

For more information, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Piano Division, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; call (714) 522-9011 or visit www.yamaha.com on the Web.

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