Estonia pianos are gaining an unusually large and enthusiastic following in the short time they have been on the market. Several groups of owners have formed independently, and they regularly hold musical gatherings to play their Estonia pianos.
Estonia Pianos were founded by Ernst Hiis, an master piano maker who was trained at Steinway-Hamburg. After the Soviets annexed the Baltic state in 1940, Hiis was forced to give a piano from his factory to Joseph Stalin, and the dictator apparently loved it. Hiis decided to consolidate all of the local Estonian piano workshops under him, and he began to make pianos with the new name, “Estonia.”
The piano’s sound is a result of a unique massive Baltic wood rim that produces an extremely rich full tone. The rim is topped with the highest quality resonance spruce, which is hand-selected in Europe, matched to the rim, and crafted by experienced Estonia craftsmen.
In 1994, Estonia introduced its pianos to the United States, and the company grew quickly as pianist, recording artist, and doctoral graduate of Juilliard, Indrek Laul, spearheaded its U.S. marketing and sales. He gradually bought out the company’s stockholders until he owned it outright in 2001.
Laul has continued to push the quality of Estonia pianos to impressive heights, and he personally answers most customer inquiries, which is very rare for an industrial-sized piano maker. The Estonia 190 is one of the most popular models of the brand, and it features a stunning cabinet with exotic veneers such as rosewood and Bubinga, plus a Polished Ebony finish.
