Everett Piano Specs and Review

One of the original makers of the Everett piano in 1946 contributed immensely to the advancement of the scientific way of building a piano being used today. That is why Everett pianos are much sought after today. In this Everett Piano review, I will list its specs, features, and history to help you determine if it’s the piano you are looking for.

During its heyday, Everett pianos were considered one of the top of the line in their class. At that time, this piano brand made some innovations in its design and construction that made them unique. These pianos stood out among its nearest rivals.

The original manufacturer of the Everett Piano is the Everett Piano Company. Throughout its history, the ownership of the brand changed hands many times. One of the last companies that produced Everett Pianos was the Yamaha Corporation.

Read on to learn more about the Everett Piano, its specs, features, and history so you can know if it is the piano that will satisfy your requirements.

About the Everett Piano

Everett Piano

Everett Piano Company

The Everett Piano Company made the Everett Piano way back in 1883. The original aim of this piano company was to build commercial-grade pianos. However, once their factory was operational, they decided to make the highest quality pianos without sparing any expense.

Their goal was to build the finest pianos possible. That is why early on, the Everett Piano brand was able to gain recognition from pianists and musicians all over the world.

Famous Musicians Who Requested Everett Pianos

Not everybody knows that many famous pianists and musicians requested Everett Pianos whenever possible when they performed in concerts and in front of huge audiences. These famous musicians include:

  • Chaminade,
  • Dr. Neitzel,
  • Carreno, and
  • Reisenauer.

One of them even called the Everett Piano the “King of Pianodom.”

Types of Everett Pianos

There are upright Everett Pianos, as well as Everett baby grands, and also Everett grand concertos. As such, they have different lengths and depths. But all of them come with a full 88-keys keyboard. All of them have different kinds of high-quality wood with different types of finishes.

For 100 years, this piano brand was famous as one of the best in the music industry. However, these turn-of-the-century pianos are not very popular today. They are slightly heavier and bigger than modern pianos. As time went on, smaller pianos became popular in the home instead of the bigger concert and grand pianos.

Turning Point

Eventually, the company stopped producing the Everett grand pianos in 1946. The company focused on building small pianos for studio and home use instead of the concert stage. Then a turning point in its history came when another company bought it.

Innovations

George Stapely, a graduate engineer, bought the Everett Company in 1936. Being an engineer, George sought to improve the piano’s design and invented the Balanced Tension back. He patented this innovation in 1946, ten years after he acquired the company.

This design innovation greatly improved the tone quality of the Everett Piano. It was a scientific piano construction that resulted in 40% more tone freedom for the piano. The piano is now able to produce a much improved solid tone.

But that was not the end of the innovations. After many years of research, Everett launched the first small pianos equipped with the Dyna-Tension Scale. This was in 1949. The piano company claimed that this fresh innovation gave the Everett pianos the beautiful tonal qualities of a grand piano.

John A. Henns, America’s leading piano designer, perfected this innovation. It made the Everett Piano even more unique compared to its competitors. Unfortunately, Everett Pianos are no longer being manufactured today.

Restored and Used Everett Pianos Are Available in the Market

Only restored and used Everett pianos are available in the market. Many capable restorers of used Everett pianos can make them sound as fresh and new as before. Everett pianos are superior musical instruments. If they don’t sound as beautiful as before, restoration work can bring up their sound quality to their former selves.

The price of a restored piano in a restored condition varies according to the year it was made and the quality of its construction. Overall, restored Everett pianos are very affordable to the average consumer.

Types of Everett Pianos

To give you an idea, here is a rundown of the prices of several types of Everett pianos:

  1. Upright Everett Piano, year 1940 – $750
  2. Everett Upright, (year not indicated) – $450
  3. Spinet Piano, year 1949 – $100
  4. Everett Studio Piano, year 1986 – $50

Key Features of the Everett Piano

1961 everett piano

The essential features of Everett pianos are the ones that make them unique among their class. In this regard, two features distinguish this piano from the pianos made by other piano makers.

These two distinct features are the Balanced Tension Back and the Dyna-Tension Scale. They work in tandem to give the Everett Piano the ability to sound like a concert grand piano (as claimed by the company):

Balanced Tension Back

Instead of metal levers, the Everett pianos have wooden back posts. This design gives the Everett Piano the strength to carry the additional load of the tension of super high strings. The company claims that this is one of the reasons why their pianos can provide the exact ‘concert fidelity’ of a fine grand piano. All grand pianos have high tension strings.

Dyna-Tension Scale

The Dyna-tension scale, according to Everett, gives their pianos the tonal beauty of grand pianos. John Henns, the leading piano scald designer in America at that time, invented and developed this.

This scale can only be adapted to Everett pianos (spinets and consoles) because they are equipped with balanced tension backs. No other piano brand uses BTB. That is why this is an exclusive feature on all Everett pianos.

Again, what makes the Everett Piano unique? In the past, the Everett Pianos were considered top of the line. And with innovations and improvements in its design, it definitely stood out among other brands.

Standard Features of the Everett Piano

Being a regular (not a digital) piano, all Everett pianos come with the standard features of this musical instrument. Here are its standard features:

1. Full Keyboard

All Everett pianos come with a full keyboard of 88 keys, including both the white and the black keys. This translates musically to seven octaves and three keys. All the keys of Everett pianos are of standard sizes.

The keys of the earliest Everett pianos are probably ivories. When that material was protected and banned, piano makers used plastic materials to make ivory-like piano keys. These materials are probably the ones you will see on Everett pianos made in their later years.

2. Full Size Keys

All Everett pianos are regular pianos. That means their dimensions fall into the dimensions of standard pianos. It also means that they all have full-size keys. Some pianos with shorter and narrower keys, such as those found in some digital pianos and organs.

3. Touch Sensitive Keys

All the keys in every Everett piano are touch-sensitive. You’ll hear louder notes if you play the keys with greater force and vice versa. This is an acoustic piano where the more pressure you put on the keys; the louder are the sounds you can produce.

4. Standard Height

All Everett pianos are built with the standard piano height. The average height of the Everett piano is around 28 1/8 inches. This is usually measured from the floor to the top of its white keys.

5. Pedal

Being an acoustic piano, an Everett piano comes with three pedals. The sustain pedal, or sustenuto, is the one at the middle. It acts as a selective damper. It holds up the dampers that were raised by the keys.

The left pedal, the una corda, is also a damper. But it thins the piano tone. It thins the sound by shifting the whole keyboard and the action slightly to the right so that the hammer does not strike all the strings.

The right pedal is the damper. It also sustains and prolongs the piano sound by lifting all the dampers off the piano strings. This sustains the notes that are played and also allows the strings to vibrate with the sounds produced sympathetically.

6. Bench

You need something to sit on while playing an Everett Piano. So, every unit is supplied with a bench. The bench is usually upholstered, so it is comfortable to sit on. Quality wood is used for the bench frame.

Everett Piano Specs

1962 everett piano

To properly determine the suitability of a standard piano, you need to know some of its key specs. Here is a table that shows some of the specs of the Everett Piano that will tell you if it is what you really need:

ItemSpecifications
Height 
Console Piano40 inches to 43 inches
Spinet Piano36 inches to 40 inches
Upright Piano48 inches to 60 inches
  
Weight 
Console Piano350 to 450 pounds
Spinet Piano200 to 400 pounds
Upright Piano500 to 1,000 pounds
  
Number of Keys88 full keys
  
PedalsUna Corda, Sustenuto, Damper
  
PriceIt starts from $500 to $600 (restored)

Short History of the Everett Piano

The John Church Company established the original Everett Piano Company in 1883 in Boston, Massachusetts. It was one of the leading piano makers at that time. This company later merged with Cable-Nelson Piano in June 1926. They later moved their operations to South Haven, Michigan.

And then, the Everett Company merged with the Meridian Corporation in 1936. From 1935 to 1941, the Everett Company developed the electrostatic reed organ, which they later manufactured as the Orgatron Brand.

After World War II, the company transferred its business to the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. This is the time they started focusing on producing pianos. The Meridian Corporation later acquired the Everett Company in 1954.

Then in 1962, the Everett Company was bought by the Hammond Organ Company. Several years later, in 1973, the company was acquired by the Yamaha Corporation. This was when they produced both Everett and Yamaha pianos in South Haven, USA.

In 1986, Yamaha moved its piano factory to Thomason, Georgia. The Everett Company factory remained in South Haven. But their Everett pianos are now actually being made by the Baldwin Piano and Organ Company in contract with Yamaha.

This contract was eventually discontinued in 1989, leading to the stop in the production of Everett pianos. So, the Everett pianos that you see being sold online are used and restored pianos. But most of them are still in good condition, with some restored pianos sounding like their original selves.

Conclusion: Everett Piano

The Everett Piano is a brand of standard upright pianos that was regarded as one of the top piano brands during its heyday. At one point in its history, the piano maker made some innovations in its design and construction.

The two innovations that made Everett pianos unique and grand piano-sounding are the Balanced Tension Back and the Dyna-Tension Scale. These two unique features placed it on top of other piano brands.

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